Millo's Forum Topics

cool, durable, and precise automatic watches around $100~200... Orient, Seiko, Bulova? - 10 replies

Have you guys had any experinces with automatic watches under $200, preferably under $150? I’ve read/heard mixed things about various brands/models. I gave my then-girlfriend a gorgeous Invicta one years ago and it was crap, was never accurate and then it just stopped working. Worst gift ever. Have you had first-hand experinece with Orient...

Is Waterlox wipe- or brush-on or wipe-on/wipe-off? - 25 replies

How do you apply Waterlox, brushing, wiping and leaving it, wipe-on/wipe-off? Do you dilute it depending on application technique? Anyone like it better than Arm R Seal, Minwax Wipe-On Poly? How forgiving is it on vertical, already-assembled pieces like table bases? How forgiving is it on horizontal surfaces? Is the low-voc version recommenda...

What is your favorite, off-the-shelf walnut stain? - 5 replies

I have a table built with air-dried walnut, but whose legs are made with kiln-dried walnut. The difference in color is obvious. I have tried several things on samples and it seems that the only choice to get them somewhat close to one another before topcoating will be to stain. I much prefer the color of the air-dried walnut—a deep reddish...

Any Ridgid or other inexpensive shopvacs you can recommend? - 32 replies

Can you recommend any particular inexpensive shop vacuums typically popping up in the used market, or even in the new market? It will have to handle general outdoors sucking action as well as shop use, which really means “garage-with-a-router-a- B&D workmate-and-tons-of-lumber” use. Easily available filters would be great. Any...

quick question: Tried and True "Danish Oil" + arm r seal to make oil/varnish? - 2 replies

I have a quick question: Can I add Arm R Seal to Tried and True’s Danish oil (not really “Danish”, just partially polymerized linseed oil and nothing else) to make a rub-on/buff-off oil/varnish mixture? On Friday I thought I had grabbed a can of T&T’s Varnish Oil off the shelf, but had grabbed the Danish Oil instea...

yet another thread on ebonizing walnut... - 3 replies

I want to ebonize some small walnut parts for 2 drawer and one box pull handle (this one is about 10-1/2” long). The drawer pulls are going to be screwed to the drawers, so I can “ebonize” and topcoat separately from the drawer, but the one for the box will be glued, inset in a rabbet, with two little shoulders protruding (abou...

looking for a bandsaw jig vid [w/ Brian Boggs? Can't remember]...help me find it? - 1 reply

...I think I remember seeing a vid profile on Brian Boggs where he was using an awesome bandsaw jig for cutting curves in which he had a template “positive” and “negative”, so to speak. I was looking for it the other day and couldn’t find it…was it in Fine Woodowkring? I don’t think he explained much abo...

how important is having a DECENT bench grinder vs. a $30 garage sale one? - 15 replies

Meaning: I have $100 in Lowes gift cards. Was thinking we needed a trimmer/edger but then I thought: “hmm, I really should round the edges on the smoothing blades for my Veritas low-angle jack, and should probably do that with a grinder”. Obviously a grinder will make it easier for sharpening everything, incluidng lawn mower blades (...

large vs. medium shoulder plane - 3 replies

Yet another noob question from me. Just wondering, would the awkwardness of holding a ginormous shoulder plane on small pieces lead to inaccuracies? If not, and if one is looking for one shoulder plane to take care of tenons in a workbench, and large breadboard ends, etc, is a large shoulder plane (like Lie-Nielsen’s or Veritas’) ...

Any more experiences w/ Crystalac? - 2 replies

Hi everyone, I am about to complete a sofa table in walnut—mostly air-dried Texas walnut, although the legs are kiln-dried…. the difference in color is kinda odd, but oh well…—after taking a semester-long woodworking course and I am trying to make a finishing plan for it. I plan on doing a satin finish, most likely Gen...