Make a Honing Guide Angle Setting Jig
If you like to rely on a honing guide during sharpening, you will benefit from using an angle setting (or indexing) jig. An indexing jig will allow you to accurately set the right amount of blade [...]
Turned Table Lamp
Whether shaped as a vase, a column or even an egg, there’s plenty of room for expression in a turned lamp. The flowing contours of the lamp shown here do more than make it an attractive [...]
Dovetail Marking Fan
Equally-Spaced Dovetails Every Time When laying out dovetails, I always start by marking the centers of the pins so the distance between them is approximately the same. I came up with this trick [...]
Shop-made Bandsaw Fence
Unsatisfactory bandsaw fence? This simple shop-made fence and track system could be the answer. The tracks are formed by gluing up three pieces of hardwood. A slotted fence provides adjustment [...]
Glue-Up Mess Catcher
Squeeze-out happens! You can’t stop it, so you just have to try to contain it. One day while shopping the local home center, I found a product called DRIcore Subfloor. It’s used as a [...]
Comfy Handle
The handles on hand-wheels are uncomfortable. The one on my lathe, for example, was difficult to turn when drilling into hard wood with a Forstner bit. Using a chunk of scrap, I turned a 2 [...]
Simple Set-up for a Fussy Joint
Tool: Lock Miter Master Manufacturer: Infinity Tools Price: $29.90 The lock miter is a strong, beautifully simple joint. Using just one router bit, both halves of the joint are cut using the same [...]
Bandsaw Extension Table
Bandsawing long boards without a helper is tricky business. I don’t like roller stands. Most aren’t tall enough for a bandsaw. Also, if your stock butts into the roller instead of [...]
2-in-1 Scroll Saw
Tool: The Dremel Moto-Saw Manufacturer: Dremel Price: $107 A scroll saw is the go-to tool for making fine, detailed cuts. But a scroll saw, for many shops, doesn’t even break into the top [...]
Contact Cement Cover
Applying contact cement with a roller is my preferred method, as opposed to spraying it on. There’s not as much clean-up, and I don’t have to deal with overspray. There are drawbacks [...]
Woodworking Every Day
I’m a sucker for new year’s resolutions. As a pragmatic optimist, I really like the idea of a fresh start, a time to make your life better, for no other reason than a pope in the 16th Century [...]
Awl vs. Nail Set
Using an awl to precisely locate a hole for drilling can be problematic. Sometimes the awl will drift, going slightly off mark as it’s deflected by the wood’s growth rings. I found [...]
