Popular Woodworking Magazine » Tricks of the Trade

No-number Geometric Layouts

Article Index — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 15:31:14 +0000

Many layout problems that seem to call for math can be quickly solved with a compass and a straightedge. Numbers can confuse and complicate the situation. What you need to know is how to make things fit – not necessarily what numbers describe the lines and angles. Here are a few time-tested methods. – Robert … Read more »

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How to Calculate Wood Shrinkage and Expansion

Article Index — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 13:49:01 +0000

Wood movement can ruin a seemingly well-constructed project. Luckily getting ahead of the material and calculating wood shrinkage and expansion is fairly easy – all you need to do is multiply three numbers together. Here’s how to find them. Step 1: Measure the board’s width. ● Know that wider boards expand and contract more than … Read more »

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How To Extract a Screw

Tom Nunlist — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 13:49:10 +0000

Tube Extractors are the Best Option Sawtooth edges make these small tools very handy to have around the shop. Use a drill press, if possible, to bore a clean hole around the screw. Or, a hand-held drill with a guide block works fine for screws located outside of the reach of a drill press. Once … Read more »

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Your Guide to Router Collets

Article Index — Wed, 09 May 2012 19:26:17 +0000

How a Collet Works • A collet is the steel sleeve that holds a router bit in a router. The collet works with the router shaft (connected directly to the motor) and the collet nut. • Collets are machined to perfectly mate with the tapered recess in the end of the shaft and to … Read more »

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Woodworking 101: Basic Sharpening

Tom Nunlist — Tue, 01 May 2012 20:49:46 +0000

Sharpen a Plane Blade There are many ways to sharpen plane blades, and woodworkers have strong opinions on the best technique. Here is a simple, reliable method to achieve a sharp edge. It takes just three waterstones, an inexpensive jig and a few minutes. 1. Get a flat back. While some blades come with a … Read more »

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Add Accuracy to a Miter Gauge

Article Index — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 13:28:03 +0000

Attach a 3/4″ x 2-1/2″ x 28″ board to your miter gauge (not an original idea), then put a piece of masking tape on the table saw in front of the blade insert. Then cut partway into a board using the miter hold down. Shut the saw off and slowly pull the board back until … Read more »

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Crosscut Short Pieces Without Making Missiles

Tom Nunlist — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 18:58:59 +0000

A stop block provides the most accurate and efficient way to crosscut multiple workpieces to the same length on a miter saw. For safety, the “keeper” section of the workpiece is normally held firmly against the stop block and fence, with the “offcut” unrestricted on the opposite side of the blade. However, it’s unsafe to … Read more »

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A Double-duty Disc Sander

Tom Nunlist — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 18:55:59 +0000

I make a lot of wooden toys and find my disc sander indispensable for both shaping and smoothing small parts. Unfortunately, this calls for the use of both coarse and fine discs, and I have only one disc sander. My solution is to mount both #80-grit and #150-grit paper to the disc at the same … Read more »

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A Bit of a Marking Knife

Tom Nunlist — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 18:44:02 +0000

If you enjoy making your own woodworking tools, as I do, here’s a good-quality marking knife you can create from a humble used-up spade bit and a small scrap of wood. To make the knife, begin by grinding a 3⁄4″ spade bit to a V-shaped tip as shown, then grind the bevels on one face … Read more »

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Shop-made Mortise Cleaning Tool

Tom Nunlist — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 18:38:26 +0000

When mortising I found it difficult to remove waste left at the bottom of the mortise by my hollow-chisel mortising bit. Prying it out with a bench chisel often damaged the shoulder of the mortise and was not kind to the cutting edge of the chisel. I needed a tool with a right-angle cutting edge … Read more »

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