The day before The Wood Whisperer turns 20, Greg hijacked The Long View with a surprise we were not ready for. After the tissues came out, we caught up on two weeks of your questions, from sharpening router plane blades to whether a $1,200 set of vintage planes is a good deal.
20 years, and Greg made us cry
Greg asked us not to watch this one ahead of time, and now we know why. He collected congratulations from woodworkers all over the community, including David Marks, whose show Woodworks is the reason Marc got into this in the first place. Thank you, Greg, and thank you to everyone who took the time to record something. If you have never seen Woodworks, go find it. The official anniversary is October 10: the first blog post went up in 2006.
On the bench: hard wax oil goes deeper than you think
Marc is stripping the breadboard end dining table he built for his mom so he can refinish it on camera for a Natural One Coat video next week. Scraping and sanding were not enough. Hard wax oils penetrate deeper than most people give them credit for, and it took a smoothing plane to get the cherry top truly down to bare wood.
What did Marc just order?
Running shoes kept falling apart in the shop, so Marc switched to Keen composite toe work shoes. They feel like a sneaker but hold up to shop abuse. Not an ad, just something that worked.
Your questions
- Sharpening an L shaped router plane blade: Alan Budden makes 3D printable sharpening jigs for bench stones and for the Tormek. Search his name on Printables.com.
- A workbench for a small shop that doubles for assembly: the Hybrid Workbench, a downsized split top Roubo. For more assembly room, drop a cleated sheet of plywood on top.
- Hand tools or power tools first? Go hybrid: power tools for the grunt work, hand tools for the finesse. Signed copies of Hybrid Woodworking are at twwstore.com.
- A $1,200 set of Stanley Bedrocks or Lie-Nielsen? If the set is complete and tuned well it could be a good deal, but unless you want the vintage vibe, three or four Lie-Nielsen planes may serve you better.
- A first table saw blade: a Freud 40 tooth general purpose thin kerf blade is a great workhorse, especially on a job site or contractor saw.
- AI for designing a kitchen island: any chatbot can show you what walnut and white oak look like together (they pair beautifully), but for buildable plans try a dedicated tool like CabinetPlans.io.
- A stand for a 3D printer: build a Tote Tower, add sides and a top. The free plan comes in imperial and metric.
- A circular saw mounted upside down as a table saw? Our official answer: do not do that.
Announcements and links
- Woodworkers for a Cause raised $28,000 for the Purple Heart Project. Thank you to everyone who watched, bid and donated.
- The Mid-Century Modern Table course releases weekly with live open hours every Tuesday, and the pre-order price is extended until all videos are out on October 23.
- New video: The Other Half of My Shop, plus the free Tote Tower plan.
- Our 20 year logo shirts are coming soon as a pre-order. Watch your email.
- Wood Talk Patreon subscribers now get the whole back catalog ad free.
- “The Long View” is produced by Greg Batt.
- Get the Friday reminder email at thewoodwhisperer.com/wms. Tools from the show are in Marc’s Amazon storefront. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
- Congratulations to Craig Vaughn, this week’s Guild course winner.
Chapters
- 00:00:00 Countdown and supporter thank yous
- 00:01:26 Welcome and today's topics
- 00:02:27 Last week's WFC live stream raised $28,000 for the Purple Heart Project
- 00:03:50 Announcements: stick around for the Guild course giveaway
- 00:04:03 New video: the maker space and the free Tote Tower plan
- 00:04:55 The internet is funny: the light switch comments
- 00:06:39 Super Chat from Mr. Binky65
- 00:07:01 Mid-Century Modern Table course: pre-order price extended to October 23
- 00:08:27 Course promo
- 00:10:18 Thanks to everyone who stopped by Woodcraft
- 00:11:59 On the bench: stripping hard wax oil off the breadboard table
- 00:14:33 What did Marc just order? Keen composite toe work shoes
- 00:16:20 Saw this: Levi Whitney's 12 year saw blade wall
- 00:17:37 The Long View: Greg's surprise 20th anniversary video
- 00:25:33 Damn it, Greg: the reaction
- 00:26:38 20 years on October 10, and why the timing matters
- 00:28:36 Super Chats: "Till you're 90"
- 00:29:14 Go watch David Marks' Woodworks
- 00:30:50 Robert Price and "schmenty" years
- 00:31:34 Questions: two weeks' worth
- 00:31:53 Rich: sharpening an L shaped router plane blade
- 00:33:32 Ed: a small shop workbench that doubles as an assembly table
- 00:35:08 Student bench vs the Hybrid Workbench
- 00:36:00 Brian Thorpe: is variable speed worth it on a drill press?
- 00:37:04 Nicole: but why do you need a hole?
- 00:38:02 101Melvin: start with hand tools or power tools?
- 00:39:46 OTL357: a $1,200 set of Stanley Bedrocks or Lie-Nielsen?
- 00:42:24 RidgidRon: a good table saw blade for a starter shop
- 00:44:19 David Couch: AI for designing a kitchen island
- 00:45:29 Walnut and white oak together
- 00:47:21 Viewer comments and Troy the shed builder
- 00:48:06 Danny: subscriber numbers vs being a known quantity
- 00:49:31 Bean5: a sturdy stand for a Voron 3D printer
- 00:51:30 Watching since they were 16
- 00:52:35 Jack: plug in variable speed controllers
- 00:53:16 YouTube changes: unskippable creator ads and multiple versions
- 00:55:28 Matt and Shannon, plus the ad free Wood Talk back catalog on Patreon
- 00:57:00 TNH91: a circular saw upside down as a table saw?
- 00:58:10 Megan notices the haircut
- 00:58:35 Camera battery dies live
- 01:00:14 Guild course giveaway: the keyword
- 01:01:15 Live show lesson: always have a backup
- 01:02:16 DIY with Kane: the future of table saws
- 01:04:16 Giveaway winner
- 01:04:44 The new shed is done
- 01:06:17 20 year logo shirts and Morning Show merch pre-orders
- 01:06:44 Shaky cam shed tour
- 01:07:55 Soul patch and sideburns, plus the new Showbot
- 01:08:42 Painting the shed shop blue
- 01:09:04 Thanks and goodbye