Foam Finishing Stand-Offs

To make a quick and easy drying rack, or to raise a project off your bench while applying a finish, use blocks of rigid foam insulation and drywall screws. For stability, the screws should be no [...]

Magnetic Helping Hands

The thought of emptying my dust collector’s plastic bag used to make me cringe. Many times I’d go through my entire repertoire of colorful language two or three times, and that darn bag still [...]

Mobile Tool Wall

To Get the most from my limited shop space, I built a two-sided “mobile tool wall” to park in front of my overhead garage door. The wall is just basic carpentry construction, with a 3/4″ [...]

Plywood Caddy

Carrying plywood by yourself is a pain. This caddy allows you to roll it around instead. Just clamp this caddy to the board’s edge, tip the sheet down onto the wheels and off you go.

Dust Duet

Tool: The Dust Deputy – Designed for Festool [Buy Now]  & Festool 574930 CT [Buy Now] MSRP: $299.95 (Dust Deputy) $740 (Festool CT 26) Pair an Oneida mini-cyclone with a Festool vac and [...]

Hardware Storage Cabinet

Plastic bins are excellent for storing hardware and other small items. After purchasing all the types and sizes of bins I needed, including some complete cabinets, I made this shelf unit to [...]

Picture Frame Clamp

Tool: Miter-Tight Picture Fram Clamp [Buy Now]  Manufacturer: Rockler MSRP: $99.99 If you’d like to make picture frames—particularly with pre-made moldings—be warned: Aligning those miters can [...]

Vacuum Upgrade

I often use my shop vacuum for dust collection on hand-held power tools. Two things annoy me about most vacs, though. First, they’re really noisy. Second, when the vac gets full—and that can [...]

Truck-Building Tool Box

Back in the early 1920’s, my grandfather, John Rudzki, built wooden truck bodies in Pittsburgh, PA. Customers would order the chassis for a refrigerated truck, a moving van or some other kind of [...]

Keyless-Chuck Grip

I bought a keyless chuck for convenience, but I found it hard to tighten and loosen by hand. The knurling on the chuck wasn’t very deep, so my hand just slipped. I often resorted to using a pair [...]

Ginormous Shop Cabinet

26 drawers for tools and supplies. My beat-up garage-sale seven-drawer metal tool cabinet was an eyesore. I wanted something bigger and better, but mostly I wanted something that looked like it [...]

Two-Handed Sander

Tool: 5″ Random Orbit Sander BO5041k [Buy Now]  Manufacturer: Makita MSRP: $89.00 Ever wish you had an extra handle on your sander? Not for extra pressure—that would create unwanted swirl [...]

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