Q & A: Planer or Small Drum Sander?
Q & A: Planer or Small Drum Sander? Q: I’d like to try using more rough lumber, but I’m not sure whether to choose a portable planer at around four bills, or a drum belt sander at [...]
Friday’s Tip for August 2nd
Router Table Spring Board I saw this device in an old woodworking book. I gave it a try and now I use it all the time. With this spring board you get even pressure along the entire fence and [...]
Q & A: Anti-Kickback Router Bits
Q & A: Anti-Kickback Router Bits Q: I’ve noticed some router bits are available with an “anti-kickback” feature. If this works, this seems like a great thing. Does it? [...]
Two New Takes on Old Technology
To wrap up my new product coverage of AWFS, I’d like to talk about two new takes on technology that’s been around for years. The first is an instant glue that could be a godsend for [...]
Friday’s Tip for July 26th
Double-Duty Sanding Drum I sand a lot of thin wood on my drum sander and as a result, I only wear out the bottom part of the drums. Flipping them over allows me to use the top but the middle …
A Trickier Ruler Trick for Router Planes
Sharpening router plane blades can be no fun. For years now, I’ve made things easier for myself by honing the flat back of the iron through the grits and then removing the “burr” from the bevel [...]
The Book of Shaker Furniture by John Kassay A Treasure Trove for SketchUp Generation Woodworkers Part 1
Spend a day in any large city library and look for woodworking books written in the 1990s or earlier and you will find a treasure trove of 2D drawings just waiting for a SketchUp Woodworker to [...]
Q & A: Which Square Should I Buy?
it’s very useful to have one very precise square in your shop. You can rely on this square for machinery setup, such as setting your jointer fence and your tablesaw blade square to the table.
Clamp a Square so it’s Square
During the last several years I’ve built about 50 wooden try squares for customers, friends and during classes. The most challenging part of the project is clamping the blade and the stock [...]
Straightedge Theory: Full of Holes?
When it comes to making wooden shop tools, I think that most of the modifications we make to them are to stop us from throwing the tools away by accident. Many winding sticks are a right triangle [...]
Friday’s Tip for July 19th
Zero-Clearance Bandsaw Table I like to cut tenons with my bandsaw, but the little cutoffs tend to fall down in the space by the blade and get in the way or bind the blade. I found a slick fix. [...]
Q & A: Whats the Deal with Combination Planer/Molders?
Q & A: What’s the Deal with Combination Planer/Molders? Q: I’m shopping for a planer, and am also planning to do a bunch of trim work in my house: crown moldings, door casings, [...]
