Did my whole kitchen in pine with a natural stain and lacquer coating. Picked every piece of wood for nice grain and knots. It looks awesome. 1st time I've ever done cabinets and I'm glad I did it myself. Everywhere I went wanted $15K+, only the doors were going to be solid wood, and they would only do pre-designed stuff. I did all of the cabinets in pine exactly the way I wanted it with soft close slides/hinges, a pull out pantry and a pull out garbage/recycling all for under $2K.
Very cool. I would rather have something that’s 75%+ perfect that I built than something I paid for that’s supposed to be 100% perfect and likely is not, just hidden well
@@brokenwave6125 Usually when working on a project for yourself, you don't count labour, as it's something you want to do for yourself and it's done in spare time. The money doesn't actually leave the pocket.
I build arcades from 3/4" MDF. The easiest way to protect the cut edges is to mix 5:1 water/wood glue, paint all the cut surfaces with a foam brush, then when it dries, use 220 grit to take the pebbling off. Now the cut edges are "armored". Dust is an issue. Cut it in the driveway and blow it into the neighbor's yard when you're done.
Ajey try a polyurethane varnish, and mix the first two coats with some thinners, and cover all over. Don't forget to remove all dust first, or you'll have a rough texture surface. The thinners allows the varnish to soak into the MDF. The top coat then wants to be neat varnish, which makes it lightly water proof, so if you spill your coffee on it, you can mop it up. Wouldn't advise leaving it out in all weathers though - I don't trust varnish to be that good.
I live in Australia, so a trip to one our local Bunnings give us the following options: - Pine - Pine - Pine - Treated Pine - Framing Pine - Fencing Pine (All low quality) It sucks, so much.
true indeed , for timber in brisbane i would start with garde timber I'm in cairns but have heard good reports from some of my "southern friends "hope winter is treating you well
Hey Steve, after watching -I think- all your videos (and never commenting!), this is the one that in my opinion captures the "mere mortals" moto the best. This one has an incredible amount of information laid out in a very entertaining and easy to grasp way. Congrats for educating in such an inspiring way!
I am echoing the majority of the comments...even in 2019 Steve you are the best in this arena...by far. Bravo and much appreciate you and your channel.
What a fantastic and helpful video. I've been feeling lost for weeks, buying tools and preparing for projects, but I had no idea where to start with lumber, because none of the project resources ever cover that element. Thank you!
Man, you've got one heck of a home depot up there. I even saw some purple heart in those racks! My local HD's have pine, oak, pine, more pine, and a little bit of pine.
People like you make life more enjoyable...I'm a beginning woodworker and love to see people like you make it more comfortable to try it out...and explain it very well..GREAT JOB!
I just want to thank you steve, I just made my first real woodworking project : a coffee table made out of pallet wood. I just needed some clamps, wood glue, hammer, nails, a 20$ jigsaw and a 10$ random orbital sander. Just seeing all your videos gave me enough tips to not screw that project up. And as the woodworker says : measure twice, cut once !
GR8 info as always Steve, and you’re clearly the reigning champion in setting up your first ad; your cutaways are the best in content & timing, and it makes the ads more tolerable.
One of my first projects i’d like to tackle is making closet shelves. I was pretty intimidated by the idea of going out and getting wood. This was exactly the info I needed to build my confidence . Thanks!
Pretty cool info! I watch how easily you find hardwood boards in your home depot and it's awesome! Unfortunately in Greece you can only find oak (if you are lucky) in a store like that! Lumber yards here are really expensive and you can only buy large roughly cut pieces straight from trees. That makes solid wood available mostly to professionals who buy large quantities! Thanks for sharing!
I,m amazed at finding a video whose author actually conveys information in a simple , thorough , and audibly clear manner.! I am in the latter years of woodworking and other skills but I subscribed to your channel...certain I can learn from future posts. Thanks.
Your videos are packed with precise information and always learn and enjoy a lot by watching. Thank you for the hard work you put in to these videos ❤️
Hi Steve and thanks for the great videos. At 2:50 you said that if you buy a 2x4 its most likely pine such as Douglas Fir. I think that was a slip of the tongue as Pine and Douglas Fir are two totally different woods. PIne is as you described but Douglas Fir, when it dries is REALLY hard and a pain to work with. When still green it is equally hard to work with and when cut on a table saw leaves a gummy film on the saw blade. I live on Vancouver Island in 'FIR' country and although I like it for it's strength for building construction I equally hate it for it's weight and difficulty working with. Up here in BC our Pine forests have been decimated by Pine Beatles but the wood has incredible colours to it. Thanks again and I hope you find my comments useful. Rod
I watched this 1 year ago when i started woodworking. None of it made sense I recisited it today and it seemed like i already knew everything he spoke about. Which means iv learned so much this year and it all started with Steve Ramsey. ----- Thank you for giving me inspiration to be somebody.
Steve, I've been watching you series over the last few days and you have this amazing skill of knowing so much but be so careful on how you explain things to beginners like myself... Thanks so much. All your videos are so helpful and they are also fun to watch, great job on helping others to pursue the shared passion that is woodworking!
Just started work at a building supplies warehouse, and theyre helping me with my truck and forklift license. Im going to be making this my main focus. Thank you for the video. Helps me understand more
Best woodworking channel on RUclips and there are a lot of good ones. Thanks Steve I'm just starting to try to get into woodworking and I have learned so much from you.
It gels nicely with think thrice, measure twice, cut once, first heard that from an English boat-builder. It can save a lot of disappointment in wasted time, effort, and money.
Another great one. I like these ones that explain some of the basic concepts. Even if I think I know it all, you generally add interesting and useful information and I discover that I really didn't know it all after all. Cheers and keep it up.
i have a couple ideas i've been kicking around for small projects.....I also love the look and feel of bamboo, and it occured to me, that at various discount stores, i've noticed a lot more bamboo cutting and serving boards, at prices cheaper than other sources....depending on the size of your project, a couple of those could easily have enough material to do the job....
I love this video!!! I love listening to the way you explain things. It answers so many questions I have. All the hints and tips from a real woodworking craftsman like yourself are immensely helpful to me! I never really had anyone to teach me about woodworking, tools, and how to organize a shop, so watching videos like this one or the one about table saws or the one about glue...I love it! Just simply love your channel! THANK YOU A HUNDRED MILLION QUINTILLION TIMES FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO!!!
With all the kinds of wood available for woodworking, choosing something for a project can be daunting, especially for new woodworkers. I hope this video simplifies a lot of it, at least enough to give you the confidence to make informed decisions at the lumberyard or home center. Let me know if you have any helpful wood buying tips! Full article and more on the WWMM web site: bit.ly/WoodBasics
Ciao, Steve!! Thanks for sharing this video. Here in Italy, specially in my region, buying wood is very expensive, so much of the wood for my works is found in the Woods... Cheers. Mauro.
excellent video for beginners. One correction id like to note though. Fir trees are not a sub category of Pine trees ( they are both in the "Pinaceae" plant family which is where you may be getting the confusion) and most of the wood you handle in the hardware store when discussing the "pine" is Canadian Frasier Fir and Balsam Fir (Abies Fraseri and Abies Balsamea). One easy way to see the difference is if you walk down the aisle of a hardware store in the 2 by, or framing section, you'll notice the wood color and grain structure will change when you go up in size from 2x6's to the 2x8's. thats because Fir trees are used for 2x6s and smaller but framing codes require the tensile strength of 2x8s and higher to be higher than Firs are capable of and thus are cut from Pines (usually Southern Yellow Pine SYP "Loblolly Pine" on the east coast, and Western Yellow Pine WYP "Ponderosa Pine" on the West coast) There are roughly 50 Fir Species of Tree, and roughly 120 Pine Species of Tree. they both have unique characteristics, will react to stain and oils differently, have different shrink rates and Janka hardness ratings, will burn differently when using techniques like shou sugi ban, and take to steam bending very differently.
This is the main thing that I struggle with :/ I have found tons of info about all the tools you need, and I have spent thousands of $ upgrading my shop with new tools like my table saw, router, planer, etc. I have watched all the videos on sketchup, and I can design tons of projects and complex builds. The only thing I continue to struggle with is this very topic...What wood should I use? Where do I buy it? Why is wood "A" better than wood "B"? Which wood is best for project "A" and which wood is worst for project "A"? How to purchase different types of wood, for example; Is it better to purchase two 6" wide pieces of Maple and joint them together or can I find a 12" wide piece cheaper? Which projects would you feel okay in using "HD common Pine"? Which pines are best for staining? For me, the hardest part of getting into "woodworking" has not been the "working" part, it has been the "wood" part. Love your videos and hopefully all of my questions only help you in producing more material :) Thanks for all that you do!
tell me about it every job is different and a challenge, you never stop learning as a carpenter, i think we are certainly underpaid in comparison to plumbers and electricians.
I just subscribed because Steve Ramsey provides great basic knowledge for beginning wood workers. He explains everything in great detail and with plenty of examples. What a great channel to learn about how to work with wood! I'm so appreciative of all this great information.
I break down and use a lot of palettes, I got sick of using a hammer so I use a reciprocal saw with a wood and metal blade, and just cut through the nails. You can take apart a palette in no time at all and avoid destroying a lot of the wood by prying it off with a hammer. Only downside is the nails are still in the boards, it's almost impossible to get them out, and it's easy to cut into the wood and mess it up when you're doing this. That being said it's super fast, and the minor cuts into the boards are better than cracking and breaking half of them when you use a hammer to pull them apart. Personally I like the distressed sort of look that palette wood has and embrace it in my projects. It's usually really beat up and it can give it a really nice quality if you use it right. Thanks for encouraging people to use free or reclaimed wood, it's the best!
3 years later and it was still useful information. Been a long time diy kinda guy. I've built many types of things usual out of whatever scrap wood I'd have on hand. For me it was about the functionality more so then the finished look. However the more I work with wood the more I realize how much I actually enjoy it. ( once you have more proper tools, and gain the proper knowledge) I'm now starting to look at making custom pieces to sell as a supplemental income , so now the finish will be as important as its functionality. Thanks for the video 👍
As funny as this sounds it’s very true. I have a rustic headboard I made from wood my dad found thrown behind a dumpster on his way to work. It had lots of knots which was probably why it was thrown out but worked great for my rustic headboard
Definitely a pro tip! They're usually glad to get rid of it as it's classed as industrial waste (in the UK at least) so they have to pay for disposal. Pallets from pub and restaurant chains are my main source right now.
just add water and moisture, it will warp, the layers will come apart and it will become weird. Solid wood especially if you know what to pick will handle moisture and water better then most of plywoods :D :D
steve i love ur new segment for basics...hope u continue it...i am girl but i really want to make my own furniture...u gave me so many tutorial...tahnk u...please upload more
so I'm about to try out applying for the finish mill at ganahl lumber and your videos give me courage to really get even more involved in having my own home workshop thank you
I don't like using MDF because its really heavy and it breaks down when it gets wet. But I still have to use it as I have a few MDF sheets in different sizes from an old bed frame. Is there any way to protect the MDF from water?
What an informative, efficient, smooth, professional, unintimidating, and superb video. Lots of other praise adjectives I could use, but you get the idea. Thank you!
@@joestevenson5568 That's also a thing yes, but I prefer transparent finishes if the wood is nice. Of course stuff like alder doesn't really have the most striking grain which is why those are painted but painted mahogany annoys me. Just give it a transparent finish, mahogany looks great as is.
Oak stains beautifully. I am not a purist... my naural hair is gorgeous but I'll dye it sometimes to switch things up. I just stained some red oak with "Red Oak" stain! Made it match an older oak cabinet.
@@leifharmsen Hey i like stained hardwoods, sometimes they add a lot to the look of the furniture, but generally woody colours look good on hardwood furniture, whereas guitars can have nebula bursts and all these crazy stains which look absolutely awesome
I wish you will find something other than pine. Here in Ukraine the pine is also widely presented and I've started to work with it and was a bit disappointed. But then I've found alder and beech, which is extremely pleasant to work with. Alder is a main material in bathhouse interior (I hope I've translated it correctly, here is the photo - domodel.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/banya.jpg), try to search for the boards that uses as seats in bathhouses. That's where I've found it. Good luck!
Bunnings does sell a lot of pine, they also sell other timbers like; Meranti, often used in place of maple. Hardwoods like Tasmanian Oak Laminated Beech panels Finger jointed Acacia panels. Karri laminated panels Western Red Cedar. and others.
The best types of wood I have ever used have all been for a few bucks per board foot on Craigslist. Reclaimed lumber is easier on the environment and adds some interesting features to the project. Not to mention carrying the history of its original use with it. I recently made a dining table for some friends that used to be a tobacco barn in Kentucky. I'm working on a table for my wife that used to be floor joists of a house built right before the Civil War. I'm a sucker for cheap wood on Craigslist!
The slight jingle in the background of this video sounds EXACTLY like my ringtone, it drove me nuts trying to figure out where it came from! Great video as always.
Bro im only 3/4 of the way through this vid and have told myself ima comment for sure multiple times i HAD to stop and say thank u for this unbelievably informative video comin from a 5 yr xp construction worker i will definitely check ur channel cause of this vid
I worked mostly with mdf all my high school life and it works for numerous furniture despite its dusty composition and weight..super easy to machine 👊👊
Fir is not the same as pine! They are completely different genera! Next you'll say pine is the same as cedar, or eastern red cedar is the same as western red cedar. They smell completely different. (/hyperbole)
Doug fir is commonly sold for framing. You can make a lot of other things with it, and it's cheap. Problem is that much of the fir isn't completely dry, but is expected to bend into place in the framing, and then dry/harden. In terms of finish/surface, fir has a very distinctive grain that doesn't come out very well with sanding, so I generally limit it to kid's rough toys. At HD, you'll find pine as "common board" and "select" (big diff is the number of knots). The pine has a much smoother surface for finishing.
Douglas firs are in the genus pseudotsuga which means "false hemlock." True firs belong to the genus abies. Both belong to the pine family, so there is a sense that it is not wrong to call a douglas fir a pine, but pine also refers to a specific genus of which neither firs nor douglas firs are members of.
Great video, I am surprised this hasn't shown up on my feed earlier. One note, an excellent choice for free wood is old furniture. I have taken apart a number of old tables and dressers made from some very good solid woods that people were just throwing away. I often will go driving around the night before trash pick up and find numerous pieces of large furniture just waiting to be taken apart for future projects.
also a great way to get wood that's fully dried and acclimated to an interior temperature and humidity level prior to reworking it (obviously depending on how long it sits on the curb before it gets grabbed by you).
Hey Steve, just recently found your channel and I'm really enjoying it, l recently retired and thought I would do a little woodworking nothing too adventurous just enough to occupy me. Just got a chop saw and some tools I've always wanted, just got to get the timber now and sort out some projects, I find the content of your vlogs very helpful and you present them excellently. Kind regards. 🇬🇧
TheStig ZeroZeroZero Only God knows how much I hate MDF!!!! I mean, it's ok if you use it for spacers, gigs, molds, etc.... But don't ever build a MDF cabinet and say that's woodworking!!!!!!!
no grain... same strength in all directions, pretty cheap, easy to sand, can be waterproof (costs a bit more)... ALL positive factors are also valid for plywood.... so everything ive said is null and void.
Most important : you can lacquer it and its edges - something you can't do with chipboard It has no structure that could become visible through the finish so it's great if you want an all white furniture front - very modern imo
Thank you so much for such an informative video. I’m just starting my woodworking hobby and you and your channel are by far the most informative and useful for my needs. Thank you!
As a manager at the lumber yard feel free to pick through the boards. With that said it is not realistic to expect and employee to do this for you. If you want an order pulled and ready when you get there you will get a mix of warped and good boards typical of the variety on the shelf. Also, if you choose to sort through my boards please put them back on their shelf or stack them back in the bunk. Try to come in the morning if you want to avoid the inevitable stack of warped boards on the top and in front. Most lumber yards I have been in cull in the morning or evening before or after close of business.
Wow, that was so much more interesting than I thought it would be. I didn't realize there were so many sanding tools like the 1" band, and the inside sander. The planer race was really entertaining. Thank you.
Thanks for the video, this definitely helps. I had this problem when I was at my local Home Depot and being absolutely clueless on what to use the other day. Now I have a better understanding.
Hi first of all I want to appreciate what you're doing , and your the first would workers witch explain kind of wooden material . Please continue that . people to know or understand Of plywood or hardwood or softwood , please have more show like this . Thank's
Wow, i am just starting out with woodworking here in germany and your explenations did help me big time. Thank you very much for putting in the effort.
ive not got as much experience as you have but ive got some things i just need to mention. if you are working with oak, remember oak turns blue around metal because oak contains some stuff that makes metal rust (only long term) softwood like pine and spruce will produce way larger chips and dust grain than hardwood hardwood can drastically differ in the way it works, campare splitting (along the grain) chestnut and apple, good chance your axe gets stuck in the apple and you don't even notice you're cutting wood with chestnut. 18mm plywood is standard in europe but my desk has 12mm birch for the cabinets and 50 mm okoume for the tabletop, it's really solid even though the cabinets are the only thing holding up the tabletop (=-50KG exc what i put on it, i 54kg and a friend of mine 65 kg didn't even make it buge or creek) and for everyone starting with woodworking, don't begin with hardwood lumber, you're only going to hurt your wallet and tools, start with softwood and mdf, mdf can be made into any shape you want so its nice for trying i've been in woodworking for about 6 years and only now i'm starting to really get a hand on hardwood, im making a cabinet from reclaimed chestnut that was previously part of our hallway and kitchen, and a new handle for my EDC knife from ebony (really hard to work with ebony though)
Great info, as a much younger car stereo guy my first carpentry projects were with MDF. The mass and vibration damping are pretty big advantages for projects like subwoofer boxes
one of your best videos.. By watching this, I subscribed.. Very informative.. explained in a very organized way. Step by step were the types and properties explained. The video was in Sync. I am a beginner, so for me, it was gold. Thank you sir for sharing your valuable knowledge!
Did my whole kitchen in pine with a natural stain and lacquer coating. Picked every piece of wood for nice grain and knots. It looks awesome. 1st time I've ever done cabinets and I'm glad I did it myself. Everywhere I went wanted $15K+, only the doors were going to be solid wood, and they would only do pre-designed stuff. I did all of the cabinets in pine exactly the way I wanted it with soft close slides/hinges, a pull out pantry and a pull out garbage/recycling all for under $2K.
systematic101 That is great!
2k in materials maybe? How much labor?
systematic101 Encouraging, on similar path. . THANK YOU
Very cool. I would rather have something that’s 75%+ perfect that I built than something I paid for that’s supposed to be 100% perfect and likely is not, just hidden well
@@brokenwave6125 Usually when working on a project for yourself, you don't count labour, as it's something you want to do for yourself and it's done in spare time. The money doesn't actually leave the pocket.
the microjig ad seriously never gets old haha
It catches me off guard every single time 😂
@@danielkerlin7357 this is my first time seeing it and I was like "Wait.. what?"
Lol it gets old. Love the channel but the micro jig isn't a highlight lol
@@CraigularjJoeWoodworks - Wrong.
@@jsl6155 nope
I build arcades from 3/4" MDF. The easiest way to protect the cut edges is to mix 5:1 water/wood glue, paint all the cut surfaces with a foam brush, then when it dries, use 220 grit to take the pebbling off. Now the cut edges are "armored". Dust is an issue. Cut it in the driveway and blow it into the neighbor's yard when you're done.
Ajey try a polyurethane varnish, and mix the first two coats with some thinners, and cover all over. Don't forget to remove all dust first, or you'll have a rough texture surface. The thinners allows the varnish to soak into the MDF. The top coat then wants to be neat varnish, which makes it lightly water proof, so if you spill your coffee on it, you can mop it up. Wouldn't advise leaving it out in all weathers though - I don't trust varnish to be that good.
5:1 water to Wood glue? I'm going to have to google wood glue
See I don’t trust mdf for anything structural-it’s only real purpose should be to be the top sheet on plywood and allow for easy painting
10/10.. because fuck those neighbors.
I wasn't expecting the neighbours part and I actually laughed out loud. I didn't think that could happen
I live in Australia, so a trip to one our local Bunnings give us the following options:
- Pine
- Pine
- Pine
- Treated Pine
- Framing Pine
- Fencing Pine
(All low quality)
It sucks, so much.
Well....at least you got a choice of pine😆.
Please, PLEASE tell me where.
Bris, QLD, any ideas? I'm new to woodworking.
and merabu raped out of indo and png
karl craig
So many consumers think they're getting something exotic just because of that name.
true indeed , for timber in brisbane i would start with garde timber I'm in cairns but have heard good reports from some of my "southern friends "hope winter is treating you well
Probably the best & most simple explanation I've heard on the topic of wood, thanks Steve and this is by far my favourite channel to watch
Why the fuck are you supporting deforestation shame on you
yash devnani 😢😢😢😢😢😢😢 sad sack, perhaps preserve your dignity as your comment is offensive & knowledge lacking in substance
Same
@thunderjaw foodie: lol your funny
Hey Steve, after watching -I think- all your videos (and never commenting!), this is the one that in my opinion captures the "mere mortals" moto the best. This one has an incredible amount of information laid out in a very entertaining and easy to grasp way. Congrats for educating in such an inspiring way!
I have been a carpenter for 10 years and still learned alot in this video!
I am echoing the majority of the comments...even in 2019 Steve you are the best in this arena...by far. Bravo and much appreciate you and your channel.
What a fantastic and helpful video. I've been feeling lost for weeks, buying tools and preparing for projects, but I had no idea where to start with lumber, because none of the project resources ever cover that element. Thank you!
Ok, have to say....one of my favorite parts of your vids is the micro jig bit in the beginning.
This one was awesome.
Man, you've got one heck of a home depot up there. I even saw some purple heart in those racks! My local HD's have pine, oak, pine, more pine, and a little bit of pine.
Same here.
The Purple heart he displayed was not at Home Depot
@@michaelr2526 yeah, you can tell from the price tags
@@runicevan5624 Home Depot is also expensive.
@@DrFumesta I'm talking about the font of the text.
People like you make life more enjoyable...I'm a beginning woodworker and love to see people like you make it more comfortable to try it out...and explain it very well..GREAT JOB!
I just want to thank you steve, I just made my first real woodworking project : a coffee table made out of pallet wood. I just needed some clamps, wood glue, hammer, nails, a 20$ jigsaw and a 10$ random orbital sander. Just seeing all your videos gave me enough tips to not screw that project up. And as the woodworker says : measure twice, cut once !
+Dogeek That's awesome!
GR8 info as always Steve, and you’re clearly the reigning champion in setting up your first ad; your cutaways are the best in content & timing, and it makes the ads more tolerable.
One of my first projects i’d like to tackle is making closet shelves. I was pretty intimidated by the idea of going out and getting wood. This was exactly the info I needed to build my confidence . Thanks!
I'm a yard associate at 84 lumber and learning this is really cool and more informative than anything I've come across on youtube!
Pretty cool info! I watch how easily you find hardwood boards in your home depot and it's awesome! Unfortunately in Greece you can only find oak (if you are lucky) in a store like that! Lumber yards here are really expensive and you can only buy large roughly cut pieces straight from trees. That makes solid wood available mostly to professionals who buy large quantities! Thanks for sharing!
That sounds like a opportunity to start your own business selling lumber. I am not kidding.
@@mtadams2009 might be a reason that the market is that way. Maybe they dont do a lot of woodwork in greece?
@@mtadams2009 Quite probably the market is simply too small.
@@ian1352 until a mf creates a demand lol
I,m amazed at finding a video whose author actually conveys information in a simple , thorough , and audibly clear manner.! I am in the latter years of woodworking and other skills but I subscribed to your channel...certain I can learn from future posts. Thanks.
Your videos are packed with precise information and always learn and enjoy a lot by watching. Thank you for the hard work you put in to these videos ❤️
Steve, You have a crazy level of knowledge. I have watch each sentence multiple times to not to miss anything.
Hi Steve and thanks for the great videos.
At 2:50 you said that if you buy a 2x4 its most likely pine such as Douglas Fir.
I think that was a slip of the tongue as Pine and Douglas Fir are two totally
different woods. PIne is as you described but Douglas Fir, when it dries is
REALLY hard and a pain to work with. When still green it is equally hard to work
with and when cut on a table saw leaves a gummy film on the saw blade.
I live on Vancouver Island in 'FIR' country and although I like it for it's strength
for building construction I equally hate it for it's weight and difficulty working with.
Up here in BC our Pine forests have been decimated by Pine Beatles but the wood
has incredible colours to it.
Thanks again and I hope you find my comments useful. Rod
I watched this 1 year ago when i started woodworking. None of it made sense
I recisited it today and it seemed like i already knew everything he spoke about.
Which means iv learned so much this year and it all started with Steve Ramsey.
-----
Thank you for giving me inspiration to be somebody.
Steve, I've been watching you series over the last few days and you have this amazing skill of knowing so much but be so careful on how you explain things to beginners like myself... Thanks so much. All your videos are so helpful and they are also fun to watch, great job on helping others to pursue the shared passion that is woodworking!
I've just started working in a store that has a wide selection of woods, and this video has genuinely helped me alot... thankyou dude
This channel is helping me so much. Thanks Steve. Your videos are simply awesome.
This man is a gifted teacher
A woodworker and star trek fan, were has this channel been all my life
Just started work at a building supplies warehouse, and theyre helping me with my truck and forklift license.
Im going to be making this my main focus.
Thank you for the video. Helps me understand more
Great explanation Steve. I passed this over to a young beginner to have a quick fundamental look see. She loved it.
Why the fuck are you supporting deforestation shame on you
Best woodworking channel on RUclips and there are a lot of good ones. Thanks Steve I'm just starting to try to get into woodworking and I have learned so much from you.
~ 4:00 "don't be in a rush" Probably one of the most applicable woodworking tips ever across everything.
It gels nicely with think thrice, measure twice, cut once, first heard that from an English boat-builder. It can save a lot of disappointment in wasted time, effort, and money.
Perfect video, no two minute intro, good shot selection and very informative
Another great one. I like these ones that explain some of the basic concepts. Even if I think I know it all, you generally add interesting and useful information and I discover that I really didn't know it all after all. Cheers and keep it up.
Most woodworking channels never take time to talk about the WOOD. Thanks for doing so.
i have a couple ideas i've been kicking around for small projects.....I also love the look and feel of bamboo, and it occured to me, that at various discount stores, i've noticed a lot more bamboo cutting and serving boards, at prices cheaper than other sources....depending on the size of your project, a couple of those could easily have enough material to do the job....
Where are you from? I never saw bamboo around here in Home Depot nor Lowe's...
I love this video!!! I love listening to the way you explain things. It answers so many questions I have. All the hints and tips from a real woodworking craftsman like yourself are immensely helpful to me! I never really had anyone to teach me about woodworking, tools, and how to organize a shop, so watching videos like this one or the one about table saws or the one about glue...I love it! Just simply love your channel! THANK YOU A HUNDRED MILLION QUINTILLION TIMES FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO!!!
HAHAHA! I love how these microjig ads are slapped in our faces. They're so hard to predict! 😂
For some reason, your channel is the best I've come across. I can't stop watching your videos lol.
With all the kinds of wood available for woodworking, choosing something for a project can be daunting, especially for new woodworkers. I hope this video simplifies a lot of it, at least enough to give you the confidence to make informed decisions at the lumberyard or home center. Let me know if you have any helpful wood buying tips! Full article and more on the WWMM web site: bit.ly/WoodBasics
Steve I 💜 your channel! 😆 I have learned so much about wood because of you. Thank you very much!😎
Thanks Steve! This is exactly what I was wanting to know as a person who is just getting started with woodworking.
Actually Steve, hardwood softwood is because of it's seed, not leaf. But I got to say, you got closer than anyone I've seen on RUclips.
Ok.
good work sunshine, do you need a medal or something? Maybe Steve can give you a shout out on his next vid..
From another raider fan who lived in Novato and frequented pini hardware, thanks for all the cool videos !
Good job Steve !!
Thanks! I am an absolut beginner and am about to start my first small projects. Your channel helps a lot
Looking at cherry wrong will cause it to burn.
Talking about cherry burning will make it burn. Don't even get me started on purpleheart.
+grandolddrummer I have turned plenty of purpleheart into blackheart
jeremy gunkel f
duly noted. Learned about this while making a marking gauge earlier...
i cut my hard wood with closed eyes
I am a new amateur woodworker or maybe more of a maker. Like your videos cause they are simple and understandable. Thanks
Ciao, Steve!! Thanks for sharing this video. Here in Italy, specially in my region, buying wood is very expensive, so much of the wood for my works is found in the Woods... Cheers. Mauro.
excellent video for beginners.
One correction id like to note though. Fir trees are not a sub category of Pine trees ( they are both in the "Pinaceae" plant family which is where you may be getting the confusion) and most of the wood you handle in the hardware store when discussing the "pine" is Canadian Frasier Fir and Balsam Fir (Abies Fraseri and Abies Balsamea). One easy way to see the difference is if you walk down the aisle of a hardware store in the 2 by, or framing section, you'll notice the wood color and grain structure will change when you go up in size from 2x6's to the 2x8's. thats because Fir trees are used for 2x6s and smaller but framing codes require the tensile strength of 2x8s and higher to be higher than Firs are capable of and thus are cut from Pines (usually Southern Yellow Pine SYP "Loblolly Pine" on the east coast, and Western Yellow Pine WYP "Ponderosa Pine" on the West coast)
There are roughly 50 Fir Species of Tree, and roughly 120 Pine Species of Tree. they both have unique characteristics, will react to stain and oils differently, have different shrink rates and Janka hardness ratings, will burn differently when using techniques like shou sugi ban, and take to steam bending very differently.
This is the main thing that I struggle with :/ I have found tons of info about all the tools you need, and I have spent thousands of $ upgrading my shop with new tools like my table saw, router, planer, etc. I have watched all the videos on sketchup, and I can design tons of projects and complex builds. The only thing I continue to struggle with is this very topic...What wood should I use? Where do I buy it? Why is wood "A" better than wood "B"? Which wood is best for project "A" and which wood is worst for project "A"? How to purchase different types of wood, for example; Is it better to purchase two 6" wide pieces of Maple and joint them together or can I find a 12" wide piece cheaper? Which projects would you feel okay in using "HD common Pine"? Which pines are best for staining? For me, the hardest part of getting into "woodworking" has not been the "working" part, it has been the "wood" part. Love your videos and hopefully all of my questions only help you in producing more material :) Thanks for all that you do!
tell me about it every job is different and a challenge, you never stop learning as a carpenter, i think we are certainly underpaid in comparison to plumbers and electricians.
The wider the span, the higher chance of warpage in 1 1/2" or thinner boards. Keeping it less than 3" wide helps prevent warpage in thinner boards.
I just subscribed because Steve Ramsey provides great basic knowledge for beginning wood workers. He explains everything in great detail and with plenty of examples. What a great channel to learn about how to work with wood! I'm so appreciative of all this great information.
MicroJig, maker of the gripper
work safer, work smarter!
Thank you for the clear and well-articulated video. I am a relatively beginning woodworker and appreciate the information. Well done and keep it up!
Being expensive is not hardwood's problem, it is my problem.....
Lmfao
I've already shared this with a friend who is overwhelmed with woodworking. Thanks!
Awesome video Steve, love the basics videos, thanks for making them :)
I break down and use a lot of palettes, I got sick of using a hammer so I use a reciprocal saw with a wood and metal blade, and just cut through the nails. You can take apart a palette in no time at all and avoid destroying a lot of the wood by prying it off with a hammer. Only downside is the nails are still in the boards, it's almost impossible to get them out, and it's easy to cut into the wood and mess it up when you're doing this. That being said it's super fast, and the minor cuts into the boards are better than cracking and breaking half of them when you use a hammer to pull them apart. Personally I like the distressed sort of look that palette wood has and embrace it in my projects. It's usually really beat up and it can give it a really nice quality if you use it right. Thanks for encouraging people to use free or reclaimed wood, it's the best!
Damnit jim I'm a doctor not a microjig I was dead
😆
3 years later and it was still useful information.
Been a long time diy kinda guy. I've built many types of things usual out of whatever scrap wood I'd have on hand. For me it was about the functionality more so then the finished look. However the more I work with wood the more I realize how much I actually enjoy it. ( once you have more proper tools, and gain the proper knowledge) I'm now starting to look at making custom pieces to sell as a supplemental income , so now the finish will be as important as its functionality.
Thanks for the video 👍
Nice video, wish i could find anything other that softwood and OSB sheets
This is the go to woodworking channel. Very educational.
I’ll add that dumpster diving is also a great place to get free wood. New home or rehab construction is great.
As funny as this sounds it’s very true. I have a rustic headboard I made from wood my dad found thrown behind a dumpster on his way to work. It had lots of knots which was probably why it was thrown out but worked great for my rustic headboard
Definitely a pro tip! They're usually glad to get rid of it as it's classed as industrial waste (in the UK at least) so they have to pay for disposal. Pallets from pub and restaurant chains are my main source right now.
Thanks!
I am from Taiwan.
Thank you for your video and good insight!!
It does help me a lot!
So I should not make my spaceship out of plywood as it will not warp!(hehe)
there are airplanes that were made out of plywood.
Some of the earlier helicopter blades were also made out of laminated ply 😉
You both missed the joke. I laughed, Joel.
This is one of the best nerd jokes I’ve ever heard bravo sir
Edit although I read it instead of hearing it the sentiment still applies
just add water and moisture, it will warp, the layers will come apart and it will become weird. Solid wood especially if you know what to pick will handle moisture and water better then most of plywoods :D :D
steve i love ur new segment for basics...hope u continue it...i am girl but i really want to make my own furniture...u gave me so many tutorial...tahnk u...please upload more
Thank you so much for this invaluable information!!
Fantastic presentation. Learning a lot from your channel.Cheers from India 🇮🇳.
"Damn it Jim, I'm a doctor not a... Microjig" - lol Nice.
so I'm about to try out applying for the finish mill at ganahl lumber and your videos give me courage to really get even more involved in having my own home workshop thank you
I don't like using MDF because its really heavy and it breaks down when it gets wet. But I still have to use it as I have a few MDF sheets in different sizes from an old bed frame.
Is there any way to protect the MDF from water?
Oil based solvent/paint? Could be more flammable? Heard they used amber and wax as flame detterent
What an informative, efficient, smooth, professional, unintimidating, and superb video. Lots of other praise adjectives I could use, but you get the idea. Thank you!
Hahaha the Star Trek intro was great
LLAP!
:)
I love you microjig spots... Here's one you can steal..." I have been and always shall be your "
The "outro" was good too. Nice sculpture for 12yo! LLAP
you are like a guru ( a great teacher ) sir,
You taught me without any fee ....... love you from India
your student
GOVIND SINGH
"Hardwoods are rarely stained"
Electric guitar makers: Or so you think
I really like the translucent white
They’ll just fucking paint them aswell
@@joestevenson5568 That's also a thing yes, but I prefer transparent finishes if the wood is nice. Of course stuff like alder doesn't really have the most striking grain which is why those are painted but painted mahogany annoys me. Just give it a transparent finish, mahogany looks great as is.
Oak stains beautifully. I am not a purist... my naural hair is gorgeous but I'll dye it sometimes to switch things up. I just stained some red oak with "Red Oak" stain! Made it match an older oak cabinet.
@@leifharmsen Hey i like stained hardwoods, sometimes they add a lot to the look of the furniture, but generally woody colours look good on hardwood furniture, whereas guitars can have nebula bursts and all these crazy stains which look absolutely awesome
Your intros always give me a chuckle. They don't seem to get old!
in australia ;
pine
pine boards
more pine
bit more pine
treated pine
termite treated pine
treated pine
more treated pine
oh and did i mention pine?
I wish you will find something other than pine. Here in Ukraine the pine is also widely presented and I've started to work with it and was a bit disappointed. But then I've found alder and beech, which is extremely pleasant to work with. Alder is a main material in bathhouse interior (I hope I've translated it correctly, here is the photo - domodel.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/banya.jpg), try to search for the boards that uses as seats in bathhouses. That's where I've found it. Good luck!
Blue Nebula surely they sell pine in australia i think
And you should buy wood imported from Indonesia, lot of cheap hardwood with beautiful grain pattern and mostly illegally logged.
Blue Nebula what wood do you use...
Bunnings does sell a lot of pine, they also sell other timbers like;
Meranti, often used in place of maple.
Hardwoods like Tasmanian Oak
Laminated Beech panels
Finger jointed Acacia panels.
Karri laminated panels
Western Red Cedar.
and others.
The best types of wood I have ever used have all been for a few bucks per board foot on Craigslist. Reclaimed lumber is easier on the environment and adds some interesting features to the project. Not to mention carrying the history of its original use with it. I recently made a dining table for some friends that used to be a tobacco barn in Kentucky. I'm working on a table for my wife that used to be floor joists of a house built right before the Civil War. I'm a sucker for cheap wood on Craigslist!
Man I wish my Home Depot sold maple and walnut. All we get is oak and poplar. :(
I'm in FL btw.
Same here in VA
In the Phoenix area, ,HD sells both ply and solid in maple. I believe Lowes does as well.
menards sells walnut up north in nd and mn.
GARBAGE PICK THE WOOD! I see people throw away antique furniture made of cherry and walnut all the time. Just break it down and get what you need!
The slight jingle in the background of this video sounds EXACTLY like my ringtone, it drove me nuts trying to figure out where it came from! Great video as always.
I laughed at "It's most likely pine, such as Douglas fir." Which of course is not pine at all, but is, rather, um, Douglas fir.
Happy to have made you laugh.
And at twice the price!
And for good reason - unlike pine, it is fairly resistant to warping and quite strong for it's weight.
Douglas fir is in the pine family dude
Still a pine tree lol
Bro im only 3/4 of the way through this vid and have told myself ima comment for sure multiple times i HAD to stop and say thank u for this unbelievably informative video comin from a 5 yr xp construction worker i will definitely check ur channel cause of this vid
Hmmm... What about that chess piece set :D
Shhh...
+Steve Ramsey not gonna tell anybody . ..like a grave ;)
It's only a model.
+
I worked mostly with mdf all my high school life and it works for numerous furniture despite its dusty composition and weight..super easy to machine 👊👊
Fir is not the same as pine! They are completely different genera! Next you'll say pine is the same as cedar, or eastern red cedar is the same as western red cedar. They smell completely different. (/hyperbole)
Doug fir is commonly sold for framing. You can make a lot of other things with it, and it's cheap. Problem is that much of the fir isn't completely dry, but is expected to bend into place in the framing, and then dry/harden. In terms of finish/surface, fir has a very distinctive grain that doesn't come out very well with sanding, so I generally limit it to kid's rough toys. At HD, you'll find pine as "common board" and "select" (big diff is the number of knots). The pine has a much smoother surface for finishing.
He mentioned douglas fir which is neither a fir nor a pine.
Could be. HD tags it as such, and I'm just reporting on the uses of their product, as they name it. The wood industry is rife with misnomers.
what is it considered?
Douglas firs are in the genus pseudotsuga which means "false hemlock." True firs belong to the genus abies. Both belong to the pine family, so there is a sense that it is not wrong to call a douglas fir a pine, but pine also refers to a specific genus of which neither firs nor douglas firs are members of.
Great video, I am surprised this hasn't shown up on my feed earlier. One note, an excellent choice for free wood is old furniture. I have taken apart a number of old tables and dressers made from some very good solid woods that people were just throwing away. I often will go driving around the night before trash pick up and find numerous pieces of large furniture just waiting to be taken apart for future projects.
also a great way to get wood that's fully dried and acclimated to an interior temperature and humidity level prior to reworking it (obviously depending on how long it sits on the curb before it gets grabbed by you).
mdf has metal traces in bad for tools
You are such a great teacher. You just seem so earnest in wanting me to learn and try. Thank you.
Could not pay me to use a microjig
Hey Steve, just recently found your channel and I'm really enjoying it, l recently retired and thought I would do a little woodworking nothing too adventurous just enough to occupy me. Just got a chop saw and some tools I've always wanted, just got to get the timber now and sort out some projects, I find the content of your vlogs very helpful and you present them excellently. Kind regards. 🇬🇧
MDF is the worst. It's heavy, brittle, and looks ugly. I don't see any redeeming qualities.
TheStig ZeroZeroZero Only God knows how much I hate MDF!!!! I mean, it's ok if you use it for spacers, gigs, molds, etc.... But don't ever build a MDF cabinet and say that's woodworking!!!!!!!
I also forgot to mention it's crumbly. And when you saw it, shards fly off into your eyes unless you're wearing eye protection.
no grain... same strength in all directions, pretty cheap, easy to sand, can be waterproof (costs a bit more)...
ALL positive factors are also valid for plywood.... so everything ive said is null and void.
MDF is easier to machine, so if you have a cnc router you will probably want some mdf
Most important : you can lacquer it and its edges - something you can't do with chipboard
It has no structure that could become visible through the finish so it's great if you want an all white furniture front - very modern imo
Thank you so much for such an informative video. I’m just starting my woodworking hobby and you and your channel are by far the most informative and useful for my needs. Thank you!
As a manager at the lumber yard feel free to pick through the boards. With that said it is not realistic to expect and employee to do this for you. If you want an order pulled and ready when you get there you will get a mix of warped and good boards typical of the variety on the shelf. Also, if you choose to sort through my boards please put them back on their shelf or stack them back in the bunk. Try to come in the morning if you want to avoid the inevitable stack of warped boards on the top and in front. Most lumber yards I have been in cull in the morning or evening before or after close of business.
Wow, that was so much more interesting than I thought it would be. I didn't realize there were so many sanding tools like the 1" band, and the inside sander. The planer race was really entertaining. Thank you.
Oops, sorry, this was meant for the previous video 'sanding'. RUclips switched to the next video without me realizing it happened.
I live in Brazil... Here is the paradise of beautiful woods.
Your channel is so informative, your voice and attitude are joyful and bright. Please keep the splendid work! :)
Thanks for the video, this definitely helps. I had this problem when I was at my local Home Depot and being absolutely clueless on what to use the other day. Now I have a better understanding.
You did a good job of explaining the various wood types and their uses. I have a better understanding of them know. Thanks for sharing this.
Hi first of all I want to appreciate what you're doing , and your the first would workers witch explain kind of wooden material . Please continue that . people to know or understand Of plywood or hardwood or softwood , please have more show like this . Thank's
Wow, i am just starting out with woodworking here in germany and your explenations did help me big time. Thank you very much for putting in the effort.
ive not got as much experience as you have but ive got some things i just need to mention.
if you are working with oak, remember oak turns blue around metal because oak contains some stuff that makes metal rust (only long term)
softwood like pine and spruce will produce way larger chips and dust grain than hardwood
hardwood can drastically differ in the way it works, campare splitting (along the grain) chestnut and apple, good chance your axe gets stuck in the apple and you don't even notice you're cutting wood with chestnut.
18mm plywood is standard in europe but my desk has 12mm birch for the cabinets and 50 mm okoume for the tabletop, it's really solid even though the cabinets are the only thing holding up the tabletop (=-50KG exc what i put on it, i 54kg and a friend of mine 65 kg didn't even make it buge or creek)
and for everyone starting with woodworking, don't begin with hardwood lumber, you're only going to hurt your wallet and tools, start with softwood and mdf, mdf can be made into any shape you want so its nice for trying
i've been in woodworking for about 6 years and only now i'm starting to really get a hand on hardwood, im making a cabinet from reclaimed chestnut that was previously part of our hallway and kitchen, and a new handle for my EDC knife from ebony (really hard to work with ebony though)
Great info, as a much younger car stereo guy my first carpentry projects were with MDF. The mass and vibration damping are pretty big advantages for projects like subwoofer boxes
one of your best videos.. By watching this, I subscribed.. Very informative.. explained in a very organized way. Step by step were the types and properties explained. The video was in Sync. I am a beginner, so for me, it was gold.
Thank you sir for sharing your valuable knowledge!
Douglas fir is a fir tree, not a pine! Tho I get it, it's pretty similar. Definitely both soft.