Woodworking, DIY, and home repair thread

[Jkwellborn 6670]

Wonder if I missed a Black Friday deal. The x5 and x7 are both over 340 that I’ve found, currently. 
 
Thanks for the advice on the tips. The wand was one of the other things that made me lean graco. Wagner doesn’t look like it has a want attachment. 
 
For clean up of the latex, is it as simple as starting with a 5 gallon bucket of water and spraying until it is clear, then clean the suction and other parts that might have paint?

You have to run some pump armor through it till it sprays. It’s pretty simple.

[UT_OB1 2204]

5 hours ago, Jkwellborn said:

Also, just get a bunch of mineral spirits and run it through it like paint.

That sounds like most of the steps to make a flame thrower. 

[Jkwellborn 6670]

That sounds like most of the steps to make a flame thrower. 

I have tried that, but I bet it would work pretty good if you set an igniter up on it.

[Gil Bang 25905]

8 hours ago, UT_OB1 said:

Wonder if I missed a Black Friday deal. The x5 and x7 are both over 340 that I’ve found, currently. 
 

Thanks for the advice on the tips. The wand was one of the other things that made me lean graco. Wagner doesn’t look like it has a want attachment. 
 

For clean up of the latex, is it as simple as starting with a 5 gallon bucket of water and spraying until it is clear, then clean the suction and other parts that might have paint?

I use Dawn dish soap.    

I put the suction part in water, and spray the paint back into the paint bucket until it visibly thins.  

Then, I cycle the water until there is little visible paint left. 

Then, I use a gallon or so of water with a quarter cup of Dawn.  

 

 

[davidg 4034]

10 hours ago, Jkwellborn said:

Also, just get a bunch of mineral spirits and run it through it like paint.

Yeah from what I’ve read and looked at it’s needs about 5 gals or so to do a good cleanup.

[Jkwellborn 6670]

We’ve got a line sprayer at work. The first couple of times we ran it, we used oil based paint because we were painting outdoor stuff. I’ll never go back to that. It’s a pain getting all of the paint off of everything before it dries.

[UT_OB1 2204]

I feel stupid for not knowing this, but from childhood to now I’ve only ever used rollers or brushes - the sprayers can spray stain and poly. I should have bought one of these last year. I spent days on my knees wiping on stain with a rag and brushing on poly with 4” brush on about 1500 sqft of wood floor. 
 

I’ll be putting down a new coat of poly on the house I’m going to paint and I’ve been dreading the thought. Now I’m guessing it will be no big deal. 

[UTexasFight 9406]

Update on my post on the last page. Very happy with how it’s all come together

 

[Jkwellborn 6670]

I love it when a plan comes together.

[ROFL BOX 6647]

Are y'all returning the fire pit come Springtime?  Take off the tag, ya heathen!

[UTexasFight 9406]

2 hours ago, ROFL BOX said:

Are y'all returning the fire pit come Springtime?  Take off the tag, ya heathen!

Patience... had about a million loose ends to tie up and that one was overlooked

but yeah, figured that was the first thing to be called out when I looked at the picture. Ha

[NeverMarryAStripper 21805]

Maybe it's like a mattress tag and you can go to prison for removing it

[BHMCruiser 1813]

What are you going to do with the open space behind the couch?

[Gil Bang 25905]

On 12/20/2020 at 12:29 PM, ROFL BOX said:

Are y'all returning the fire pit come Springtime?  Take off the tag, ya heathen!

Looks like Rocko's sportcoat.

[UTexasFight 9406]

6 hours ago, BHMCruiser said:

What are you going to do with the open space behind the couch?

Dining area/ table chairs at some point soon

installing a fan in the middle at some point before the spring 

some sort of cactus-type plants in those planter boxes and also waiting for them to rust and then seal

stain the couch lumber

installing a gutter on the house roofline

are all on the to-do’s still

[ROFL BOX 6647]

Dining area/ table chairs at some point soon
installing a fan in the middle at some point before the spring 
some sort of cactus-type plants in those planter boxes and also waiting for them to rust and then seal
stain the couch lumber
installing a gutter on the house roofline
are all on the to-do’s still

FYI, we also do gutters.

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk

[BHMCruiser 1813]

13 hours ago, UTexasFight said:

Dining area/ table chairs at some point soon

installing a fan in the middle at some point before the spring 

some sort of cactus-type plants in those planter boxes and also waiting for them to rust and then seal

stain the couch lumber

installing a gutter on the house roofline

are all on the to-do’s still

That's going to be very nice. 

[Hornbeliever 712]

Starting plans for a treeless treehouse for kids and teenagers.  10'x10' and maybe 6-8 feet high so nothing immense but it's sorta in middle of a ravine that is tricky to haul stuff into so looking to minimize work.

My question for the woodworking geniuses...can I get away with 4"x6" posts on each corner or do I have to do 6x6 posts for structural integrity?  The 6x6 posts I'm looking at weigh 140  lbs and seeing if 4x6 will still do job while weighing less.

[Spaulding Smails 1551]

18 hours ago, Hornbeliever said:

Starting plans for a treeless treehouse for kids and teenagers.  10'x10' and maybe 6-8 feet high so nothing immense but it's sorta in middle of a ravine that is tricky to haul stuff into so looking to minimize work.

My question for the woodworking geniuses...can I get away with 4"x6" posts on each corner or do I have to do 6x6 posts for structural integrity?  The 6x6 posts I'm looking at weigh 140  lbs and seeing if 4x6 will still do job while weighing less.

I would think 4x6 should be fine especially if you're using PT.  Joist size and spacing is going to be more critical than post size.  I wouldn't go less than 2x8 at 16" OC.  Also, try to land your joists on top of the post so they are bearing weight down on the post.  If you can't do that, make sure you use joist hangers.  The big advantage to the 6x6 posts is that you can notch on both sides so your joists sit flush with the edge of the post.  You don't end up with much meat when notching a 4x6 for joists to sit on top.

I did a treehouse for my kids four years ago.  It's 6' x 8'.  I did 6x6 Cedar posts with 2x8 Cedar joists and double 3/4" galvanized through-bolts.  It's a brick shit house.  I'll send pics if you want them for reference.  

This website is a good reference for joist size and spacing.  

https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/floor-joists-span-d_1479.html

[BabaYaga 15238]

Finally gave in and went the battery route on a new chainsaw:  EGO CS1604.  Been wanting to try for a while and old saws are a greasy, stuttering, hard to start mess.

So stand by to get some.......

[UT_OB1 2204]

On 12/27/2020 at 3:01 PM, Hornbeliever said:

Starting plans for a treeless treehouse for kids and teenagers.  10'x10' and maybe 6-8 feet high so nothing immense but it's sorta in middle of a ravine that is tricky to haul stuff into so looking to minimize work.

My question for the woodworking geniuses...can I get away with 4"x6" posts on each corner or do I have to do 6x6 posts for structural integrity?  The 6x6 posts I'm looking at weigh 140  lbs and seeing if 4x6 will still do job while weighing less.

 

8 hours ago, Spaulding Smails said:

I would think 4x6 should be fine especially if you're using PT.  Joist size and spacing is going to be more critical than post size.  I wouldn't go less than 2x8 at 16" OC.  Also, try to land your joists on top of the post so they are bearing weight down on the post.  If you can't do that, make sure you use joist hangers.  The big advantage to the 6x6 posts is that you can notch on both sides so your joists sit flush with the edge of the post.  You don't end up with much meat when notching a 4x6 for joists to sit on top.

I did a treehouse for my kids four years ago.  It's 6' x 8'.  I did 6x6 Cedar posts with 2x8 Cedar joists and double 3/4" galvanized through-bolts.  It's a brick shit house.  I'll send pics if you want them for reference.  

This website is a good reference for joist size and spacing.  

https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/floor-joists-span-d_1479.html

The joists don’t land on top of the posts. You should not use joist hangers to attach the beams to the posts. Either notch it out as mentioned or you have to use bolts. Joist hangers are to attach the joists to the beams. 4x6 will be plenty for the posts.
You may want to get someone to do a calc for you, but I think 2x12 should save you some work. If you have beams that are made of two 2x8s or 2x10s, I believe you'll need to have a post at the mid point of each beam (6 posts). If you use double 2x12s for your beams you should be able to span almost 10’ and only need a post at each corner. You’d also be able to space the joists 24”, so less joists to screw with. 
 

https://www.ckcog.com/wp-content/uploads/Deck-Construction-2016.pdf

[Spaulding Smails 1551]

29 minutes ago, UT_OB1 said:

 

The joists don’t land on top of the posts. You should not use joist hangers to attach the beams to the posts. Either notch it out as mentioned or you have to use bolts. Joist hangers are to attach the joists to the beams. 4x6 will be plenty for the posts.
You may want to get someone to do a calc for you, but I think 2x12 should save you some work. If you have beams that are made of two 2x8s or 2x10s, I believe you'll need to have a post at the mid point of each beam (6 posts). If you use double 2x12s for your beams you should be able to span almost 10’ and only need a post at each corner. You’d also be able to space the joists 24”, so less joists to screw with. 
 

https://www.ckcog.com/wp-content/uploads/Deck-Construction-2016.pdf

You are correct.  I didn't do a good job of explaining about "landing on top".  I meant bearing on the post via the notch with through-bolts.  You are correct about joist hangers.  Not sure what I was thinking there.  Should only be the joists attaching to the beams.  

[UT_OB1 2204]

@Hornbeliever @Spaulding Smails

Also, on the post, if you’re only 6-8’ off the ground, 4x4 would probably technically work.  But for only $40 total for 4x6 (assuming 4 12’ long) Tim the Toolman it. How is your 6x6 140 lbs?  Is it 16’?  Just cut it in half   

[capnamerca 571]

Polyurethane finish question. I've used oil-based poly before; after three coats on a desk I built for my son, that finish is quite hard. It's difficult to scratch, to the point where I can't mark it with a fingernail. I feel like it cured to that level of durability in 3-4 days, but the toughness was evident 24 hours after the last coat was applied.

On a current desk I'm building for my wife, I grabbed water-based poly. The lower VOC count appealed to me, as the design mandates that I do at least the last two coats indoors (it's a built-in with trim work, so the big piece had to go in and the get finished out all together). I've got three coats on now, which is what the back of the can recommends. Applied with a foam brush, liberally. Sanded with 400 grit between coats as well, and all the application and drying time was at a temp above 65 degrees. The finish LOOKS amazing. Flat, no bubbles anywhere, I even managed to keep cat hair out of it. But it's not strong. I can scratch it with a fingernail. I know it will cure SOME over the next couple of weeks, but I'm disappointed right now.

Will it strengthen over time? Should I think about applying more coats? Am I up a creek? I just envision her using her craft supplies, or even just a laptop on this thing, sliding it around during normal work, and leaving light tracks. Those things add up over time, and I know it'll be all I see when I go in that room.

[Jkwellborn 6670]

Can you epoxy the top?

[capnamerca 571]

1 hour ago, Jkwellborn said:

Can you epoxy the top?

Not easily ... tabletop runs into the drywall.

[capnamerca 571]

Well, two full days of curing is definitely better. It's less scratch-prone than yesterday, although still not where I want it. But I'm hopeful.

[davidg 4034]

Finally gave in and went the battery route on a new chainsaw:  EGO CS1604.  Been wanting to try for a while and old saws are a greasy, stuttering, hard to start mess.
So stand by to get some.......

I bought a 12” Dewalt 20v before Thanksgiving at the early Black Friday sale at HD. I cut some dried and green stuff up to about 6” and it did ok. Only paid $100 for it and I have a bunch of other 20v stuff so I’m happy with the buy. My wife even grabbed it and cut some stuff in the back yard and she’s never wanted to touch a chainsaw before.

One thing I did read about was taking it into state or national parks to saw up fallen down fire wood where a engine based saw wouldn’t be allowed. If nothing less, I throw it in the travel trailer on trips to just up some wood for the fire.

[capnamerca 571]

41 minutes ago, davidg said:

 

I bought a 12” Dewalt 20v before Thanksgiving at the early Black Friday sale at HD. I cut some dried and green stuff up to about 6” and it did ok. Only paid $100 for it and I have a bunch of other 20v stuff so I’m happy with the buy. My wife even grabbed it and cut some stuff in the back yard and she’s never wanted to touch a chainsaw before.

One thing I did read about was taking it into state or national parks to saw up fallen down fire wood where a engine based saw wouldn’t be allowed. If nothing less, I throw it in the travel trailer on trips to just up some wood for the fire.

 

I bought the same machine, and I run it with the 60v flex volt batteries. Like you, I have a lot of the DeWalt 20v line, so this made sense. Honestly, it might be the best of all of my cordless tools. We've got a largish lot, and each season we have to limb some trees, clear some shrubs, etc. This thing took down up to 3" diameter oak and cedar limbs with no issue, and was WAY easier to carry around than a huge gas powered thing, and cutting overhead limbs is WAY less dangerous. Chain still seems sharp after a days use, and I got about 45 cuts in live limbs before having to change that battery. Know what you're asking it to do, and you won't be disappointed. 

Edited December 30, 2020 by capnamerca

[Shoxthemonkey 1976]

I've had the Ryobi 40v chainsaw from Home Depot for a couple years now. Very handy and as powerful as I need. I have cut hedge up to 10" dia and it powers right through it. Lots of torque. I get about an hour with the 4ah batteries but that is usually all that my old ass wants to endure anyway. Same battery powers my string trimmer, blower and hedge trimmer.  The only thing that looks weak is the plastic chain tension setup. I went ahead and bought replacement parts JIC but it has held up so far.

[Gil Bang 25905]

10 hours ago, Shoxthemonkey said:

I've had the Ryobi 40v chainsaw from Home Depot for a couple years now. Very handy and as powerful as I need. I have cut hedge up to 10" dia and it powers right through it. Lots of torque. I get about an hour with the 4ah batteries but that is usually all that my old ass wants to endure anyway. Same battery powers my string trimmer, blower and hedge trimmer.  The only thing that looks weak is the plastic chain tension setup. I went ahead and bought replacement parts JIC but it has held up so far.

I bought the Ryobi 40v Pole Saw the other day.  I've got a lot of trees.  Standing on a ladder, I can cut stuff almost 20' up in the air.   It works surprisingly well for $140 or so. 

[chikin23 384]

What do you guys think about the Ryobi table saws?

[Gil Bang 25905]

I've got one. It's fine, but I'm more of a construction carpenter rather than a woodworker, so YMMV.

[Jkwellborn 6670]

What do you guys think about the Ryobi table saws?

It’s probably the same as my craftsman. Good enough for most of what you’ll do. Probably needs some type of fence upgrade and a longer runout

[Okie State 3789]

Reattaching my undermount kitchen sink this fine Saturday evening. The joys of home ownership.

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

5 minutes ago, Okie State said:

Reattaching my undermount kitchen sink this fine Saturday evening. The joys of home ownership.

My advice.......... drink heavily.

[Okie State 3789]

My advice.......... drink heavily.

Already on my second 12% abv stout. What could go wrong?

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

2 minutes ago, Okie State said:

2 minutes ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

My advice.......... drink heavily.

Already on my second 12% abv stout. What could go wrong?

You run out of 12% ABV stout ?

[Okie State 3789]

Pain in the ass.

[Okie State 3789]

Yeah that sucked.

[heso 2764]

What do you guys do for heat in your shop? It’s currently 20 degrees outside, which means it’s maybe 30 in the garage and the little space heater I have isn’t cutting it. 

[Jkwellborn 6670]

How insulated is your shop? I don’t think it ever gets under 40 in mine. I plan on running a gas line out to it and putting in central heat and air. Lol

[drt 637]

On 12/31/2020 at 10:33 AM, chikin23 said:

What do you guys think about the Ryobi table saws?

I wouldn’t. If you need something that small for diy stuff grab the dewalt jobsite saw, it gets infinitely better reviews. 

If you’re planning on real hobby woodworking buy the delta at Lowe’s 

[heso 2764]

1 hour ago, Jkwellborn said:

How insulated is your shop? I don’t think it ever gets under 40 in mine. I plan on running a gas line out to it and putting in central heat and air. Lol

According to google the brick and 1940s era drywall/plaster give the exterior walls a combined R value of roughly 2.

[heso 2764]

I bought my first table saw last week. Was ripping some Baltic birch to make a crosscut sled today. Had a piece that I was ripping into 5 equal strips for the front and back fence. Got to the last piece and it was .125 short. I should have had an extra .25 to trim off of it. 

I just stood there dumbfounded for a second like an asshole trying to figure out how I got it wrong until I realized I never locked the fence.

Smart.

[utee94 15752]

I have two space heaters, it's plenty here in Austin.  My shop is an uninsulated 8x10 shed, just framing and siding.

[Jkwellborn 6670]

According to google the brick and 1940s era drywall/plaster give the exterior walls a combined R value of roughly 2.

I thought it was a newer shop. I’d insulate it first and worry about hearing after that. Get a shit load of R board.

[UT_OB1 2204]

I’ll put a PSA summary first: if you have an elevated house near the coast and want to save a lot on flood insurance, install flood vents. We saved about $6k per year

We bought a house last year in Galveston that is elevated, and the area underneath was walled in for the 2 car garage and ~1500 sqft shop. The initial flood insurance price was $6500. That was a tad more than I was expecting. 
 

One of those things I guess you don’t know until you need to, but after some researching I found out you could get the price lowered by installing openings. The concern is that if the water rises and then recedes, the built up pressure inside the house will collapse it if the water can’t escape the house. If your house type is listed as having a “crawl space” even if the space is a garage/shop, they hammer you on the insurance. 
 

There are 2 types of openings you can have - homemade or “engineered.”  If homemade, you need 2 sq inches per sqft of living space above. If engineered it is 1 to 1. Engineered definitely needs air quotes, but anyway...  After putting in the vents and getting a new survey, we got our insurance dropped from 6500 to 500 per year. We had an opening at our other AirBnB last week and installed them there. It is smaller, but for $400 and a few hours of work, I’m expecting to go from $2800 to 500 or less a year. 
 

If you can cut and glue, you are qualified for this project. We picked up ours off Amazon for $100 per 500 sqft.  Thought I’d share since I know there are others that live along the coast here. 
 

This is what we used

https://www.amazon.com/Freedom-Flood-Vent-Bi-Directional-Foundation/dp/B07R5BR73D/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=freedom+flood+vent&qid=1611947692&sprefix=freedom+flo&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyWlZNS1ZYMFFRRjUxJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMDY4MjcxMjQ2QVJEUjc0NjJMNiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMTg3MDI3MU9IRE1GSlg4SkZFQiZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX3Bob25lX3NlYXJjaF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl#immersive-view_1611947783942

Edited January 29, 2021 by UT_OB1

[Enchubben 5509]

Thinking about starting a DIY job to make an outdoor dining table for under our covered patio. Nothing too large but maybe seat 6 or so and looking at a traditional rectangular shape given space requirement.

Kicker is I have this big badass piece of black soapstone left over from outdoor kitchen job that I would like to incorporate.  (Probably 30” x 10’) Anybody have experience doing something like that and is that a crazy project given limited wood work experience? Or something a beginner could tackle with a handful of weekends.

 

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

1 hour ago, Enchubben said:

Thinking about starting a DIY job to make an outdoor dining table for under our covered patio. Nothing too large but maybe seat 6 or so and looking at a traditional rectangular shape given space requirement.

Kicker is I have this big badass piece of black soapstone left over from outdoor kitchen job that I would like to incorporate.  (Probably 30” x 10’) Anybody have experience doing something like that and is that a crazy project given limited wood work experience? Or something a beginner could tackle with a handful of weekends.

 

That's a big piece of soapstone. Moving that thing around will be a bitch.  That would be my very first consideration.  Then where is it going, and am I damn sure that's where it's going, because that's a big piece of soapstone.