Powered Up Blog Posts

I just finished a highly customized version of the “Benchtop” Router Table from Steve Ramsey’s “Powered Up” online course. I put “benchtop” in quotes, because it ended up being a floor-standing router table.

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I made MAJOR progress over the last few days, even if I did have to build the drawer 3 times before I was satisfied with it.

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I finally managed to get back to working on the router table. Today I added the melamine top.

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My video review of Steve Ramsey’s “Powered Up” online course is live.

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Steve Ramsey announced on Instagram a couple of days ago that he’s opening up his “Powered Up” online course for enrollment again. And of course I don’t have the review video ready. It would have been nice if Steve had given me a heads up. 😛 (Just kidding - Steve has no idea who I am, I’m sure.)

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I’ve been kind of busy the last couple of days with other things, so I haven’t gotten a lot done. On the other hand, it feels like I got a lot done, for some reason.

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Starting up where I left off yesterday, I decided to glue on some pieces of pine to help keep the door from cracking again:

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It’s been exactly one month since my last post on Steve Ramsey’s “Powered Up” online course, and today I started back to work on my desktop router table.

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Every once in a while I get a comment on my YouTube channel asking how I made the cabinets in my garage.

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I’m working on another video, so I haven’t done a lot of work on the router table, but I actually have done something.

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The faux doors are done, glued up, and mostly sanded. I’m waiting on a new forstner bit that arrives tomorrow, before I add the magnets.

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I got the tongue & groove video out yesterday, and I got a little more done today. But my posts will be kind of sporadic for a little while, because I managed to slice a finger yesterday, and a thumb today, on the same f’ing chisel blade. That makes it a little difficult to type, and I’m actually a little discouraged for having done 3 dangerously stupid things in the span of a week. So I’m in no hurry to get anything else done for a while.

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I’m working on a new video, so I don’t have any blog posts planned until Monday. Yes, this is a blog post telling you there’s no blog post. Think about that for a while.

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I spent yesterday playing around with the Freud Tongue & Groove Router Bit set, making sure I understood how it worked. Today I used it for real, and I have to say, the results were pretty darn good for the first time.

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As I said in yesterday’s post, I had a bad day trying to cut tongue and groove joints on my table saw. Here’s a few of the details.

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Still having issues cutting consistent tongue and groove joints. The problem is mostly equipment related, with a spattering of periodic stupidity. I’m not in the mood to talk about the equipment issues right now, and I’m sure you’re tired of reading about my stupidity.

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“The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry” is one of the truest sayings, especially when the man is me, and the subject is woodworking. By the way, I’m fighting a cold so my posts are a little more sporadic. I’m seeing the doctor today. Anyway…

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Sorry I didn’t post yesterday. I was fighting a migraine. It’s 4:40 AM, and this is what I got done yesterday.

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Yesterday I installed the router lift in the table. I’ve spent today deciding how to build the doors, which actually won’t be doors, but a “facade”. Here’s a quick explanation.

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I installed the router lift in the table today. It was a great day. No mistakes. Honest!

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Remember in yesterday’s post, how I said I was so close to having a mistake-free day? Turns out, not so close after all.

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As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, the cabinet for the benchtop router table for Steve Ramsey’s “Powered Up” online course was bowed out on both the top and the bottom, and I wasn’t sure what to do. I was “stuck”.

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I finally got my video out, so back to working on Steve Ramsey’s “Powered Up” online course. Except I have some issues, and I’m not sure how to progress.

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I’m trying to finish up a video, and then have a semi-relaxing weekend, so I’m not planning any Powered Up blog posts until Monday. If something comes along I want to share, I’ll post it and post on Instagram also, but like I said, nothing planned.

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Time to cut the rabbets, and glue up the carcase. I actually did this yesterday, but I decided to post my Power Up review yesterday, and leave the Router Table work for today’s blog.

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From the very beginning, I struggled with whether Steve Ramsey’s “Powered Up” online course is worth the price. See this post and this post for more info. I think I’m ready to answer that question now.

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I’ve always had a love affair with Baltic Birch plywood. Even before I knew what to call it, I’d see a picture of something made from it, with the end grain showing, and I just wanted to touch it. Stroke my hand along its smooth edges. *ahem*

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This post will be a little schizophrenic today, with several disparate topics. And if I’m using “schizophrenic” and “disparate” in the first sentence, you know we’re in for a strange ride.

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This is going to be a much longer post than I normally write (although it’s really only a 4 or 5 minute read for most people). But I encourage you to read it all the way through, if you’re at all interested in what I go through every time I make a video. Read it to the end, because you won’t get the full impact until then.

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If you’ve been following me on Instagram, or you’ve been reading some of my posts in Steve’s private Facebook group, then this post may be redundant. But I’ve been spending the day with friends, taking a trip to Rockler, messing with my blog page navigation buttons, and doing other generally boring stuff, so this is all I’ve got for today.

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Pondering why it takes me so long to build projects, and wondering: If time flies, where does it fly to?

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Day 4 of building my router lift. This will be short and sweet.

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Day 3 of building my router lift. But apparently not just the router lift, today.

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I started building the router lift today.

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I’m starting what is actually the third project in Steve Ramsey’s “Powered Up” online course, the Benchtop Router Table. And of course I can’t ever do anything the way the plans say.

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So I’ve decided what I’m going to do next. I’m going to split time between editing the footage from the first Powered Up project, and starting what is actually the third Powered Up project, the Benchtop Router Table.

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I finally hung up my tools. Not like I’m quitting - I actually hung them up… on the pegboard. But you already knew that, in spite of my poor attempt at being clever. 😏

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I spent the day finishing up my new video. It’s uploading right now. I’ll be back to normal blogging tomorrow.

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To make up for yesterday’s long post, this one will be short. Just kidding. Not about this being short, but the reason. The actual reason is I’m trying to get a quick video done. Gotta pay the bills, right? 😛

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NOTE: This post is intentionally long, to give you some feel for how many details there are in some seemingly simple tasks. If you don’t want to wade through everything, just scroll to the bottom to see the results. But you’ll be missing out on all the fun!

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Short post today. Things took longer than I’d hoped, but here we are:

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I finally got the hinges on, at least enough to show whether the doors are the right size or not (they are):

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In yesterday evening’s post I went on a rant. I still think my points were valid. But I think I know why I had some of the issues I had.

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I’m not sure if this is a review of a portion of Steve Ramsey’s “Powered Up” online course, or a rant from someone who’s just frustrated. Also, to be clear, Steve is a better YouTuber than I’ll ever hope to be, but that doesn’t mean I can’t criticize, right? I mean, I’d criticize myself in the exact same way, so why cut Steve some slack?

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So what happened yesterday, and why didn’t I post about it? By the time the day was done, I was worn out and just wanted to go to sleep, and start over fresh, today.

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Yes, this is a post saying there isn’t a post. I’ll explain why in the next post, which will hopefully be tomorrow.

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Got lots of good work done today. It’s starting to look an awful lot like a cabinet!

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It dawned on me yesterday that I may not have completely explained why I’m changing the plans. There’s nothing wrong with the plans for the first project in Steve Ramsey’s “Powered Up” online course, but I’m changing them anyway, to fit my needs. Steve has even said that he encourages it.

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Yes, “stuff” happens, and it happened a lot today.

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Anyone else feel like this is taking me forever? Part of the problem is I have other things that I need to do at the same time. Even so, I still can’t believe this isn’t done yet. Sigh.

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Sorry I haven’t posted in a couple of days. I had a video to get out. And I feel another video coming on…

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I’m starting to question the structural integrity of the changes I’m making to this cabinet. What, you thought I was questioning Steve’s integrity? Perish the thought! I don’t know Steve personally, but he strikes me as incredibly integral as having boatloads of integrity. It’s my choices that are under scrutiny here.

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I’m finally starting to do actual work on Steve Ramsey’s “Powered Up” online course. Here’s some of my thoughts and impressions so far. Both the good and… the could be better.

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Because of the moisture problem I found in my stack of plywood yesterday (actually, it was the day before):

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In case you missed yesterday’s post, I discovered moisture damage to my stock of plywood:

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Yes, with the help of my wife, I actually cut some wood tonight! 4 pieces of plywood. 4 PIECES! Are you impressed yet?

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Yes, I’m still tweaking the SketchUp model for this project. First of all, I’m extremely anal when it comes to stuff like this. For instance, a while ago I made Baltic Birch textures, including the end grain, running both vertically and horizontally. If you want to download them, let me know because I’ve got updated textures I haven’t uploaded to 3D Warehouse.

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Don’t worry, “change of plans” doesn’t mean I’m not going to continue blogging or anything. It literally means I changed the plans. The project plans.

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Yesterday, I talked a lot about whether I thought the “Powered Up” online course was worth the money or not. Last night I realized that I had the wrong price in my head. Long story - short version: Never trust the memory of a 62-year-old. Or at least this 62-year-old.

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