Archives

My boat shop is the result of years of frustration. I used to build cedar-strip canoes and sea-kayaks in an attached 1-1/2 car garage and was constantly fighting both the confined space and the [...]

Tool: DWV012 10 Gal wet/dry vac Manufacturer: DeWalt Price: $470 Wouldn’t it be swell to have a vac that could both clean your shop and suck dust from portable power tools? That’s the [...]

When your hands aren’t strong or large enough to put the last squeeze on a big clamp, try clamping the clamp. My ingenious wife, who has very small hands, invented this solution. She works [...]

Tool: Super General T.K. Manufacturer: Infinity Price: $109 Do you avoid changing blades on your tablesaw? Do you feel like your tablesaw doesn’t have enough power? Is your current blade [...]

Tool: Pipe Vise Manufacturer: Lee Valley Price: $65 A tail vise is an essential part of a first-class workbench. It’s used to hold work on top of the bench, between dogs. Most types of tail [...]

One Coat Coverage I had finished building new frame and panel doors for my kitchen cabinets and knew the stain would really make the grain pop. I laid the first door on my workbench, with the [...]

Think of it almost like a DIY track saw. Crosscutting a full sheet of plywood on a tablesaw is pretty difficult, particularly when you don’t have any help. I use a circular saw and this [...]

Tool: Gorilla Glue Minis Manufacturer: Gorilla Glue Price: $7 (pack of 4) A little bit of Gorilla Glue will do just fine, thank you, for lots of jobs. It now comes in small Single Use Tubes, 4 to [...]

Although most bowls are turned from green material, working with kiln-dried lumber has its advantages. You don’t have to deal with checks and cracks or significant distortion. Sanding is [...]

Tool: Preval Spray System Manufacturer: Preval Price: $5 For spraying small projects, this portable, self-contained Preval Spray System sprays almost any finish quickly and easily. Just fill the [...]

Tool: Inset Vise Manufacturer: Veritas Price: $98 A good tail vise sometimes ends up being an after-thought. When you built your bench, maybe you could only afford to shell out for the face vise, [...]

I always look forward to reading “My Shop” in American Woodworker. I envy those guys who have woodshops the size of a five-car garage that look more like castles than workshops.  Some [...]