Sawdust on the Floor » Woodworking Products

Woodworking Products: Colored Caulk

The JerseyWoodworker — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 09:16:20 +0000

I happened to be visiting the shop of fellow woodworker, Lee Jesberger this past weekend, and as most woodworkers tend to do I was taking mental notes of ” how he does things in his shop”. I know with almost total certainly that each and every one of us is guilty of doing that, so I don’t really feel bad about admitting it. As we were talking, I happened to spy a tube of bright red caulk. Having bought a multitude of tubes of caulk from various vendors, and having never seen bright red caulk, I had to ask to obvious question “where did you get this”? His reply,” I made it”, led me to the next obvious question, “How”? And all of this leads to something I want to pass along to you.

Lee showed me a neat little product that allows you to tint caulk to any color you want. And it’s really simple. Lee starts with a tube of Polyseamseal All Purpose Caulk. It’s a translucent caulk available at several of the larger DIY stores. Before he cuts the top off of the caulk, he uses a pair of needle nose pliers to remove the end plug from inside the tube. Now he simply adds approximately 2 tablespoons of the color paint you want the caulk tinted to.

The next step is to mix the paint with the caulk. For that he uses a tool aptly named a “Color Caulk Mixer“. This tool fastens over the end of the tube of caulk, and then you simply depress the handle several times to mix the caulk and paint. When completely mixed, you remove the tool, and then reinstall the end plug into the tube of caulk. And that’s it, your color matched caulk is ready to use.

If you’re curious if another brand of caulk would work, I will explain it the way it was explained to me. “This is the brand I was told to use when I learned about the product, and it works so why mess with success”. And I tend to agree with that, but I did happen to notice that the manufacturer of the Color Caulk Mixer makes a caulk that is designed for just this purpose. So when I was ordering the mixer, I went ahead and added the create a color caulk. This way I can try both brands of caulk and see which I like better.

And with spring clean up coming soon, I can think of several places around our home and our daughter’s home that a properly tinted caulk will come in handy. I hope this simple tip will be of some help to you.

I mentioned in the beginning of this post that I just happened to notice this caulk mixer in my friend’s shop. As I was writing, it occurred to me that many of you may have little ‘gadgets’ like this that you have found to make your ‘woodworking life’ easier.

If there are any that you’ve found to be especially useful and would like to share, send me an email or leave a comment. I’ll try to post information about as many as possible so we can all benefit from your find. Thanks!!

For more information on or to purchase any of the products discussed in this post, please click on the highlighted links and images in the post.

Woodworking Products – Hinges

The JerseyWoodworker — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 15:07:51 +0000

I was looking over the past couple of articles on the vanity for our bathroom overhaul, and I noticed that I had glossed over one important item, installing Blum style European hinges. I know that I acknowledged the design change from full inset hinges to the Blum hinges. But I failed to talk about “What makes these hinges so special”. So here goes.

Consider the full inset hinges that I normally use. Other then the placement of the hinges, there are absolutely no adjustments that can be made to the hinge, to improve the fit of the door. Once the mounting screws for these hinges are in place, you’re stuck. Some times the door just fails to hang properly, or won’t close completely. This can be caused by several factors. The hinges may be installed incorrectly, they could be twisted or bent. Or the door may have a small amount of warp or twist. Or the edges of the face frame may not be 100% parallel to each other, sometimes something as simple as sanding can cause this particular problem. No matter what the particular problem with the fit of the door, your only choice is to try to either shim either the door itself or maybe the hinge. Sometimes this works, other times you can end up making a new door.

On the other hand, Blum hinges have adjustments that can correct for almost any problem other then a warped or twisted door. I don’t know of any hinge that can correct for a bad door. On the Blum hinges I installed on the vanity, there were three adjustments per hinge. The adjustments are simple to make, turning a screw the face of the hinge will either move the door up/down, right/left or in/out. So it’s as simple as installing the hinges, and then adjust the fit of the door.

Before you ask what may seem like a logical question, if the Blum hinges are so great, why don’t I use them for every project? Well there are several reasons. The first consideration is appearance. Blum hinges are always hidden. Some projects almost demand that the hinges show. I can’t imagine a reproduction of a queen Anne style dresser without the hinges showing. Sure the Blum hinges would physically work, but they would destroy the look of the project.

The second issue is the cost. The full inset hinges I used in the kitchen project cost around $3.00 per set. The Blum hinges can cost upwards of $16.00 per set. While the $13 delta doesn’t seem like a lot on a simple project that uses only two sets, our kitchen cabinet project used a total of 46 sets of hinges. That’s a difference of $598.00. Depending on your budget, this can be a real deciding factor. I know a lot of people are absolutely surprised by the costs of the hardware for a project. Our choice for the inset hinges was based on appearance more then budgetary, but the $600 difference was still a compelling factor.

And the final consideration is the actual installation of the hinges. Each Blum hinge is actually two separate pieces. One piece gets mounted to the carcass of the cabinet or stile of the cabinet face frame, depending on the design of the cabinet. The other one gets installed on the vertical stile of the door itself. Other then determining the location for the first (frame) side of the hinge, there is nothing difficult about it. It is simply surface mounted to the frame or stile with two screws that come with the hinge.

The second part of the hinge that is mounted on the vertical stile of the door takes a little more effort. This side of the hinge fits into a 35mm diameter hole that must be drilled into the stile. For those of us that are not comfortable with the metric system, that’s a 1 3/8″ diameter hole. This hole must be drilled to a depth of 12.5 mm or 1/2″. Some Blum style hinges come with a paper template that can be used as a guide for the hole placement. I have always been some what leery of the template. It’s nothing more then a thin piece of paper that requires you to create a fold in the template to simulate the edge of the stile. You then place the paper template on your door, holding the folded edge of the template over the edge of the door and mark the center point of the hole from this template. Too much room for an error in my mind. If you were only installing one hinge, I guess this would be accurate enough, but I don’t recall seeing many single hinged doors. I prefer to take the time to transfer layout measurements supplied with the hinge to my door. Since I normally will space hinges an equal horizontal distance from both the top and bottom of the door, I have developed a simple method that works for me. I use two adjustable combination squares. I adjust one for the horizontal center line of the holes, and the other for the vertical center line. This method also works great if you have more then one door to hang.

Unless you happen to work in a cabinet shop, or have access to a cabinet boring machin, the only safe and accurate way to drill the holes for the hinges is on a drill press equipped with a Forstner bit. The reason for this is due to the physical design of the bit. The Forstner bit has two cutting points, the center spur and the outer edge of the bit. Ideally the center spur, which extends a little past the leading edge of the outer ring, will enter the wood first and act as a stabilizer for the bit, while the outer edge actually does the cutting. The problems come when the opposite occurs. If the outer edge of the bit hits the wood first, all bets are off. Best scenario, the bit will walk across the surface of the wood. While this can ruin your work, it’s far better then the second scenario, where the bit catches in the wood and throws the wood across your shop, or the drill gets caught is and is ripped from your hand. As the diameter of the bits get bigger, this problem only amplifies itself. If you are into the math behind this, as the diameter of the bit increases, the angle that the bit can be off from 90° decreases before the edge of the outer ring contacts the wood. (Remember high school trig class). Honestly guys, there is no way that you can hold a large forstner bit stable and at the correct angle with a hand drill. Large forstner bits should only be used with a drill press.

Which type of hinge is better? One is inexpensive, easy to install but offers no adjustment. The other is 3-4 times as expensive, takes more effort to install yet provides easy adjustments. Well….. , I guess that if the Blum hinges look right on your project and your budget allows the added costs, I would go that route.

For more information on or to purchase any of the products discussed in this post, please click on the highlighted links and images in the post.

Woodworking and Home Improvement Products – A 3rd Hand

The JerseyWoodworker — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 16:34:08 +0000

For the most part woodworking is a solitary function. We can spend hours alone in the shop, just us alone with the wood, tools and saw dust. And that’s really OK. But there are times when we all need that third or forth hand. The problem is that the help isn’t always available, when you need it. I have been looking at a product from Fast Cap that should resolve some of those ” I need help issues”, and the best part is that it is on sale. The Fast Cap 3rd Hand extension, is a tool that can solve several of these issues. Very useful for installing crown molding, which is an impossible task for one, unless your arms are 6 feet long. To installed wall mounted cabinets. The reach is expandable from 5′ to 12′ and has a weight capacity of 150 Lbs.

While my wife enjoys the work I do in the house, she is always concerned about the amounts of dust I raise with those in the house projects. If a guy were to have a couple of the 3rd hands, he could then very easily seal off the area with plastic. The 3rd hands would be ideal for this purpose.

The same idea would work for forming a finish area in the shop. So while I was considering getting one of the 3rd hands, maybe I should be getting at least a set, especially when they are on sale.

Hey if you get these, how about letting me know how they worked for you.

Woodworking Products – Rockler Bench Cookies

The JerseyWoodworker — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:30:08 +0000

When I was going through my e mails the other day and I saw an email from Rockler announcing cookies, I figured this was just another screwed up email, or more spam. After all Rockler sells woodworking tools and supplies, not bakery goods. Upon closer inspection, I realized my error, these are Rockler Bench Cookies, and should be part of every woodworker’s arsenal of tools.

These Bench Cookies, that are very similar in appearance to a hockey puck, are basically a rubber disk covered with a non marring surface, that is designed to hold your woodworking project. The covering material is the same type of stuff that router mats are made of.

I normally use a router mat in my shop to help with sanding and routing of small parts, and it works great. However, it does have its limitations, mainly is that you can not route or sand the edges of the wood. The Bench Cookies solve this problem by holding the wood off the work surfaces.

How many times have you had to clamp a piece of wood over the edge of your work surface, just to work it with a hand held router or sander? How much extra time did it take to reposition the work to route or sand the opposite edge of the wood. With something like the Bench Cookies, you can work all four sides at once.

The email from Rockler suggests that the bench cookies can also be used for either painting or staining. I agree that they could, but I have found another simple product from Rockler that does a much better job for painting or staining and that is the Painting pyramids.

I like the very small points that the pyramids present to the underside of the wood, as compared to the bench cookies. I already have a set of the pyramids and I love the simplicity of them. Unfortunately, they are too small and delicate to use for anything like sanding or routing, but then the Bench Cookies can handle that.

If you have read any of my previous postings then you know that I’m a natural skeptic. I want a new product to prove itself before I jump on the band wagon. But guys this is such a simple and well thought out product, that it simply has to be added to my shop. Best part is that neither the Bench Cookies or the Painting Pyramids will break the bank. I like the concept, a simple product that actually works as advertised, and inexpensive at the same time.

Take a look at the video below for a demonstration of how well these little wonders work and you will be placing an order for yours just like I did.

Woodworking Products – Filling Nail Holes

The JerseyWoodworker — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 13:07:04 +0000

In a recent magazine interview with Norm Abrams, Norm defended his practice of using nails when constructing his woodworking projects, by stating that if you were to look at any of the antiques, that often sell for thousands of dollars, you will find they were constructed with nails. I like Norm’s logic because it makes me feel better when I use one of my nail guns to apply a piece of trim molding or to hold pieces together while the glue sets. My reasons aren’t as lofty as his, mine are because it is the best method to complete the project, plain and simple. But using nails in any wood working project brings up an another interesting issue, how do you treat the nail or nail holes?

The answer to that really depends on how you intend to finish the project and where the project is intended to be used. Painted projects that are intended for use indoors are handled differently then painted projects that will spend their life outdoors. For an indoor painted project taking care of nail holes is really easy. If you used a pneumatic nail gun to set the nails, all you have to do is cover the hole. However, if you used a hammer to apply the nail, then you will need to set the nails before you can cover them, assuming that you used “finish nails” for your project.

Most DIY store or hardware stores carry Nail Sets . These come in three different sizes, covering the different sizes of finishing nails commonly used. Simply select the one that fits into the head of the nail, and then set the nail into the wood with your hammer. Now you’re ready to cover the hole.

I like to use a product like “Fast Patch” which is a light weight plaster for indoor projects. Use you finger to apply the plaster over the hole, allow it to dry then sand it off. I recently started using a compound that goes on pink, then when it dries it turns white, this way you know when to start sanding, kinda cool. This method will not work for outdoors projects, instead of the fast patch, use a quality painter’s putty. This is an oil based putty that is applied with a putty knife, instead of the finger. Like the Fast Patch, you allow it to dry and then sand it off. It’s best to over fill the holes, as painter’s putty tends to shrink as it dries. Also remember if you are using nails outdoors, to be sure that the nails are galvanized as standard nails will rust outdoors.

If you intend to use either stain or oils to finish the project, then you would use an oil based filler to cover the nail holes. I like to use a product like Famowood, or Minwax Wood Putty to fill nail holes. Using either product is relatively easy, simply apply the filler over the nail hole and allow to dry then sand smooth. These oil based products will sand smoothly and when covered with either stain or oil, will blend into the finish. The same can not be said for some of the other fillers on the market. My experience with the so called plastic wood filler is that they do not blend into the finish, but rather leave a very obvious blemish on your surface, so I stay away from them.

A couple of words about using either of these oil based fillers, both tend to dry out quickly once you have opened them. For the Famowood product make sure that the lid is secured when your done using the product. For the Minwax product, I store opened jars inside a zip lock bag once I have opened the jar. While not perfect, it helps increase the shelf life of the product. The other is that both of these products will load up your sand paper quickly, particularly if you start to sand before the product has time to dry. So either be patient or plan on using a lot of sand paper.

I haven’t made many project that were stained and spend a lot of time outdoors. The exception was an Adirondack chair, made of Cyprus. On the chair I used stainless steel nuts and bolts, instead of nails. So there were no nail holes to fill. I suspect that the oil based fillers would work, but have never really tried it. Maybe if I can think of an interesting outdoor project, I can try the idea.

One thing that Norm didn’t talk about was that our ancestors didn’t always try to hide the nails. Maybe if a guy could find the old “cut nails” that were used back in the day, then you would want to make them part of the look of the project instead of covering them. An interesting idea.

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