Home Improvement Today?

I got the flat railing cut and everything ready to drill the holes for the balusters.


I tried using a portable drill press as recommended by the manufacturer of the balusters and I think it might have killed the project? My angled holes are very ovalized and a couple have tear out.



I’m not really sure what to do here. The ones I free handed on the flat obviously turned out just fine.




Maybe wood fill the gap below the balusters that have ovalized holes? Or just start over and have a machine shop drill these at 35°? Newels aren’t cheap.

 

What type drill bit did you use?

 

that sucks , I hate it when shit like that happens

I'm not sure filler will look good or last , you may consider cutting a rectangular dutchman to fill over your ovalled holes , use a grain and colour matching patch then redrill

 

I used a forstner. The problem started on hole 5 and 6. The forstner doesn’t have a long brad point, so it cuts the sides first when you come in at a severe angle. The press was just fine for the first 5-6 holes, and then all hell broke loose and wobbled on hole 6-8 and created the oval. If I redo this (kind of at the point where I want to hire this out) I think using a spade with a long point to center/anchor it into the wood before the side cutters hit it? Spit balling. Either way, gotta get a new post and that’s like a month wait.

 

I could see that with a Forstner.

Why not a jig and a drill press?

 

I don’t have one — garage is covered in gym and woodworking stuff and is max capacity. Shop is under construction, so eventually will have one. I might hire-out the hole drilling when the next set of newels get here. Or maybe I can figure out this portable press on my scraps before they get here. Problem is the thing was great until the guides started warping.

 

Were smoke detectors always radioactive?

 

Before you order a new post use the offcuts from that post to try a dutchman patch at each hole , brad point bit would be the way to go at an angle or for a forstner bit make up a drilling block by drilling through a 2x2 or similar sized block that is 3 or 4" long , then cut your 30" angle on the block and clamp that to your post using it as a guide to start drilling your holes

 

Yeah I think a guide block is the way to go on this. Or a brad point — though I’m having a rough time finding one in 17 mm. I already ordered the posts only because a patch would be pretty obvious. It’s right at eye level. Hickory is super unforgiving as well when you patch it. Even the off cuts of this newel look different than the center. The variation is why we chose this species and now it’s killing me

 

your patch only needs to be as large as your oversize of the hole . I would even go with a holesaw in the drilling block I described earlier , at least you have a pilot bit with it

 

How would I make a patch that small? Seems like I’d need to make a jig. Just like a bow tie inlay but circular? Make a router template jig to cut a plug and then use a brass bushing to offset the jig by the thickness of my cutter?

 

Router inlay set


https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/sho...cessories/router-accessories/41779-inlay-sets

 

Yeah I’ve got a full set of guide bushings and a 1/4” spiral up cut. I’ll see what I can do and report back!

 

Got all the remaining cabinets installled. Retrimmed the smaller window as old trim was notched/hacked out to accomodate the old wall cabinets. Mocked up the island location, hopefull get that secured tomorrow and get the floor started. I'll install the fridge panel after the flooring. I did a quick test fit and width wise it fit's nice. One small scribe for a hump in the wall and it'll align with the wall and the face frame of the fridge cabinet. Got lucky there. Found some 1/2" X 8" clear pine locally, I'll use that for the custom toe kicks. Need 6.5" on the high end. Won't need any of that shoe moulding (hate that stuff) to cover the gap for the flooring. Customer is going to try and match the cabinet finish.

 

Hey yall. Heads up on this deal. You simply cannot buy the 5ah batts any cheaper that this.

My neighbor loaned me his after the recent Norcal storm debacle, and it is an awesome tool and works with my whole 18v 5ah set of mower, blower, and pole saw, plus of course my drill and driver set. I looked at all the current deals, combos, etc at HD and on Amazon and this is by far the best bang for the buck. I almost went tool only, but this gives me a lot more firepower for property work and lets me upgrade the drill/driver combo from 3ah to 5 full time. You simply cannot buy the 5ah batts any cheaper that this. Some look like good deals, but the batts are 4ah, or the saw is 14 inch, not 16. Gotta pay attention.

Makita XCU04PT1 36V (18V X2) LXT® Brushless 16" Chain Saw Kit with 4 Batteries (5.0Ah)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B084ZVL534?ref=ppx_pt2_dt_b_prod_image

After chopping up tons of redwood limbs over several days (about 3 weeks actually), I took to more overgrown stuff on my property lines and interfering with my dangling FIOS cable, critical work need for me and wife. After lots of ladder work, I started climbing into trees with the saw and went to town on 4 problem trees. This thing sips power and is easy to service/clean.

I told my neighbor I'd buy him a new one and keep his (tool only), since I put way more wear and tear on it than he ever has. But thought I'd beef up my power arsenal too with the full kit.

 

I have this exact saw , great tool

 

If anyone is interested in the batteries and charger portion or some part of it, I would be interested in the tool!

 

Yes, older ones especially.

 

The amount of radio active material is tiny. They are not very good for kitchen areas as they are easily triggered by cooking smoke, but for the rest of the house they're fine.