One of my favorite videos so far, just love the effort you put into it and the fact that you still made the video after the end result ❤ Are the plugs in your bench dog holes custom?
Another option is that you can get pretty cheap "interface pads" for almost any orbital sander. That seems like it would be a great sort of "in-between" option for a lot of us without going all out for a festool.
For me, you do what makes you happy, your videos are always fun. Glad you posted this, was thinking I had missed one somewhere and was going to go searching, and lo and behold 20 minutes later (literally!) you posted new content. Look forward to the next attempt at this piece, but I would say this piece still looks pretty good!
Next time you attempt a carved top table, how about coloring the carving (epoxy mixed with a stain, gold flecks, pearl, etc). Also, you may find that after you flatten the bottom, you'll get better results by finishing the bottom with epoxy instead of an oil product because then the absorption of humidity on both the top and bottom will be equal and should reduce the possibility for warping. Another idea for a carved table top would be to test out different burning techniques along with carving / sanding (Post burn). There are a few TH-cam videos where burning and red plus gold stains were used that look amazing.
Most people can understand that it takes time to turn lumber into furniture, but very few people can make the connection that for the duration it takes for you to make their project, at the very minimum, they need to cover the cost for you to live. That's why this is a hobby, I don't even want to take a commission from friends and family because they'll have to put a price on how much they value my time.
I love the process you have! I know you get a ton of suggestions about what you should have done so I imagine you have callouses for that and I'll add mine. I probably won't be the first to suggest this either but here goes! After all the sanding and just before the coating to trap air bubbles inside the wood you could have torched the entire surface and brushed away the scorched, softer grain in the wood. That would leave a more complex and organic raised grain, driftwood effect. Then you still have to deal with the optics of resin making all that texture invisible so a tint in the resin settling in the low areas makes sense to me. Probably a color that looks like the darkest areas of the wood itself would be the most natural looking and very little of it so it's only visible where the resin is at its thickest points. Probably trying that several times with small practice pieces to explore your preferences. I'm just guessing though. All the best to you ❤
The interesting thing with labor pricing in terms of any craft is that the difference between a beginner and an expert tends to be less time spent - more efficient workflow, fewer mistakes/less time on wrong paths, less wasted material, etc. I'd expect a beginner and expert to price a piece of output the same, but the beginner spends far more time on it and have higher material costs due to waste/errors leading to potentially much lower wages broken down on an hourly basis.
That's why most mechanics price their work with a flat-rate manual. As a beginner a flat rate of 1 hour usually takes closer to 2 hours, but as a master, you can do the hour labor in 3d minutes.
There is no way I would or could afford to pay 5k for a table of that size. At most, that's a $1500 table in my opinion. Unless I'm missing something and that's 1000 dollars worth of wood. An experienced carpenter would have that cut, jointed, glued, and sanded in less than 3 hours. Epoxy pricing would depend on how thick it is so that's a question mark on time and price for me. Legs are a different story depending on if it is a simple design or turned. Then again, I haven't done much in the way of woodworking since before covid and the prices may be higher than I'm estimating. $80 per hour seems high to me unless you're really fast. That's why I prefer a flat rate whether I'm getting paid or I'm paying to have work done. Just my opinion and I'm sure there are plenty of others that agree with your pricing.
@@DaveM2 I agree with you, most of all with the 'beginner' vs. 'pro' rates. I rate myself as a good woodworker - I can do mortise/tenons, reliably render flat panels, know hand tools, etc., but I'm not Norm Abram. Based on a lot of other pricing content I've watched, wouldn't charge more than about $45/hr. I make $65ish an hour in my day job, where I'm a verified expert for reference. I do think his 20% margin charge is pretty good - gotta cover the intangibles like electricity, glue, and other stuff.
Just be aware that with high-tannin woods like oak, the IPA will extract tannins and turn them into coffee-like stains if you aren’t sanding that area again.
A point to avoid it floating up: start with a very small amount of epoxy around the sides and such and let that cure. That should help keep the table sticking to the bottom of the form. Also includes a thin coat of epoxy on the top of the table to begin with as well.
Dude that was a great video! It would be cool to introduce a little color on the carve out to bring some contrast to the peaks and valleys after the epoxy is poured. Still looks like a one up piece! Well done!
Great video, thanks for showing your mishaps and attempts to fix them, it makes genuine. In so far as being able to distinguish the carving/reliefs on the table, might I suggest brushing some lightly colored epoxy on the (South side) of each valley, like when they spray colored water on the half-pipes in the snowboarding events. If you looked at a valley from above, one side is usually shaded (darker) which makes the 3D come to life. Thanks again
I could take issue with several things in this, notably your pricing model, but I don't want to be a troll. Instead, I'll tell you that for what appears to be a .75-car garage, you've done an impressive job of maximizing your shop. It's counterintuitive a bit, but hand tools really fit well in small spaces, and don't generate dust. You've got the Bridge City plane, which is really nice. I think my personal preference would have been an old Stanley, or new Lie Nielsen - they're going to be heavier and more straighforward to adjust... for the money.
There are so many things I like about your videos, but one of the subtle things you do (that is mostly unsung) is pitch your sponsor while we still get to watch your process. I fully understand that sponsors are needed, and it is great that you do the advertising without breaking away from the action. It is a small detail, but I really appreciate it.
I do like your videos and you will probably be the first I would sponsor since you have a small workspace (like most of us) and have limited tools (like most of us). I would recommend discussing more about your work arounds (planning the boards was great in this video), your small space with the workbench with the table saw, etc. I subscribe to you because of the small space, limited tools, etc. and I like you don't spend a great deal of time doing reviews but instead mention what works well and what is doesn't (just as important).
Agreed about handtools. There are many other channels that focus on them, no need for you to bother. I'm age 69, started learning using handtools 55 years ago, made many items of furniture for my parents and the digs I used to stay in. Now, almost entirely based on power tools: they don't need a heavy workbench which I don't have and can't afford the space or to buy materials to make one
Another excellent, honest vid. To me, the sign of mastery is learning how to work past inevitable mistakes. Perhaps the 3d time will be the magic. Until then, your 2nd try looks great. I’m confident that someone will see & appreciate its value enough to pay you what it’s worth.
There are dust hoods for angle grinders: for both flat and vertical uses. But the purpose built option for carving is best. Just about my favourite tool is my relatively new Bosch variable speed grinder. Wish I'd got one decades ago (if they were available then)
Much nicer than the first table. I’m assuming that you thought of using the same flattening jig to flatten down the peaks of your carving. Not sure if it would be any better though.
Awesome work. Failing is just an opportunity to learn. I dont think either table was failing cuz I know in my wood working (Turning) I would not have been about to make them. Keep up the amazing work. 👽
At least the epoxy came out looking awesome! I think it looks great just the way it is. Oh btw I've got some experience with epoxy myself and have had a lot of issues when working with it, so I know what a nightmare it can be. Thanks for sharing.
Still think it came out looking great! Just you ended up putting more time into it than you probably needed to. Oh and it’s been a while so GO BIG BLUE!
How many adds can u cram in one video ? off the cut podcast total boat epoxy and thixo arbotech carving wheel and grinder skillshare video editing lesson bits and bits Spiral router bits one per 6 min of video is kinda a lot. thank you for the video.
People seems to like this guy and he does seem nice, however, is it just me, or are there lots of TH-camrs making expensive tables, talking about how expensive they are, how they may or may not have messed the table up and using a lot of epoxy along the way?
"I have not failed. I just found 10,000 ways not to build a light bulb." Thomas Edison. Hopefully it won't take 10k times (with the vast knowledge provided by you tube/internet) lol. Good luck and God bless. Great build though.
Oh, another engineer woodworker. Mechanical? You do enough slab like glueups... A set of 4 way clamps might be a good investment. They're not that pricy. If you want a different way to epoxy, for snaller projects I've used acetate sheet, like the outside of store bought cakes. Double sided tape and a bit of hot glue or caulk and you're set.
I'm not saying you're wrong to charge $80 an hour. Fact is, contract-based labor will always charge more, as hours aren't guaranteed. But I think you were, perhaps accidentally, disingenuous about how you got there. There is a reason that when people talk about "average pay," they use the median, and not the mean. The mean is offset heavily by the people at the top making in excess of seven figures. More than half of all full-time workers are making less than the mean of ~63k you quoted, so you were already well out of the unskilled price range. If you wanted to compare to unskilled, you should use the median, which is closer to ~40k. But, yours is a contract-based work. You are not guaranteed 40 hours per week, nor are you guaranteed work every week. So, if you looked at 63K, and divided that out by your actual annual work hours, you are probably in excess of $80/hour.
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Just an idea for the carving to pop out: pour colored epoxy in the grooves and cover with clear epoxy to level. Other than that still looks amazing.
Hi Eric, can you please put the link to the track saw rail clamps? I have never seen that kind of clamp. Thanks
One of my favorite videos so far, just love the effort you put into it and the fact that you still made the video after the end result ❤
Are the plugs in your bench dog holes custom?
Another option is that you can get pretty cheap "interface pads" for almost any orbital sander. That seems like it would be a great sort of "in-between" option for a lot of us without going all out for a festool.
Could try burning the wood before carving, creating visual contrast between the two depths that would hopefully show up post epoxy pour.
I love you told a story while showing us something new. You are on to something here!
For me, you do what makes you happy, your videos are always fun. Glad you posted this, was thinking I had missed one somewhere and was going to go searching, and lo and behold 20 minutes later (literally!) you posted new content. Look forward to the next attempt at this piece, but I would say this piece still looks pretty good!
Next time you attempt a carved top table, how about coloring the carving (epoxy mixed with a stain, gold flecks, pearl, etc). Also, you may find that after you flatten the bottom, you'll get better results by finishing the bottom with epoxy instead of an oil product because then the absorption of humidity on both the top and bottom will be equal and should reduce the possibility for warping. Another idea for a carved table top would be to test out different burning techniques along with carving / sanding (Post burn). There are a few TH-cam videos where burning and red plus gold stains were used that look amazing.
That’s an amazing video! Even though it’s not the outcome we wished for, it still showed the amount of effort behind a custom project. Good job!
Most people can understand that it takes time to turn lumber into furniture, but very few people can make the connection that for the duration it takes for you to make their project, at the very minimum, they need to cover the cost for you to live. That's why this is a hobby, I don't even want to take a commission from friends and family because they'll have to put a price on how much they value my time.
I love the process you have! I know you get a ton of suggestions about what you should have done so I imagine you have callouses for that and I'll add mine. I probably won't be the first to suggest this either but here goes! After all the sanding and just before the coating to trap air bubbles inside the wood you could have torched the entire surface and brushed away the scorched, softer grain in the wood. That would leave a more complex and organic raised grain, driftwood effect. Then you still have to deal with the optics of resin making all that texture invisible so a tint in the resin settling in the low areas makes sense to me. Probably a color that looks like the darkest areas of the wood itself would be the most natural looking and very little of it so it's only visible where the resin is at its thickest points. Probably trying that several times with small practice pieces to explore your preferences. I'm just guessing though. All the best to you ❤
The interesting thing with labor pricing in terms of any craft is that the difference between a beginner and an expert tends to be less time spent - more efficient workflow, fewer mistakes/less time on wrong paths, less wasted material, etc. I'd expect a beginner and expert to price a piece of output the same, but the beginner spends far more time on it and have higher material costs due to waste/errors leading to potentially much lower wages broken down on an hourly basis.
That's why most mechanics price their work with a flat-rate manual. As a beginner a flat rate of 1 hour usually takes closer to 2 hours, but as a master, you can do the hour labor in 3d minutes.
There is no way I would or could afford to pay 5k for a table of that size.
At most, that's a $1500 table in my opinion. Unless I'm missing something and that's 1000 dollars worth of wood.
An experienced carpenter would have that cut, jointed, glued, and sanded in less than 3 hours.
Epoxy pricing would depend on how thick it is so that's a question mark on time and price for me.
Legs are a different story depending on if it is a simple design or turned.
Then again, I haven't done much in the way of woodworking since before covid and the prices may be higher than I'm estimating. $80 per hour seems high to me unless you're really fast. That's why I prefer a flat rate whether I'm getting paid or I'm paying to have work done.
Just my opinion and I'm sure there are plenty of others that agree with your pricing.
@@DaveM2 I agree with you, most of all with the 'beginner' vs. 'pro' rates. I rate myself as a good woodworker - I can do mortise/tenons, reliably render flat panels, know hand tools, etc., but I'm not Norm Abram. Based on a lot of other pricing content I've watched, wouldn't charge more than about $45/hr. I make $65ish an hour in my day job, where I'm a verified expert for reference. I do think his 20% margin charge is pretty good - gotta cover the intangibles like electricity, glue, and other stuff.
Friendly trick - use isopropyl alcohol for the hot glue and just safely peel it off in few seconds. Thanks for the video!
Just be aware that with high-tannin woods like oak, the IPA will extract tannins and turn them into coffee-like stains if you aren’t sanding that area again.
What brand are the plugs you use in your mft, preventing the debris from going through the holes?
Some variable staining would help with the carving - "paint" in the shadows and maybe do some gradation up the sides?
A point to avoid it floating up: start with a very small amount of epoxy around the sides and such and let that cure. That should help keep the table sticking to the bottom of the form. Also includes a thin coat of epoxy on the top of the table to begin with as well.
Dude that was a great video! It would be cool to introduce a little color on the carve out to bring some contrast to the peaks and valleys after the epoxy is poured. Still looks like a one up piece! Well done!
Great video, thanks for showing your mishaps and attempts to fix them, it makes genuine. In so far as being able to distinguish the carving/reliefs on the table, might I suggest brushing some lightly colored epoxy on the (South side) of each valley, like when they spray colored water on the half-pipes in the snowboarding events. If you looked at a valley from above, one side is usually shaded (darker) which makes the 3D come to life.
Thanks again
I could take issue with several things in this, notably your pricing model, but I don't want to be a troll. Instead, I'll tell you that for what appears to be a .75-car garage, you've done an impressive job of maximizing your shop. It's counterintuitive a bit, but hand tools really fit well in small spaces, and don't generate dust. You've got the Bridge City plane, which is really nice. I think my personal preference would have been an old Stanley, or new Lie Nielsen - they're going to be heavier and more straighforward to adjust... for the money.
wouldn’t the different finished on the top and bottom cause issues? Epoxy breathes 0% while I image the hard wax still breaths, causing warping?
Mount some color changing led strip lights on the edge to illuminate the grooves.
There are so many things I like about your videos, but one of the subtle things you do (that is mostly unsung) is pitch your sponsor while we still get to watch your process. I fully understand that sponsors are needed, and it is great that you do the advertising without breaking away from the action. It is a small detail, but I really appreciate it.
I don't think was a complete failure. It's not exactly what you were after, but it's still a good-looking table.
I deleted half my thumb with one of these. I'm an experienced carver but all it takes is on quick kickback
I do like your videos and you will probably be the first I would sponsor since you have a small workspace (like most of us) and have limited tools (like most of us). I would recommend discussing more about your work arounds (planning the boards was great in this video), your small space with the workbench with the table saw, etc. I subscribe to you because of the small space, limited tools, etc. and I like you don't spend a great deal of time doing reviews but instead mention what works well and what is doesn't (just as important).
Agreed about handtools. There are many other channels that focus on them, no need for you to bother. I'm age 69, started learning using handtools 55 years ago, made many items of furniture for my parents and the digs I used to stay in. Now, almost entirely based on power tools: they don't need a heavy workbench which I don't have and can't afford the space or to buy materials to make one
You missed a golden opportunity to call her your ex-girlfriend 😂. Great video, great podcast!
Another excellent, honest vid. To me, the sign of mastery is learning how to work past inevitable mistakes. Perhaps the 3d time will be the magic. Until then, your 2nd try looks great. I’m confident that someone will see & appreciate its value enough to pay you what it’s worth.
The carving pattern on the first table looked cool.
There are dust hoods for angle grinders: for both flat and vertical uses. But the purpose built option for carving is best. Just about my favourite tool is my relatively new Bosch variable speed grinder. Wish I'd got one decades ago (if they were available then)
Well now i know how you can afford festool 😂 that engineer cash behitting different huh 🤑
I have a mighty need for that ratcheting clamp you have on the bottom of your tracksaw track where did you get that????
Much nicer than the first table. I’m assuming that you thought of using the same flattening jig to flatten down the peaks of your carving. Not sure if it would be any better though.
Awesome work. Failing is just an opportunity to learn. I dont think either table was failing cuz I know in my wood working (Turning) I would not have been about to make them. Keep up the amazing work. 👽
At least the epoxy came out looking awesome! I think it looks great just the way it is. Oh btw I've got some experience with epoxy myself and have had a lot of issues when working with it, so I know what a nightmare it can be. Thanks for sharing.
How do you like the Woodpeckers Rip Flip?
That bridge city plane is almost $1000
If you could put lighting into the table somehow, the way the curves cast shadows may look really good and show the carving. Maybe...
US average salary is skewed thanks to all the CEO etc, like most countries. Should be using medium salary.
*median salary
But yeah, absolutely the better metric!
Ty, but your list was blocked by stupid youtube in that they put a video suggestion in front of it, so unfortunately, I'm not able to see it
15:25 Just get a planer.
Still think it came out looking great! Just you ended up putting more time into it than you probably needed to. Oh and it’s been a while so GO BIG BLUE!
Came here to see what ad got Eric to post a video. Stayed to see the final product
Why are we still seeing the old shop
How many adds can u cram in one video ?
off the cut podcast
total boat epoxy and thixo
arbotech carving wheel and grinder
skillshare video editing lesson
bits and bits Spiral router bits
one per 6 min of video is kinda a lot. thank you for the video.
Is this an old video? Last one I watched he was tearing out his garage to move to a new place.
People seems to like this guy and he does seem nice, however, is it just me, or are there lots of TH-camrs making expensive tables, talking about how expensive they are, how they may or may not have messed the table up and using a lot of epoxy along the way?
"I have not failed. I just found 10,000 ways not to build a light bulb." Thomas Edison. Hopefully it won't take 10k times (with the vast knowledge provided by you tube/internet) lol. Good luck and God bless. Great build though.
Praying for the move
Oh, another engineer woodworker. Mechanical?
You do enough slab like glueups... A set of 4 way clamps might be a good investment. They're not that pricy.
If you want a different way to epoxy, for snaller projects I've used acetate sheet, like the outside of store bought cakes. Double sided tape and a bit of hot glue or caulk and you're set.
You listen to your own podcasts?
I'm not saying you're wrong to charge $80 an hour. Fact is, contract-based labor will always charge more, as hours aren't guaranteed. But I think you were, perhaps accidentally, disingenuous about how you got there. There is a reason that when people talk about "average pay," they use the median, and not the mean. The mean is offset heavily by the people at the top making in excess of seven figures. More than half of all full-time workers are making less than the mean of ~63k you quoted, so you were already well out of the unskilled price range. If you wanted to compare to unskilled, you should use the median, which is closer to ~40k.
But, yours is a contract-based work. You are not guaranteed 40 hours per week, nor are you guaranteed work every week. So, if you looked at 63K, and divided that out by your actual annual work hours, you are probably in excess of $80/hour.
Third time lucky? Still great content.