This is kind of a weird video, more content than instruction. It’s a lot of unnecessary effort to put into shop furniture: like using sliding dovetails and sanding the top. Then you’re left with a product that is less easy to use than a belt sander (try changing belts, what’s the grit?) and takes up a massive amount of space (which makes sense if you have two garages.) I mean, it’s fun to see kids experimenting, but if you’re creating content think about what your audience needs or wants to watch.

In the first class I took we used a danish, poly, and mineral spirits blend, which is still going strong ten years later. I’ve been curious about trying this finish though.

We just use baskets on a rolling rack with dowels that keep them at an angle. Looks better than plastic and it works fine, but plastic bins are starting to make their way in. I originally had grand plans of making a whale or elephant toy storage area that has a slide on the side, but we don’t really have space, and my partner made the good point that the baby would get more value if I spent the time I would have used to build it with the baby. I’m really not liking how acute the opportunity cost of time is now, because I also want my child to grow up with the idea that they can make beautiful things to solve their problems.

A scroll saw is a saw for cutting fine details. The motion it makes is almost like electric handsaw with a tiny strip of metal so it can get into really tight corners. The blade detaches fairly easily, and is so small that the big advantage is being able to cut inside a board, unlike a band saw. Jigsaws have a problem where the jigsaw blade is only secured on one side so it flaps around a lot, and a cut that looks perfect on one side is raggedy on the other; scrollsaws secure the bleade on both sides so there’s less of that nonsense. The blade is thin, so it’ll curve if you push it too hard and stretch over time, but even then, the worst of the curve is in the middle, not on the end.

I took a class with one, liked it enough to get a ryobi for christmas. Used that till it broke, and then saved up and got the big dewalt. I genuinely prefer using it to the bandsaw for any piece of wood under an inch. I’ve been surprised by how useful it is. Sadly, I think the best use case for the tool is dying out as more people can just get something like a glowforge or cnc. Yeah you may start at 5x the cost of a cheap scrollsaw, but for beginners the resulting work is also much more exact.

Here’s the old-fashioned version of that: Thomas Jefferson’s Bookcase. Having built a book case inspired by this of this out of oak, I’ve noticed no deflection. (It’s structurally different, center-keyed box joints instead of dovetails, thick plywood back, various clear finishes.)

However, I can tell you that there are a few functional problems. One is that the shelves do slide against each other. The little nubbins would help, however, you’re cutting the fibers of the wood or into plys. That could increase deflection. I bought some handwrought nails and may end up using them, but I like the modular nature. Another is that these shelves are not light. I had hoped to make them easy to move, but they are not light. Finally, there’s no cover, so books fall out as they’re getting moved. Barrister bookshelves solve these problems.

If it’s bark or shaving it down, a drawknife is a perfect tool.

In the US, my emergency room bill (just stitches thank god) cost significantly more than the $900 smallest Sawstop.

You just pound /glue a small wedge into the gap, since no one will notice discontinuities in end-grain. However, I can also imagine a bandsaw jig that clamps the bridle piece to an inclined plane till you get the angle you want. (Contrasting dowels will look nice! Dowel-makers are stupid easy to make.)