Archives

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 [...]

Mobile Machine Caddy My shop space is so limited—only 12 feet square—that I designed this system to house four machines: belt-disc sander, miter saw station, drill press and planer. Each machine [...]

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 [...]

Turning Halves I often make decorative turnings that I later divide into two halves. Sawing the turnings down the middle is awkward and reduces the diameter by the width of the saw kerf. The [...]

Drawing Intersecting Rounds Joining two pieces of round stock to make a “T,” such as where a chair post joins a rail, requires a tricky intersection. Your layout must be precise so [...]

Bleaching Wood Subtract color to add life. By Michael Dresdner There are four types of bleach that woodworkers commonly use: chlorine, two-part wood bleach, oxalic acid and peroxide. Two-part [...]

Filling Nail Holes   Q: I am making an oak bookcase as a builtin for our living room. What’s the best way to fill the nail holes and finish the trim pieces once they’re in place? A: Don’t [...]

Vertical Panel Clamping Gluing panels and other large assemblies vertically saves floor space and is easier on your back—you don’t have to carry anything. Make the crossbar from [...]

Blade Alignment I made this rig to check the alignment of my tablesaw blade with the miter gauge slot. I don’t own a precision dial indicator, so I devised one using an ice pick and a [...]