While lounging at the pool one afternoon, I had an inspiration. I “borrowed” one of my kids’ floating pool noodles, cut it into sections and used the pieces as universal connectors for vacuum hoses and tool dust ports. (A noodle is only about three bucks, so I replaced it the next day). A noodle has…

Here’s a simple, invisible repair for an all too common mistake. Say you’re flush-trimming a board and, for whatever reason, your router’s bearing dips into a dent and makes an unwanted divot. If you have a set of plug cutters, you’ll be back in business in no time. Just cut a face-grain plug that’s the…

My sharpening procedures involve a lot of buffing with compound. On one side of my buffer I’ve mounted a hard felt wheel, and on the other a paper wheel shaped to buff concave bevels. To prevent the buffing compound from flying all over the shop, I mounted my buffer in a simple plywood box that’s…

Over the years, I have often clamped stops on my drill-press fence to register hole locations in workpieces. Unfortunately, I always seemed to lose the stops. Flip stops always seemed like a good idea because they stay attached to the fence all the time so you won’t lose them. Plus, they flip up out of…

Many of us are familiar with the technique of using a razor blade to scrape away drips from varnish and other film finishes. It’s a great way to level defects, especially if you use a brand-new razor. To keep the corners from digging in, you can bow a thin single-edge razor just as you would…

Wooden wing nuts are so much easier on your hands than metal ones. Plus, it’s a great way to use up shop scraps and leftover hex nuts while avoiding a trip to the hardware store. Start with a strip of wood that’s about 3/4″ thick, at least 1/8″ wider than the hex nuts, and long…

I find my stock band saw table too small to support many workpieces, so I outfitted it with a larger, auxiliary table. However, I wanted to be able to remove it quickly when I needed to utilize my saw’s maximum cutting height. The solution was easy. I simply cut a plywood table to the desired…

To create a planing stop on my workbench, I decided to go the simple route. I installed and countersunk a short row of #12 brass flathead screws near the edge of the bench, spacing them an inch or so apart. I can adjust them just slightly above the surface of the benchtop for planing even…

I’ve combined the working parts of two quick-action clamps to make a good tool even better. A two-headed clamp allows me to quickly make an adjustable-height table for my drill press or an outfeed table for my tablesaw. It also works great for holding cabinet parts in place for assembly. To make a two-headed clamp,…

When gluing plastic laminate to a substrate, lots of folks use sticks or dowels to support the laminate. Supports allow you to perfectly position the laminate, since it can’t be shifted once it contacts the glue. I use old mini-blinds, curved side down. Mini-blinds are easy to pull out and easy to clean. -J.A.Wilson

When I clean my HVLP spray gun, this shop-made container captures the liquid solvent and fumes. When the gun is clean, I simply pour the waste into a storage container for disposal. Drill a 3-in. hole in the back of a paint thinner jug. Cut a 3-in. circle from an activated carbon filter pad (available…

If you do a lot of spray painting and finishing, but don’t have room for a permanent finishing bench, give this turntable a spin. It’s surprisingly sturdy and because it rotates, you can get to all sides of your project while standing in one spot. It’s lightweight, so it can easily be taken outside. When…