Archives

Reshaping the Skew Chisel An alternate shape minimizes dig-ins. By Alan Lacer Years ago, an old professional spindle turner showed me a different way to sharpen a skew. When I tried it, I was [...]

Suspended Outlet This is one of my favorite shop upgrades.By adding this suspended outlet over my work area I always have electricity close at hand. It sure beats running an extension cord across [...]

How tight does my blade have to be?   Q: I have a heck of a time loosening the arbor nut when I switch blades on my tablesaw. How hard do I really have to crank on that nut when …

Making Curved Doors Kerfkore flexible panels handle curves with ease. By Brad Holden Curved doors and panels add elegance to any project, especially kitchen cabinets. Making these complicated [...]

Double-Duty Roller Tables I like getting double duty out of my tools whenever possible. So, when I decided to build outfeed tables for my miter saw and tablesaw, I worked up this dual-use [...]

Bowl Gouge Sharpening Do it by hand, just like you turn. By Alan Lacer How do you make a velvety smooth bowl with evenly thick walls and crisp details? Well, it’s not done by sanding the heck out [...]

Do Blade Stiffeners and Stabilizers Really Help?   Q: I’m trying to get a super-smooth cut on my contractor’s saw. I’ve seen blade “stabilizers” for sale. Do [...]

Carbide Cutterheads for Jointers Cut manufactured materials and make fewer knife changes By Dave Munkittrick The latest thing in jointers is the segmented carbide insert cutterhead. Instead of [...]

Flammables Cabinet Keep your shop and family safe! Have you got finishing supplies scattered all over your shop? Concerned that they’re a fire hazard? Organize them into this cabinet built [...]

Tablesaw Tapering Jig I recently built a pair of garden benches that required several identical parts that were tapered on both sides.To make the job easier, I built this jig that worked for both [...]

Why Does My Wood Have Stripes?   Q: I put a clear finish on a beautiful ash table I made and found faint stripes an inch or two wide going across each board. Any ideas on what caused them [...]

Working with Melamine It’s dirt cheap, it’s practical, and best of all, there’s no sanding and finishing! By Dave Munkittrick Melamine is the professional cabinetmaker’s best friend. Build a [...]