At the time, both she and her husband were teachers (she’s now retired from teaching, while he’s a school principal), and were living on a pretty tight budge.  “I wanted to make my own furniture,” Becky said. “At first, I was having my husband make the furniture, but I got tired of waiting for his time schedule, so I had him show me how to use the tools.”

Whether it was a coffee table or a shelf, “I felt like I could build something better quality and cheaper. “ (And, with a move to a new house, she now has new projects.)

Becky started out using a handheld jigsaw to cut out hearts and shapes that she would paint and attach to other projects; now, her most-used tools are her 12” sliding compound miter saw and a random orbit sander.  “I prefer to cut anything I can on [the miter saw] over using the table saw,” Becky said, while her sander sees a lot of use. “It seems like I have to buy a new sander about once a year,” she said. “I don’t know if I’m hard on them, or what.”

Part of this could be the type of wood Becky prefers to use for her projects. “I like using reclaimed wood; pallets, of course, and reclaimed barn wood. I like wood with character, that shows some age. I don’t like to buy the new stuff – I like it to have a history.”

For instance, she said, some barn wood “turns pink because of the cow pee,” or, sometimes, “you can see where there were pegs that kept the barn together, because there are square holes, or sometimes I find square nails. I love that.”

With pallets, “you can get nice pallet wood, or stuff that looks rough and weathered,” Becky said, noting that she has found pallets made from oak, hickory and other nice hardwoods.

For her book, Crafting with Wood Pallets (Ulysses Press, ISBN 978-1-61243-488-9), “I tried to do everything out of pallet wood,” Becky said. This presented some challenges, in projects such as a wine bar, where she had to figure out how to tilt the shelves and how to make the glass holders out of pallets.

“I’m more of a hands-on learner, so I tend to put it together and figure out things as I go along,” Becky said. “I don’t draw anything out, so have I to think out ‘this is the back, and there’s going to be a top on this shelf, so it has to be different measurements than the sides … I have definitely learned the old adage, ‘Measure twice, cut once.’”

Other types of projects she’ll build include taking her pieces of scrap wood and using them to make painted, hand-lettered signs; combining metal with wood projects, and “I like to repurpose something old that had a different use and incorporate it in with wood, like old sewing machine drawers that I attached to other wood as an organizer.”

For a finish on her projects, if it’s an outdoor item or something else that needs durability, like a tabletop, she’ll use a polyurethane finish. For stain, particularly on items that will be used with food, Becky likes the finish created by coconut oil. “I started trying it, and I liked it,” she said. But for many items, she will paint them – usually with an interior latex paint – then sand to remove some of the paint, then apply a stain over the paint and the wood.

The rustic look she achieves through these finishing techniques, her use of reclaimed wood, and her construction methods, Becky said, likely has a higher popularity in her state of Montana than in some other areas – plus, it’s a look she likes.

“I’m not a fine furniture maker,” she said. For example, “I don’t hide the screws. To me, they’re part of the rustic look” – as is her wood choice. “I hate to buy new when it’s all out there. In Montana, there’s barns falling down. It seems like it’s readily available.”

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-David Long
Lexington, Kentucky

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-Charles Mak
Calgary, Alberta

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A hardware pack with all the necessary connection and adjustment pieces is included, making this an all-in-one kit.

Rockler’s Dust Right® Lathe Dust Collection System (item 52981) is compatible with most lathes and is available now. It sells for $49.99.

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Rob Johnstone: I am assuming that this is a single belt drive saw (a contractor’s saw?). If you think about it, there are two main factors that determine how much power gets to the saw blade. First: how much power is the motor delivering? It sounds like you tested that and it is fine. The second is how much of that power is effectively being transferred by the drive system. Cabinet saws often have three belts or a single super-robust belt to deliver the power to the arbor. I am guessing you have a single belt that may be slipping, either at the arbor or at the motor. Try replacing the belt. When the saw blade stops does the motor stop?

Another possible option, and I have to admit that I am going out on a shaky limb here, is that your electric circuit may be underpowered. This is likely not the case if your breaker is not popping.

Chris Marshall: I agree with Rob’s reasoning here. Sounds like the “transmission” is slipping somewhere — at the belt and pulleys or between the pulleys and the shafts they connect to (arbor and motor). The pulley/shaft connections shouldn’t be the issue unless there are no keyways on the pulleys or shafts to house a retaining key. When there’s no keyway, the only thing that typically holds a pulley stationary on the shaft is a setscrew or two, and that/those could loosen and cause the pulley to slip.

Drive belts dry out over time and lose their pliability, just like fan belts on a car do. My guess is, that’s where the slipping is occurring. For a saw as old as yours, I’d replace the belt just as a matter of course. And when you do, here’s a suggestion: replace the old belt with a segmented “link” belt. These belts can be a real blessing for a saw with a traditional V-type drive belt. The links connect together easily, and you can make a belt to suit any saw, regardless of the belt diameter, by just adding or removing links. They also help reduce belt noise and don’t take on the “memory” of the belt’s shape as they age. Definitely worth the upgrade! Here’s a link to learn more about them (click here).

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-Ed Burns
Mount Holly, NC.

See the Gallery Below

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We heard from a couple of eZine readers who also wanted to share their holiday gift-giving efforts. – Editor

“I also made toys for my granddaughters. I attached some photos for you.” – Bob Swierzawski

“I made seven handheld multi-laminated mirrors, two toy spinning tops, one birdfeeder, two multicolored wood cutting boards. Will be spending several hours cleaning shop.” – Jim Rojas

“Great work on those vehicles, my friend. No doubt in my mind anybody of young age would love something like that, and when some age has come to their years they will respect the hand crafting that went into them.” – Dennis Young

We’re also still hearing from a few of you who wanted to share your experience with butternut wood, in reaction to this editorial. – Editor

“I thought I was the only one obsessed with butternut. I have been hoarding it for more than 20 years.  I usually get it from local loggers and have it sawed. I dry it in my Ebac and stack it until I use it.  Here are just a few of the projects I have finished in the past few years.” –  Bob Boles

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