So I'm looking for communities related to this one. For example, on reddit I subbed to r/workbenches, r/frenchcleats, r/carpentry.

So what are your favorite woodworking-adjacent communities?

Same burl as the picture from the other day

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Hi everyone,

I looked through this community, and I didn't see much discussion of the use of CAD for woodworking, so I figured it was worth a post. I learned CAD ages ago, and I've used it sparingly in my professional life since then. I'm working on a project now that would benefit from CAD, so I figured I'd try to get up and running with a software for personal use.

I know sketchup and fusion360 have long been the major players for woodworkers, but I am wary of "free" personal use licenses that can be removed or degraded at any time. As this is Lemmy, I'm sure plenty of you are interested in FOSS options as well. I know there are some programs out there specifically for woodworking, but if I'm going to learn a new software, I want it to be more general purpose so I can use it to make things for 3D printing, etc, if needed. I also want something parametric to be able to easily change designs. For those of you unaware of what that means, it basically means that you can design things with variables instead of exact numbers. That way you can punch in numbers later on to easily update your design. In my case, I'm making cabinet doors in a few different sizes, and I'll be able to generate plans for different doors with only 1 model. Theoretically, I could upload the design for anyone else to use/modify as well on a place like thingiverse (someone give me a shout if they are secretly horrible or something, I'm generally wary of providing value to a corporation for free).

This all drove me to FreeCAD. FreeCAD is a FOSS CAD software that has a huge range of different capabilities. The different tools are divided into "workbenches" of different uses such as architectural drafting, 3d printing, openSCAD etc. There are also user created workbenches that you can install. There's even one specifically for woodworking (that I haven't used yet).

I've started into some tutorials, and most of them are focused on building a single widget. While that's great if you are planning on making something to 3d print, us woodworkers are usually assembling different parts. The tutorials for woodworking specifically I've followed along with so far seem to follow the same workflow:

First, a spreadsheet is set up to establish all the parameters you want to be able to change, then, each part is designed individually. Finally, all of the pieces are brought together and assembled.

While this is great if you already have a design in mind or an object, and you are trying to make a model of it, it's not the way I would ideally go about conceptualizing a new design. To make a nightstand, for example, my preferred methodology would be to assemble some simple rectangular panels to represent the top, bottom, back, front, left, and right. After those are in place, I'd start adding joinery, details like routed edges, and cutting out space for a door. It doesn't seem like freecad is necessarily set up to do things that way, though I could be wrong. This might even be how the woodworking workbench does things, I just figured I'd start learning the default workbenches first.

Anyone else use freecad or another CAD software? What's your workflow like? Want me to report back once I've had more time to play around with it and learn some stuff?

I made this a few years ago to speed-turn the L-bolts in our Christmas tree stand. They are stiff and super putzy to operate by hand.

I'm new to wood working and am looking for relatively cheap sources of wood and was wondering if anybody has ever used used liquor barrels. Are these even cheap? I'd probably use it to make small furniture or planters. Anything I should know in particular or resources I could look into? Thanks!

Oak burl bow - 6 inches by 3 inches (15 cm.x7.5 cm). Someone bought this at a show the first day it was available.

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Hey all, newb here. I’m building my first workshop in my basement with hand tools only (might add power tools later) and looking for some advice.

I’m still undecided on a sharpening setup, so wondering what other people like. How fussy are water stones, and how do you manage keeping them true? Do you have any cool tricks or things you want to show off?

cross-posted from: https://toast.ooo/post/1367547

I found some of my old wood shop projects.

If I were to make these out of wood for an entertainment center (Legs would be 12" tall, 18" wide), would they be strong enough without a stretcher running between them?

EDIT:

To add some context..

https://imgur.com/GAOXvQW

Here is a picture of the entertainment center, hairpin legs as a temporary placeholder.

I guess I got the finish to look okay on the pine legs and such. Looks great on the oak tops and shelves. Sat down to draw these on Nov 1 and they're finally next to my couch.

Each snowflake is different. Solid green wood stain and boiled linseed oil and natural shellac finish.

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I've found my finishing problem: I'm building things out of pine.

Traditional stain, gel stain, urethane, tung oil, danish oil...on oak, cherry or maple many of these look fine. No matter what I put on pine, it comes out looking like a septic prolapse.

I'd like to some day build a pergola or a gazebo but I have pretty much no experience. Where should I start, or resources to look into? I've heard that doing is the best way to learn but with structural builds I'm a little anxious as a complete beginner. Thanks!

Building a credenza with 3/4” plywood. Using miter joints on the carcass to avoid showing the plywood “end grain”. How can I reinforce those joints? The pros are using festool domino. I have a handheld drill and a handheld router. Can I do a dowel joint? I don’t know how to do that on a miter.

Spruce top, the body and neck are carved from a single block of maple. More photos:

Hey everyone, I’m putting Rubio on some Hickory shelves and finished the bottoms yesterday at about 8pm. How long do I have to wait before I can flip them over and do the tops? Only planning a single coat.

Everything I see says 24 hours between coats, or things of that nature, but I’d just be flipping them over on my horses. I’m hoping to avoid waiting 6 more before moving forward.

So when my mom moved, I inherited her 1960s MCM coffee table. The end pieces are veneered particle board.

Now the veneer is in good shape - no chunks missing, no big lifts or anything - but it’s rough and covered in tiny not-quite-bubbles.

I’d like to find some way of just smoothing it all down, and I expect it to look natural again, but I’m being cautious. Anyone dealt with this before?

Some little chickens I just turned. Inspired by Andy’s Cornish Creations, from L to R: birch, Myrtlewood, some kind of rosewood (we think), and maple.

He wanted a big cutting board with juice drainage in the center which is why it has the "X" in it. Not 100% happy with it, but it's good enough.

** sorry! There’s a picture posted now!**I’ve tried like wiping it dry and even using mineral spirits on it

This was a very fun experiment trying it a cornered bowl. It's one of my favorites so far. Wipe on poly finish.

If you are visiting the following links on a mobile device, you may have to scroll down quite a bit to get to the actual content. I'm still playing with site design and layout.

Rocket stove heater: https://jadero.com/index.php/28-shop/heating/11-heating

Sheet metal brake, constructed to help me make the heat exchanger for the heater: https://jadero.com/index.php/29-shop/sheet-metal-brake/12-sheet-metal-brake