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MDF has a few downsides. It is the heaviest of the sheet materials. It also doesn't take screws very well. If you were using a lid stay for instance you would need to glue in dowels first to take the screws. The front edges need finishing. Another way to mount the cabinet is to use keyhole metal...

French cleats can be wood or metal. If you want a back for the cabinets then they need to be mounted behind the back but inserted into the cabinet. The wooden cleats are a bit bulky but can be screwed to the top using pocket hole screws . Of course this will create a gap at the back as the back...

Break it into boxes. The dimensions are purely aesthetic and up to you. With MDF anything over 600 mm in length will tend to sag on the bottom shelf under load so some support would be needed. I would think biscuits would be plenty strong. I prefer ply biscuits over compressed beech for that...

I have a Makita twin 18v brush cutter. Comes with plastic blades, a metal blade and the nylon reel. I bought it as a body only as I already have a collection of Makita batteries. It does a great job with plenty of power from the 36v . It has a brushless motor as well which keeps things nice and...

I get a perfect ' invisible line ' joint straight off the table saw. ( a DeWalt 746 ) I set the blade to exactly 90 degrees to the table with a digital inclinometer . Not all saws are created equal but with a bit of fettling it can be done.

It's to set up the fence initially using a steel rule. After the infeed fence is set the trick is to advance a piece of wood by a few cms and plane the edge. Use your shims like a feeler gauge to set up the outfeed fence. Inevitably you won't have a shim that gives a snug fit in the gap - I...

I wonder if the cutter is fractionally proud of the outfeed fence. You would reach a pivot point about half way through the cut as the cut now rides on the outfeed fence creating a miniscule gap at the infeed end. The rollers will force the piece on to the infeed side machining a tad too much...

Iroko is relatively cheap and suitable for a prototype. Templates will certainly allow you to repeat the design and refine it if necessary. I think most Adirondack chairs have wider armrests to hold your drinks safely. That rail to back joint should be a M/T joint - dowels will not be strong...

The fence must be adjustable ? Use a large square like a roofing square to set it at right at angles to the blade. Most saw fences are token miter fences so it's worth adding a straight batten to the fence before squaring up.

I'm guessing you don't have a table saw with a nice sliding fence which is how most people would do it. You need to get two sides at right angles to start. You could plane one side back to a line and then finish the other sides with a saw. Or you could find a square piece of MDF and use it as a...

Shame. The thicker outer layer in good Birch Ply is one of it's most desirable features. I give it a pre finishing sanding starting at 150 grit and denibbing sanding with 240 grit. A light touch is essential.

Power riveters win hands down. I have the Energitech model and it's brilliant to use. Just hold the piece with your left hand and use the tool in your right . It's like the difference between a hand crank and cordless drill. :giggle:

Sadolins is oil based. It might be worth trying a blowtorch on a small area. ?

Have a look at the' Superjig ' by Ola c , a Swedish maker posted here last February. Admittedly designed for a table saw he manages to get superb results.

Hogging out finger joints calls for a lot of power. A trimming router like the Ryobi will struggle a bit and you don't really want to have to make multiple passes. I use the Incra finger joint jig and find it excellent. You can adjust the tightness of the fit to avoid hairline gaps. I'd imagine...

Spiral bits are solid carbide and cannot be wider than the shank size. I'm afraid if you want 10 mm it will have to be a 1/2" shank. However 8 mm spiral bits are available if your router takes them. They are stiffer than 1/4" and feel more solid in use.

The problem is the plywood. It will always break out unless supported by a sacrificial piece. Poor quality ply will often disintegrate and even Baltic ply is tricky to machine. Otherwise , as in the above posts , a spiral bit is pretty much essential.

Get a few '3M paint and varnish stripper wheels '. They do a great job in an electric drill but raise a sandstorm of dust. They are an American product and tricky to find unfortunately.

Yes, I tried various combinations of nozzle and viscosity levels but could not get a reliable finish. Generally manufacturers do not recommend diluting their products over 10% by volume and it's all too easy to thin the paint until it drips and runs. The concept of spraying HVLP in a dusty...

I had an 8 " Elu P/T once. It was fine until the plastic gear wheels gave up. I would suggest a second hand Scheppach HMS 260 which is 10 " but not too hard to transport once the base and front table are separated.