Handy Blast Gate Lever

Reaching down to open and close my tablesaw's blast gate was a real pain until I built this pivoting mechanical arm from pieces of 1/8-in. flat steel and 3/8-in. rod....

Stamped Steel or Cast Iron Wings?

Should I spend more money on cast-iron wings? Q. I can save money by buying stamped steel rather than cast-iron extension wings for my new tablesaw. What do cast-iron wings...

Using Melamine

Melamine is the professional cabinetmaker’s best friend. Build a cabinet with it and you have a complete, durable interior that requires no sanding (yes!) and no finishing (oh, yeah!). Pros...

Chuck Bender's Favorite Books

Chuck Bender is the author of “Carving Spanish Feet” in the current issue of Popular Woodworking magazine and has a couple additional articles forthcoming. He was also the subject of...

AW Extra – 6 Storage Solutions

  1. Sandpaper Roll Storage I use pressure-sensitive-adhesive (PSA) sanding discs. For easy access, I like to get them out of their packages and lined up by grit. I hang...

MDF vs. Particleboard

How two versatile woods can be both a blessing and a curse. by Karen Nakamura Cheap, plain and definitely not wood. That’s how many woodworkers describe particleboard and MDF (medium-density...

Economical Inserts

Commercially made zero-clearance inserts cost about $20. I make my own for less than $3 from 3/8-in.-thick polyethylene cutting boards, which are flat and rigid. A 14-in. x 17-in. cutting...

Hide-Away Bin for Short Stock

I don't like to throw wood away; offcuts and other short boards work great for small projects, jigs and shop fixtures. But until I built this mobile cart, my shop...