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Not too many people realize that you can bleach wood although most are aware that you can stain it. It can be frustrating sometimes when you buy a piece of wood for a project and the colors are so naturally uneven that it looks like it has been done on purpose. You can use bleaching techniques on the darker area to lighten it up somewhat so it blends in more with the lighter shade. Another good use for utilizing the properties of bleach is when wood has black spots on it created by water stains and some various other types of stains.

The properties of bleach create a chemical action just as they do when we use a bleach to remove stains or whiten our clothes. When it comes to the bleach?s reaction on the wood, it doesn?t actually remove the stain it just causes a chain reaction to turn them into a colorless component.

Just as with working with any, chemical or solvent one needs to be properly protected. Gloves are a must and even protective clothing is beneficial. Eye protection glasses are also very important. There are specific bleaches designed for wood and these can be caustic and burn your skin. As a safety precaution keep a container of clear water in your area in the event that you do get some on your skin. Should this occur wash it off immediately.

Bleaching is only applicable to bare wood so you need to remove any coloring on the wood.

The First bleach: Is a combination of sodium hydroxide and hydrogen peroxide. They are used as a combination but are sold in separate containers. It?s when they are applied to the wood that the chemical action takes place. This is good for evening out the color variations in the wood.

The Second bleach: Is chlorine bleach and is used to remove the dye stains left in wood .The household chlorine we use for clothes is weaker than the brand used for woodworking but it can be used but will require several applications.

The Third bleach: Oxalic acid is the treatment you want for iron stains and black water rings that are left on the furniture, which the paint stripping did not remove.

Once you have used any bleaching procedure you must stop the chemical reaction. A thorough rinsing with plain water then a second rinsing with a mixture of baking soda and water will do this. If you have used a two-part bleach, you can neutralize it with a mixture of one part vinegar to two parts water.

It is important to fully read and understand the instructions on wood bleaches before working with them.

Remember the wood must be stripped clean of any color first before using the wood bleaches. These bleaches are not your common household bleaches and you can purchase them as a rule from where you buy your paint and finishing supplies.

Its always a good idea to test a small area of the wood before doing a full application to be sure you are not going to get any adverse results from the chemical reactions.

Most of us have cedar chests that have been passed down by our grandfathers/mothers. It is important to restore your cedar furniture if you plan to keep it for a long time.

One of the most significant things that you may have noticed is that familiar cedar odor is gone. You may remember as a child perhaps when you grandmother would open the chest you would get that woody cedar aroma. Just the thought of it brings back memories. Sadly, though you noticed it is no longer the case. Now when you open the chest there is nothing.

Fortunately, you can restore this. Aside from it creating wonderful memories for you, the cedar has a useful side. It is a natural bug repellant. That s why it was such a favored wood for building these chests. This is where precious items were stored and everyone wanted to ensure they would be where pests would not destroy them.

Over the years no matter how preserved the cedar chest was dust gets into the pores of the wood and clogs them. Or it has been a cedar chest that was in continuous use then the pores may have become pinched shut. So what has happened now is the aroma that once emitted through these pores can no longer do so.

The objective is to open the pores to restore the aroma that is waiting to be let loose. There are a couple of ways you can do this. One method is to very lightly sand the surface using a fine 200 grit sandpaper on a sanding block. What this will do is the sandpaper will penetrate the pores and will open up pockets in the wood where the precious cedar oil is contained. Be very careful with the sanding though as you don?t want to end up with scratch marks. This is avoidable if you sand in the same direction as the grain. You will find that it?s not going to take much sanding before you smell the aroma of the cedar once again.

There are times though when the cedar is just too old for the sanding technique to work. Before going to all that work try sanding a discrete area to see what the end result will be like.

Another way of doing it is to rejuvenate the piece. You can do this with extracts like cedar and some cedar sprays.

You may want to try putting some good grade cedar chips in a nylon and tying it tightly. Place this at the bottom of your cedar chest. Although not as good as the actual odor from the chest it will still no doubt stir up so old memories.

For novice woodworkers there are a multitude of things to learn when first getting into the hobby or business whatever the case may be. One of the simpler tasks may seem like reading a ruler. We all had to do it when we went to school right? For some us though that was a while back and we may be a bit rusty when it comes to basic math. It really is not all that difficult and it doesn?t take long to figure out once you get past the panic stage. This is the stage when you go to look for the measurement your pattern calls for and its not specifically marked on the ruler.

Ok so let?s go step by step regarding the markings of the basic ruler: ‘ – is for the feet markings ” – is for the inches

We are going to be dealing with the standard US ruler here. This means that the ruler is going to be divided into inches and feet. In some other Countries, you will be dealing with the metric system. In those cases when your pattern is in US measurements then you have to do conversions. If you are not adept at this there are many conversion charts that you can take advantage of online.

Getting back to the basic ruler it is divided into twelve inches, which equals one foot. Where the confusion can set in is when you are trying to break down the inches. Unfortunately, many patterns don?t call for even numbers such as 5 inches or 7 inches. The pattern may be for 5 ? inches or 7 ? inches.

If you look at the ruler between the longest line starting at number one going over to the next longest line is marked number two. The distance between 1 and 2 is one inch. In between these two numbers, you are going to see several small lines. A quick way to help you remember the markings is to know that the longer the mark the bigger the measurement as you see where the one and two are and so forth? Now if you look in between these two numbers you will see the longest line which is at the half way mark, so this is a half inch. The next longest line after the half inch one is the quarter inch. Then after the quarter inch follows the one eighth inch then the last or the very shortest is the one sixteenth. Some rulers will go beyond this breaking it down even further but that?s not the standard.

Now if you were to count all of the lines between the one and two you will find there are 16 lines. So if you have a pattern that called 8/16 inches then you could simply count over 8 lines. However, another way of saying the same thing is ? inch, which is the same as the 8/16. Now you simply have to look at the half-inch mark rather than doing all that counting.

Those are the basics of using a simple 12-inch ruler.

Any individual that owns any type of tools knows the importance of keeping them maintained and in good working order. Most of the wood working tools for example are not cheap to buy. In addition, they will not do the best job they are designed for if the applicable ones are not kept sharp.

Keeping the woodworking tools sharp does not only make for precision work it reduces the possibility of accidents as well. This means that you are going to have to invest in some tools just to do the job of keeping the others sharpened. The problem is how do you know which ones to buy for what tool. What you are going to need will also be determined as to the type of woodworking you do. Each specialized area has its own tool requirements. For example, if you do woodcarving or construct wood furniture then your needs will be different.

There are some tools that you can hand sharpen but there are others that will require power sharpeners. You will need to learn about each one of your tools then determine what will be needed to sharpen them.

One thing you are going to learn is that power equipment designed for sharpening tools do not necessarily do a better job they are just able to do the same job much faster. For tools that have been neglected the power sharpening tools work great at removing any build up debris on the cutting components. Most often, these cutting edges are gouged and this really is where you will need the power sharpening equipment to do an effective job.

One of the most popular pieces of equipment for sharpening is the grinders. It must be noted that the shop grinders are not for using on woodworking tools in their original state. They need some modifications done to them first. You will need to remove the original wheel that comes on the shop grinder and replace it with one of the wheels that is designed specifically for sharpening wood working tools. The original blade that came on your grinder is designed for sharpening items such as the blades of your lawnmower or for grinding in general.

Another part that also needs to be changed is the tool rest. You will find the tool rest that comes on the grinder difficult to adjust because it?s so small. This makes it most difficult for any type of control of your grinding. Doing your grinding up grades won?t be difficult to do because they are readily available on the market.

Once you have purchased your grinder and completed the necessary changes to it then you will be ready to start getting your woodworking tools back in shape where they can do a great job just like they were designed to do. Often novices to woodworking tools will blame the inferior job they are doing on the quality of the tool not realizing it?s because of a dull blade. Then there are some that will attempt to just change the blade instead of sharpening the one they have.

Over the years, there have been many changes in the types of paints that we use as well as paint strippers. They have certainly become a lot safer when we compare them to the old lead paints that were used.

One of the most important things to remember is always read the instructions on any of the products. Don?t assume because you have used one manufacturers product that they are all the same. Also always use good ventilation as most often the fumes can be very harmful.

As we said, misuse of these products can be very detrimental to ones health. The most common ingredient is Methylene Chloride and is most often found in paint and varnish strippers. It is toxic and may be a carcinogen. It should not be used by people with heart problems because it makes the heart work hard. It forms carbon monoxide in the blood through metabolism. Products containing this ingredient should not be used by people with heart ailments. It comes in various strengths and may be a liquid or a paste.

Acetone, Toluene and Methanol or ATM are usually found in Lacquer thinner. As a combination, they are very aggressive. These types of strippers work well on old paints and finishes. Although they are in a sense safer to use, as they don?t have the health concern that MC has caution is still important. They are a source of air pollution and they are flammable. If the particular brand you are using contains alkali then it will stain some hardwoods.

N-Methyl Pyrrolidone works slower and not as effective on epoxy, polyester or baked coatings. Di-basic esters are the least effective of them all that we have mentioned so far.

NMP/DBE Combo strippers are now becoming popular as the DBE reduces the cost compared to the NMP.

NMP and DBE for finish removal. NMP/DBE combination strippers are generally less toxic although some manufacturers will add solvents such as xylene, which makes them toxic, air polluting, and flammable.

Lye is Sodium Hydroxide works well but is dangerous to work with.

Ammonia Hydroxide is used to fortify and strength the solvents.

There are new products coming out on the market all the time. The best solution is to ask the supplier where you are purchasing your products, which is the best to use for the particular task you are facing. Once he has made his recommendations read the label before buying. Now that you have an understanding of some of the ingredients, you will understand the safety issues that are involved. If there are, ingredients that we have not mentioned here then take the time to list them and review them before purchasing the product. Although these are wonderful products, your health and safety are the major concern. They have been allowed on the open market provided they are labeled with explicit instructions as to their use. It is the responsibility of the purchaser to follow all instructions to ensure your safety. If you are not sure about an ingredient then research it well. There should be ample information on the internet concerning it.

In many ways, it is rewarding to restore an old house or even renovate a newer one. Probably one of the most disliked projects yet most impressive when completed is your cabinets in many cases. Hopefully you can at least take the doors off and work in your workshop on them. This just leaves the base of the cabinets themselves. No doubt, this is going to cause some disruption in the kitchen and the dust from the sanding can be annoying to deal with particularily in this room.

To do the job right its means you have to strip all the old product such as paint and finish off. Then you have to bleach the wood to remove either the stains that were left from the old finish or having something spilt or set on them. Then there is sanding and scraping to tend to. Finally, there is the new stain and them the finish to be done. After all,\ of this you can sit back and admire you long and enduring hard work.

Most jobs of this magnitude don?t usually go all that trouble free. You will run into at least a few minor snags, but the majority of them can be dealt with. It?s important that you know the wood that your cabinets are made from. If it?s an older house don?t be surprised to find out that there are several varieties that were used. In this case, you will never get one light stain to come out the same on all the pieces. You can however go to a deeper stain and get results that are more satisfactory.

You really may want to consider buying new doors and drawers and just keeping the original framework. When you are working with the many chemicals it would take to strip your cupboards most often, it can be too harsh on older wood. Another issue is getting the old finish totally stripped at hard to get at pieces can sometimes be impossible. Then once you even get to the point where the old cupboards are prepared for the new stain and finishes you have to take into account the several coatings you are going to have to apply and the drying time that is going to be involved. The kitchen is one of the most difficult rooms to work in because of the food preparation, grease and steam that is almost always present there.

Before you say no to the idea of buying new doors and drawers at least check out your home improvement store and see what they have to offer. At least this way you are covering all of the possible options and making an informed opinion.

If you have decided to go ahead with the original, you may want to consider at least buying new hardware. In the older cupboards quite often the door handles didn?t have a lot of character and the knobs were likely ceramic that has become cracked and chipped.

You are going to have to make decisions on what type of refinish you are going to do. This is best done after all the preparation work is done so you can see what condition the cabinets are in. This will determine if you are going to have to go with a darker stain.

Many individual woodworkers even seasoned ones don’t really understand the term reaction wood. This is where a piece of wood has a flaw or imperfection in it but one cannot see it easily. Then what happens is when a thin strip is removed from this type of wood it warps or twist. Then it could also pinch the blade and you end up with burns in the wood caused by friction or the blade stalls.

The culprit of this is that the piece of wood you are working with as been cut from a tree that had a lean in it. If it happened to be one of the softwood trees that it came from than the reaction wood will be called compression wood because it comes from the lower side of the lean. You may notice that this type of wood is very dense. Additionally it will be hard and brittle.

With hardwood trees, the compression wood comes from the opposite of the softwood types. In this case, now the reaction wood takes place on the upper side on the lean. It is now called tension wood. You may notice with tension wood that you get a lot of shrinkage in the length and it will have that wooly surface appearance to it.

If at all possible you want to avoid buying the reaction woods. To begin with if it?s the hardwood then the density it going to give you a problem when you go to stain it. The stain will not take evenly. This will be noticeable when you put it with the other parts of your project.

Another problem with reaction wood is its weakness. It won?t accept a heavy load. Then also, when you go to put your nails or screws into it the wood is liable to crack or split easier. If you are using this type of wood for carving or getting it to take any type of shape you are going to find its not very cooperative. It will react adversely to moisture changes as well.

The difficult issue about this whole problem is how to be able to identify what is a piece of reaction wood. For the untrained eye, it?s almost impossible but there are a few common place things that you can look for that may be of some help.

If you take a close look at the piece of wood you are thinking of buying and you notice there is a sweep to it or it seems crooked then don?t buy it. Most likely it is reaction wood. If you are familiar with the type of wood, you are looking at and it seems out of character then use caution. If you find that the piece seems harder than usual or dense, it?s most likely reaction wood.

If you see that, the wood looks fuzzy or there are cracks that are pulling away from the board that?s another sign of the reaction wood.

Hopefully by knowing a little about reaction wood your tools aren?t going to get all the blame that comes with the mishaps of this type of inferior wood.

It is important to keep dust levels low in workshops. This helps in your physical health and to avoid accidents.

You may take a look around your shop and be thinking this isn?t applicable to me it?s not all that bad. If you want some proof that it is or some assurance that its not then you can conduct a test to determine this.

At the end of your workshop day turn off all the lights then shine a flashlight into the air. Everything that you see there you have been breathing in all day. If this isn?t enough to convince you to wear a respirator then you are risking developing some serious health problems. If the test serves no other purpose it will at least tell, you if the air is clean enough for you to put the finish on your project which of course should be dust free.

As if one type of dust wasn?t enough to deal with there are actually three types that you must contend with. If you plane by hand then you are going to compile shavings. These wouldn?t get into your lungs but they will sure clog up your hoses. The bi products of your routers and shapers for example will be wood chips. Here you will want a shop vac to gather these up.

You must design a dust control regime and it really isn?t difficult. The first and most simple method is ventilation. Just keeping a window or door open helps immensely. It would be even more effective if you blew the dust out by fan.

Another valuable piece of equipment is air cleaners. These automatically filter the air then recycle it. There are very effective for small particles. There is a variety of other equipment on the market to help you keep your shop a safe place to work in. There are shop vacuums designed for heavy-duty removal then various types of dust collectors such as single and duel stage collectors. Then there are separators that will segregate the various sizes of debris. Then if you want to get really elaborate, there are whole shop systems.

The whole point is that you want to use whatever method you can to keep the various types of sawdust under control. Aside from your health and safety, it?s most frustrating when your projects work out great then the finish is full of dust particles.

Ideally the best thing to do is incorporate the simple measures that we have talked about here and if they are not doing a good enough job then research some of the more larger aggressive ways that we have supplied as options to you as well. Where ever you buy your tools and equipment from should have various options for you to consider. They are well worth the time and money to invest in.