Hey Folks

**edjosh23** · 29th March 2009, 07:58 AM

Stumbled upon the site yesterday and like it a lot.
I've searched for woodworking forums for a while, trying to find one with a lot of activity and this is just what I was looking for.

I've been building audio equipment for 6 years now. Lots of loudspeakers and amplifiers. I'm working on my first piece of furniture right now, a bar. Its a stand up bar to sit in front of a wall. About 6' tall with a wine rack at the top, wine glass holders hanging from that, a work surface, an inset drawer below that, and an inset cabinet below that. Being a college student I don't have lots of money or lots of tools, so this is made entirely out of mdf and will be painted. I didn't really know what I was getting into with these inset drawers and cabinets, its much harder than I expected and trying to get everything right so that when I paint everything the drawer and cabinet doors are flush with the frame.

So my tools right now are a Bosch carpenters saw, a Porter Cable buscuit joiner, Porter Cable router, and Ryobi drill press. I really want to work with solid wood but just don't know enough about it. I have a furniture making book that I've read and I understand how solid wood expands and contracts, but I guess I really don't understand well enough. Because I see all of this fine furniture made entirely out of solid wood and I feel like as the seasons change these fine pieces of furniture would not fit properly.

I've never had any training and neither of my parents do wood work. If you guys have any suggested reading I'm all ears.

Thanks,

Josh

**artme** · 29th March 2009, 08:51 AM

G'day Josh and welcome aboard.

You have come to the right place for information, hints,tips and support.

You are not a complete novice from what you say in your"CV".Building audio speakers will have given you some good skills and insights.
Perhaps you could find a woodworking group in you are, or even someone who provides teaching courses in various aspects of woodwork.

Libraries and magazines are great places to start also, and don't forget the more you have a go the more you will learn and the better you will become.

**masoth** · 29th March 2009, 09:09 AM

Welcome Josh. I'm sure you will get many answers to any question you pose. As is normally suggested a picture, or two, of your work is always greeted with more answers too.
One step at a time is a good way to progress with new endeavours - perhaps with the experience gained with the audio stuff you've built, a good start may be a relatively simple "solid wood' box, or boxes, could be the way to develop skills. Boxes can be challengiing and very satisfying as well as useful as gifts and "keepers". There are many fine examples hidden in the relevant forum for you to learn the theory. Good luck.

soth

**Claw Hama** · 29th March 2009, 07:10 PM

Hi Josh and welcome, lots of people here to help just ask away, and we won't laugh because we've all been there. Enjoy the forum.

**edjosh23** · 30th March 2009, 09:38 AM

Thank you all for your reply. I've posted a couple of pics of the progress thus far.

These are the side panels. Each consist of 4x 6" wide 3/4" mdf panels the corners of all except the last panel are chamfered. The first of the panels is only 36" at its lowest point and slowly rounds to flow into the 6' tall pieces.

This is a detail of the smaller panel

And this is the frame

**Ed Reiss** · 30th March 2009, 12:49 PM

Hi EdJosh23...welcome to the asylum

Highland Hardware in Atlanta are always doing seminars and training classes...check 'em out.

**edjosh23** · 30th March 2009, 02:47 PM

Unfortunately I don't get to go home to Atlanta too often, I'm in Raleigh for school. There are some stores here that do classes, but I haven't done one yet. I've had some conversations with the guy who teaches the cabinet making class and he didn't know what drawer front adjusters were.

I went to the school library yesterday and picked up 3 books on woodwork for me to read. I have read quite a bit in the past, I'm of the belief that I really need to just spend more time working to really get better. Every project I get to experiement with new techniques and this one is the first project since I bought my buscuit joiner. This project doesn't have much more cutting involved except for the drawer box and molding, but my next project it another pair of speakers which for the first time I am going to use buscuited miter joints, typically i stay away from miters in speakers because a sharp edge is not good for sound, but I have figured out how to get around that.

I got 2 planers that were on sale about a year ago, got what I believed to be the necesary tools for sharpening and went at it when I got home. Well my planers have not planed anything, they did light scraping. So I want to do another day of sharpening and try and get my planers so that I can use them. I understand they are valuble tools that I have yet to become familiar with.

Thanks,

Josh

**munruben** · 30th March 2009, 05:19 PM

Nice work, welcome aboard

**artme** · 30th March 2009, 07:03 PM

Nicely done Josh but remember to post in the Big Stuff or general Woodwork forum.

Looks good BTW. Hope you use a dust mask when working with MDF.

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