Thanks, John. I have to learn how to navigate this site. I guess I don't have the mind for it at the moment. My router has me rather aggravated. I did manage to make a post, somewhere, explaining that.welcome to the forum, William.
no - you do not need to purchase the premium membership.
and yes, this site is totally 100% free to everyone.
I am transferring this post to the New Member Introduction sub-forum and you can tell us a little about yourself here as an intro.
for any specific questions, please use the appropriate sub-forum or General Discussion with as much information that you can give and sketches, drawings and photos sure do help a lot.
Thank you for the reply and the PDF, Tom.Welcome William. Glad you decided to join the fun. To start a news string, look to the upper right Black bar. You'll see your icon, and a NEW button. Between is a bulleted list icon. If you click that it will show you the various forums, each devoted to general and/or specific topics. Click on one and toward the top you'll see an option to start a new conversation. That is what you're looking for to post a question or comment.
If you ask a question, eventually you'll get a number of responses because there are many ways to do almost anything in woodworking. It also depends on what tool you're using or have available, so be sure to mention that information in your question. A good example of this is making dados and grooves. A Dado can be made with either a dado set stacked to the thickness of the dado width, or with a router, using a jig or freehand, or even on a table. If it's a groove or stopped dado, then you're going to want to do it with a router.
We often talk about and recommend jigs. Many of the most common jigs are fairly easy to make. And if you don't have a table for your router yet, they are really easy to make and not very expensive either. For safety, a table is almost always the better way to go.
Don't know how much experience or how many tools you have available. but just in case, attached is a pdf of the 18 or so things that really accelerated my learning curve. It covers about 12 years, which were my highest earning years, so don't panic agout doing everything at once. I hope it will save you some money too, I bought some things I never use. But don't stint on the main tools, especially on the table saw. It's the centerpiece of most shops. The pdf is kind of long, but has pictures.
Hi and a hardy welcome to you, Many of us here have the hearts of a teacher and really love to respond, especially for those new to the addiction. What I forgot to mention was to fill in your profile with a list of the tools you have available. We often check to see what you have to work with because a router isn't necessarily the best way to do certain things. A table saw is also an incredibly useful tool. If you don't have one, consider carefully which to get. If budget is tight, a portable saw might work for you, but some are pretty limited. First on that list would be a Bosch, which will allow you to use a dado set. But there are lots of options. If you have one already, you're on the beam for good woodworking projects.Hello William
Welcome to the forum and thanks to john smith & DesertRatTom for the prompt and nice feedback.
john smith & DesertRatTom feedback will be very helpful for every new member like me.
Hello again John!welcome to the forum, William.
no - you do not need to purchase the premium membership.
and yes, this site is totally 100% free to everyone.
I am transferring this post to the New Member Introduction sub-forum and you can tell us a little about yourself here as an intro.
for any specific questions, please use the appropriate sub-forum or General Discussion with as much information that you can give and sketches, drawings and photos sure do help a lot.
Hello! Thanks for the reply. The Lock Miter cutter that I have is made by Yonico. I guess it is not a good quality cutter, but I don't know. It worked really well for a long time. The wood I use is the nicer grade of pine you can find at Lowe's. I did make an oak project once. I only cut maybe 20 inches of wood in that project. I have made almost 40 shadow boxes. I use 1x3s for the shadow boxes, so there are eight cuts across 2.5 inches of wood in each shadow box. That would mean a maximum of ~800 inches of cuts with the same cutter. Do you suppose that would be enough to dull the cutter given the brand/manufacturer?Lots of videos on sharpening. You sharpen the flat, not the edge, which would change the profile. You can use a diamond card with a little very light lubricant, preferably made for diamond cards. You hold the card still and move the bit across it as in this picture. But often all you need to do is clean the blade, especially if you're routing pine or other wood with pitch. Decent bits do last a very long time. View attachment 400833 View attachment 400834
I don't think it should dull the bit. But pine has some tar in it and that can build up and make the cuts look like the thing isn't sharp anymore. You can find a saw blade cleaner and use a tooth brush on it. I'd do that first. If that doesn't do it, you can sharpen the bit. Be sure to sharpen it on the flat, not the edge. I have a Yonoco mortising bit that works fine, but If I overdo it, it fills with gunk.Hello! Thanks for the reply. The Lock Miter cutter that I have is made by Yonico. I guess it is not a good quality cutter, but I don't know. It worked really well for a long time. The wood I use is the nicer grade of pine you can find at Lowe's. I did make an oak project once. I only cut maybe 20 inches of wood in that project. I have made almost 40 shadow boxes. I use 1x3s for the shadow boxes, so there are eight cuts across 2.5 inches of wood in each shadow box. That would mean a maximum of ~800 inches of cuts with the same cutter. Do you suppose that would be enough to dull the cutter given the brand/manufacturer?