Search:

Boondox, although I live in a considerably warmer climet, I'll also be insulating my shop early next year. I looked into plywood sheathing, but it's considerably more expensive than drywall right...

I believe that the "rusty nail" stain works primarily with woods with a high tannin content, like the oaks. I'm not certain that it would provide sufficient reaction with the pine to stain it much.

Pine can be "pickled", basically a bleaching of the wood followed by an application of paint or stain, wiped off somewhat and sealed with a finish. I've not tried this but I've got a book by S.W....

Usually I would stain the wood prior to installation and keep most of the mess out of the house. But that's past now.
1) Is your pine rough or smooth and which surface texture do you want? If...

I've owned a Grizzley 3 hp single bag vacuum and a 6x15 inch planer for 12+ years. Both work well. The vacuum burned out a motor in the first year and Grizzley replaced it free of charge, no...

Best of luck to you and your wife. I remember when I was ten or eleven watching my neighbor across our street building his house by himself. His wife worked during the day and helped him nights and...

Paul, I know what it's like with contractors. Our current house had the foundation footer poured 6/6/02 and the garage footer poured 6/19/02. The garage structure is currently framed and sheathed....

We sold in July 2001 about 6 months or so after the peak. Even so, prices are still very high from what my friends tell me. Once you leave, it's very difficult to go back. Although with the...

Lee Valley Tools sells the replacement blades. You can check their website for prices.

It's probably a dozuki. I assume it's a crosscut style but rip teeth are also available. Given the hardness/brittleness of the teeth I can understand why it didn't like the lilac branch. I think...

Mark, Surveyor costs can vary significantly so ask your neighbors/contacts for recommendations. The last one I used is an older gentleman. He brought along two helpers for clearing a line of site...

How do you like the Japanese saw? Haven't tried them yet. Which type do you have? I know they have different names for shape/cutting stroke.

Unless you are going to make a lot of drawers, I suggest that you purchase a good backsaw for dovetail work and make them by hand. With a little practice these can be made reasonably fast. For...

Have you observed your house site when it's quite wet? You may find that the site puddles and/or is really muddy for several days after the rain is gone. I waited through one rainy season on my...

The 100 flood plane rules can add significantly to the house costs. However, I've seen several new homes locally that had flooded yards completely around the house this year last week. Wonder how...

Your manual should give you instructions on maintainance. The "chipper" portion of the unit typically has two or three blades that need routine sharpening depending on use. Dry limbs, especially...

My wife insisted my new shop be over 200 feet from the house and garage so I wouldn't take the garage over for wood storage, etc. Noise wasn't her major concern.

Since your primary interest is cabinets and such (I assume this means some furniture) you probably won't be resawing much. Then a 14 inch bandsaw should be fine. Larger bandsaws offer resaw...

I have the Dewalt 12" compound slider (DW708?). It is an excellent saw. I specifically like the accuracy and range of movement. I also bought their stand with extension for it. It's a heavy...

In my state, the local forestry department can also be contracted to conduct a controlled burn for a nominal fee on private property. I'm on their list for a burn in two wooded sections of about 40...

In our area having lime spread is $26/ton (at least that was the price early this year before fuel shot up).

Good luck. It'll be interesting to watch your progress and decisions you have to make. You'll have fun, sort of, if you haven't done this before. I'm also in the process of having mine built. ...

Thanks. This project has been interesting, but pricey too. This weekend I planted wheat and rye on the hillside where we dug out the clay for the dam and spread most of the previous dirt from the...

The job's complete now. Here's a photo this week after we put the first few boards in the spillway. Hope it won't take too long to fill the pond. Good rain yesterday so I'll go look today.

I also purchased a Graco airless unit this year. Painted fence posts and fence boards. Plan to use it to paint the workshop, etc. Very happy with it. You do need different tips for different...