Archives

Clamp Leash My spring clamps always seem to be out of reach or scattered around the shop. To solve my problem, I suspended my dog’s old leash over my workbench. Now my spring clamps are always [...]

Q & A: Fix a Misaligned Blade-Guide Post   Q: Every time I change the height of the blade-guide post on my bandsaw, I have to readjust the thrust bearings and the guide blocks. Is there [...]

Sanding through a veneer happens to everyone sooner or later. Here’s an old cabinetmaker’s trick that will salvage what looks to be a hopeless situation.

Q & A: Avoiding Swirl Marks   Q: I just stained a tabletop and found it covered with tiny swirl marks from my random-orbital sander.What did I do wrong? A: Swirl marks are inevitable. [...]

Tablesaw Tool Drawer It seems like I’m always misplacing my push sticks, blade wrench, featherboards and other small tablesaw accessories.To solve my problem I added a shallow drawer under [...]

Q & A: Safely Rough-Cut Twisted Lumber   Q: I buy my lumber rough, and sometimes I get a very twisted or crooked board. What’s a safe way to crosscut and put a straight edge on these [...]

Spray Booth for Waterborne Finishes   Fifty bucks and a few hours is all it takes to put together this finishing booth. It keeps overspray off my tools and dust off my projects. Since I use [...]

Pipe Clamp Protectors Iron pipe clamps can mar a finished surface and leave nasty black stains if they touch a wet glue line. My solution is to raise the pipe above the surface with [...]

Q & A: Taking Dimensions From Photos   Q: Sometimes a catalog has a piece of furniture that I’d love to build myself. How can I get the dimensions for a piece of furniture off a [...]

Q & A: Soaking Stones   Q: I just bought a 6,000-grit Japanese waterstone mounted on a wooden base. Can I soak it like my other stones? Also, what’s the purpose of a Nagura stone? [...]

Accurate Bevels The standard angle scale on my bandsaw is too small to read accurately. I made a large, new scale on the back side of my bandsaw and attached a pointer stick to the back edge of [...]

Grind a new 25-degree bevel. Grind all the way up to the leading end. Make sure the end is square within a few degrees. To prevent overheating, frequently dip the chisel in water as you approach [...]