Do's and don'ts

Recommendations

On this page I'm including recommendations based on my experiences with certain woodworking products, tools and repair tips I see important to the average homeowner or /handyman.

The chair you see on the right is a repair I completed but would never attempt to do again. You may have 'Grandma's' or 'Grandpa's old chair you want to bring back to life to remind you of her or him, but as was the case here, it is too unsafe to use again. Think twice about repairing furniture that is beyond a safe zone of use. The finished chair to the right does look great, but it cost too much to repair but if someone overweight sat in it, it might fail and that person could get hurt. I did warn the owner of the danger, but will the chair be sold to or given to someone later who is unaware of it's weakened structure? That's the real danger lying in wait with this chair as well with others with hidden damage.

Products advice column

If you occasionally find yourself needing to glue joints in wooden furniture make sure you use polyvinyl acetate adhesives. Don't use glues that expand. The link below provides useful information. Specifically don't use Gorilla Glue unless it is labeled as woodworking glue. That identifies it is PVA glue.

https://startwoodworkingnow.com/what-is-pva-glue/

I frequently face the circumstance of having to re-repair a failed attempt by the owner of a piece of furniture. If you do not know how to repair furniture don't attempt to do so without a bit of research. Your attempt at repairing it may actually lead to creating more damage and having to pay more to fix your mistakes than if you brought the furniture to a trained woodworker to begin with.

Tools only column

There are lots of tools on the market for sale. Journeymen and women tend to gravitate to more the expensive quality tools; tools that stay accurate and durable over the years. They also choose tools that have additional safety features built into their design. I'll make a list of my choices as I go along, but I'm not planning to get into in-depth evaluations, just observations and experiences both personal and observed. There will be no sponsorships associated with the recommendations. Generally speaking, the cheaper the tool the more quickly it will fail. Try not to buy Chinese tools; there are few built to quality standards and and are usually not manufactured using high quality materials.