Archives

Snap-On Soft Jaws I’ve been using an old metal-working vise in my shop for years. Occasionally I really do need a metal-working vise, but most often I use it to hold drawer sides up high [...]

Small Parts Organizer I’ve designed a small-parts chest that’s as useful as it is simple to make. I’ve found those disposable, plastic containers for leftovers are ideal for small parts, such as [...]

Q & A: Sawing Aluminum Q: Can I cut aluminum with my chop saw? A: Yes.Most carbide blades work fine for occasionally cutting aluminum, but we recommend using a special, non-ferrous [...]

Q & A: Warped Wood Woes Q: I ordered a milled piece of ebony through the mail last winter. It looked great upon arrival, but after a few days it was so warped and twisted that I [...]

Pull Saw Miter Box Short lengths of molding can be awkward—and sometimes dangerous—to cut with power tools. I’d rather cut them by hand, using a Japanese pull saw and a shop-made miter box. Make [...]

Q & A: How Much Light? Q: My husband wants to turn our basement into a TV room so I have to move my shop to the garage. I want to fix it up right and one of the big…

Q & A: Perfectly Flush? Q: I recently bought a plate joiner in hopes that it would help me get perfect alignment when edge-to-edge gluing. I’m still getting some unevenness at the [...]

Q & A: Slot Cutter vs. Plate Joiner Q: I saw an ad for a slot-cutting router bit. I have a router and buying the bit instead of a plate joiner would save me a lot of money. Is there …

Q & A: Why did my dovetail bit break?   Q: I’ve snapped off the tips of my dovetail router bit twice now while cutting sliding dovetails in hard maple. I don’t want to get [...]

Q & A: How do you cut curves in glass? Q: My up-and-coming star pitcher accidentally hurled her baseball through a glass pane in our family room hutch. Usually, I’d just get out my glass [...]

Q & A: Are Broken Screws Removable? Q: Argh! I broke off a brass screw while installing a small hinge. Can I get it out?   A: Join the club! Every woodworker has faced this problem.The [...]

Q & A: Help! My Router Makes Sparks! Q: When I run my router I see lots of small, blue sparks inside. Recently the sparks have grown larger. Is this OK?   A: Nope. Small sparks are [...]