Demonstrating Woodworking to Cub Scouts

Cubs in the shop

Demonstrating woodworking to Cub Scouts. My woodworking group was contacted by the Den Leader of a Cub Scout Pack . She said the Cubs would be learning about woodworking and it would be nice if someone could demonstrate woodworking to the kids. I volunteered my garage workshop. They meet just 5 minutes from my home.

On the arranged evening, the cubs came by with their parents and I told them something about woodworking. What you can teach an 8/9 year old in 40 minutes is limited. What they were most interested in was the toys I had made (no surprise).

We did talk about Safety, Finishes, and Different types of woods. Highlights were: Some simple tools they can have in their toolbox. I told them that Shellac was made from the spit of the Lac Beetle and they were holding it (did you know that?).

There are many types of hardwoods. I had them lift and look at different types including oak, walnut, maple, mahogany, purple heart and teak. We agreed that teak is the heaviest and sinks in water. Sanding is important to get wood smooth. I had them use different grits of sandpaper and feel the results.

I did give them a brief overview of big power tools. Some of them wanted the scraps from my bandsaw saw cutoffs. They said they wanted to make something from them. The Den Leader told me later one of the boys made a castle with them. Made my heart glad. Future woodworkers for sure! I gave each cub a pocket car as a memento of their visit.

Cubs received small pocket cars.

I enjoyed having the cubs over and hope they got a glimpse of something they may like to do in the future.  I think with the lack of shop classes in schools, it is important for us woodworkers to share our hobby. Cub scouts can become future woodworkers.

My Very Useful Wood Shop

Shop in single bay

Putting a woodworking shop in a smaller space. After putting it off for years, I finally started to redo my garage shop 6 months ago. It started with the construction of a large shelving unit and getting rid of a lot of unused junk. This opened up the space needed. I do have the luxury of a three car garage, but I like to pull a vehicle into it. The picture makes it look larger than it is.

Shelving Unit to free up space

Putting the wood shop into the smaller section worked out well. It is just a couple steps to each power tool. I use a shop vac for dust collection. Having a smaller area allows stretching a hose to a tool without moving the vac. This was wasting a lot of my time previously. I made stands for all my big tools. It is great not having to set up tools to use them. If it is hard to use the shop, I will put it off.

Here are some things that I have found useful in my shop:

Using a cyclone dust collector before my shop vac keeps the filter bag clean and suction strong. I haven’t had to change a bag in years. The Oneida Dust Deputy is the one I use.

Using rubber mats from Harbor Freight to stand on for long periods helps stop my knees and hips from aching. Especially when sanding for long periods

Putting a sheet of wood siding on the wall lets me put a screw anywhere to hang stuff. Very useful. Drywall is too fragile to hang tools from.

LED light fixtures are bright and use half the power of florescent. A pull string switch is a must for me. I can just turn on the ones needed.

Have a table the same height as the table saw so it can be used both as an out feed and assembly table. 

Mitre Saw same height as workbench

Put everything on wheels so rearranging is easy.

Build a shelving unit sized to take totes for organization.

Flip Table

Make flip tables to fit two tools into one space. I have a thickness planer and spindle sander mounted on one.

Selling Tools On Craigslist

Selling tools on Craigslist is a great way to make money to buy better tools and reduce clutter. I have always loved tools and have many different kinds, from metal to woodworking. Over the years I have sold many thousands of dollars worth of old tools. These are tools I didn’t need anymore due to upgrades, did not use or didn’t like. This frees up space for something better.

In the olden days, before the internet, I used  Pennysaver or The Recycler. These have been replaced by Craigslist. Craigslist is free to use and all you need to set up an account is an email address. Your email address is not seen by anyone else, so you do not get spam by using it. You can set up ads directly on www.craigslist.com or if you have a smartphone, you can use an application on it. I like CPlus for Craigslist. There is an advantage to using a phone. You can write your ad and take a picture with your phone at the same time. Pictures are very important. They grab the attention of a potential buyer getting them to look at your ad. If place and ad from your computer, you will have to get a picture onto it. You can email it to yourself or export it from the program used to look at pictures.

I have used Facebook Selling groups and and www.nextdoor.com but these groups do not cover as wide of an area as Craigslist. Some of the tools I sell are specialized, so I need to cast a wide net.

Coming up with a price is hard. I usually do a search on Craigslist to see what others are selling similar items for. You can even go on www.ebay.com to come up with a price. I usually shoot a little high and lower the price over time. You can renew the ad as often as you want. Never think about what you paid for a tool. No one cares, but you. The only thing that matters is what someone will pay for it now.

I have had it take more than a month to sell some things.  Popular items for a good price can sell the same day. The right person has to come along and find your ad.  Beware the person that gets back to you fast with a lowball price. These are often resellers and I just ignore them. When someone says they are interested and want to look, tell them to call when they are leaving and ask when will they arrive. I hate waiting around for no-shows. Have change on hand. Say you are selling an item for $50, some guys play the game of “I only have twentys, will you take $40” Have a ten in hand. Don’t take it personal, it is just a game.

If you live in a big city, there are often more than one area to post in. I live on the border of two areas. Posting in one area and then the other gives me a bigger audience.  If I just want to get rid of something I post under For Sale- Free. Freebies can often be gone in hours. I gave away a broken string trimmer recently. The guy that got it repaired them. I know a guy that  sells wood he has left over after making bowls as firewood. He sells a trash can full for $15.

In 40 years of selling stuff through classifieds, I have not had a bad experience and have met interesting people. I just sold a fertilizer spreader to a guy who lives 100 yards from me on the next street over. He has lived there 20 years and I didn’t know him. Now I do.

So sell some tools and make room for something new.

Drill Press Center Pulley Bearing Replacement

Drill Press Center Pulley Bearing Replacement

Drill Press Center Pulley Bearing Replacement – I posted a video on youtube.com showing how I did this on a 30 year old Orbit Drill Press. I imagine it is the same on other drills with a center pulley. It can be done without special tools and the bearings can usually be bought on amazon.com for cheap. I did not see information online on how to do this, so I did it and made a video in the process.

I bought a 30 year old Orbit Drill Press for a good price, but being so old it has some issues, like the bearings wearing out. The center pulley bearings were making noise. I do have a link in the video description to a great video on changing spindle bearings. I will do this next.

Get Woodworking Ideas on the Internet

Get woodworking ideas on the internet. I did a demonstration at the Woodworkers of Whittier meeting, showing the usefulness of the internet for the woodworker. It is a great research tool for finding out information. I covered three ways to use it:

Get Ideas, Learn Techniques and Get Information on ToolsToy wood tugboat

Google is the best known way to find information on the internet. What many people don’t know, is that when you do a search, it will also do an image search. Recently I wanted ideas for a toy tugboat. By doing a Google search I got pictures of toy tugboats. Click on the picture and you can get more information . Another popular way to see pictures of woodworking projects, is to go to www.pinterest.com . This is a site where people put together collection of pictures they like from the internet. This is called “pinning”. These collections have themes. One collection I have is “Things I want to make”. You can see other peoples collections and search them.

www.youtube.com is an excellent place to learn woodworking techniques and get ideas. There are probably a million videos there. Some are great and some lousy. Here are a few of the people I follow. Steve Ramsey (does wood projects weekly, John Heisz, Mathias Wandel, The Wood Whisperer, April Wilkerson and Izzy Swan. Most of these people also have associated websites where they post plans. I find if I need a jig for my workshop, doing a search on Youtube finds me someone who has already made one.

The woodworking magazines have websites and Facebook pages where they post free tips, plans and videos. Wood Magazine is a good one. Woodworkers Guild of America often posts free short videos.

Before buying a tool, do a google search for reviews. It will lead you to websites with information on that tool. Also go to www.amazon.com and look up a tool. Even if you don’t buy it there, looking at the reviews is most helpful.

If you have and old tool without an owners manual, do a google search with the make and model number. You can often find a site that has a free manual in pdf format that you can download for free. Craftsman is really good about this.

So, use the internet to help in your woodworking endeavors.

Makita 2012NB Planer Blade Change

Makita 2012NB Planer Blade Change- How to change or flip the blades on a Makita 2012NB Planer using rare earth magnets to hold the blade. I bought this planer used and did not have the tools or manual for replacing the blades (knives). Makita gives you a magnetic blade holder, but I did not have that. Turns out it is easy using small rare earth magnets from Harbor Freight  to hold the blades in place and install them.

Here is a good deal on blades for almost half the price of Makita  on Amazon Powertec Blades. Watch my youtube video above to see how I did it. The blades are 2 sided  so often you can just flip them.

Makita 2012NB Magnet Blade Change
Makita 2012NB Blade Change using magnet

Best Way to Kill Argentine Ants

Amdro Ant Block

This is the best way to kill Argentine ants I have found, and I have tried many things over the years. Pesticides that did work were outlawed. Borax in sugar water did not work. All the different type of baits, they were not attracted to them. Amdro Ant Block Bait is the only bait they would take back to their nest. Especially works good around citrus trees, where the ants would “farm” aphids on the leaves. I am in Southern California where the Argentine ant has become a big problem. I also find it works on Black ants that build mounds in the lawn.

Over 9 years I have found the best way to use this bait for me is- I use it as spot treatment. The bottle shows using it as a house perimeter block, spreading it around the whole house. I just sprinkle it lightly along ant trails I see, or where I see ant activity. I could see doing the entire perimeter thing if you have them bad in the house, but I don’t. I have more of a problem with them in the garden now. In the beginning the ants would climb the trees and plants and get in the house. By killing them in the planters, they stay out of the house.

Sprinkle it lightly where you see ants. Do not pile mounds of it, the ants will avoid it and pets could get into it. Sprinkle just enough so you barely see it. Don’t let the bait get wet. Put it out in dry weather or after watering. Don’t worry that the granules look big as an ants head (like my neighbor did), they got strong jaws. After opening the container, the bait can get old and loose effectiveness. I find it lasts about a year before it doesn’t work as well and I have to get a new supply. Be patient! It takes about a week to see results. By being patient and not using a spray that kills just the ants you see and leaves a toxic residue, the nest and queen will be destroyed. Amdro is not cheap, but it works. You can get it at Amazon, all major home improvement centers and Walmart.