No sanding today

I was going to get back to my sanding today, but it was rainy and overcast, so I figured I'd wait until a sunny afternoon made itself available.

I'm sanding with two new tools: an oscillating tool, and an orbital sander.  I've never used either of these kinds of tools until just recently.  I'm learning a few things, though.  The orbital sander tends to "round" edges due to the sandpaper bending over the edge a little.  Luckily, I know I'm not a carpenter, so I'm allowing myself some imperfections in this project (which is a custom-designed shelf for the bathroom, by the way).  My intent is to make a functional piece of furniture while also trying to do new-to-me woodworking things.  I want to learn.

I'm using the orbital sander with a course grain paper for the rough sanding.  Then I'm switching to the oscillating tool with the fine grain paper for the finer sanding.  It works for me.  *shrug*

One thing I've learned during this project is that making rip cuts with a jigsaw is impossible.  Or, at least, it's impossible for me.  The blade wanders along with the grain and becomes impossible to control.  I ruined some wood learning that.  :( 

The internet says it can be done if a straight-edged piece of wood is clamped atop the work piece as a guide.  I'm skeptical.  I think only a guide channel--something that constrains both sides of the shoe--would work for me and my saw, because no matter how much I tried to muscle it in the right direction, it wandered, and it got so that I was afraid I would permanently deform the blade if I muscled it too much.

There are guides on the internet for building a jigsaw cutting station, and I might just do it.  Then I might be able to make easy rip cuts with it.

Of course, I could also just buy a miter saw.  That's a lot of money, though, and I'd rather not buy any more tools for now.  Maybe I'm just stubborn.  Anyway, I'm making my cuts with the jigsaw.  And, occasionally, the oscillating tool.

One of my goals for this project was to avoid using metal fasteners.  All joining will be done with wooden dowel pegs and glue.  I was tempted to attempt a mortise-and-tenon joint, but after the setbacks I've already endured with this project, I'm thinking I'll hold off on that until the next project.  Besides, I don't have a router, so I'd have to use the Dremel and its router attachment, and that would take forever.

In the meantime, I'm really enjoying my new power tools.  So far, they've performed as advertised.  Hopefully they'll continue to do so.  We really do live in a golden age for power tools.