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8-ft. Straightedge for $4 Whenever I have to cut down a sheet of plywood I reach for one of my trusty metal stud straightedges.Metal studs are available in different thicknesses for different [...]

Question & Answer Is your miter saw square? Q. I want to adjust my miter saw so it’s dead-on accurate, but I don’t have a fancy square. How do I do it? A. Use an old [...]

Tips for Tool Storage Organize your shop with these weekend projects. By Tom Caspar Clamp Warehouse Hang your long, heavy clamps on this rack designed for strength. The braces are notched into [...]

Miter Plunging Biscuit Joiner My biscuit joiner fence does not rotate to 135 degrees, and that is one of my most-often-made joints. To help hold the joiner steady, I add a second mitered piece of [...]

  Machine Floor Locks Anyone with a machine on wheels— especially a tablesaw or planer— understands the necessity of locking it in place before using it. I use a pair of toggle [...]

Circle Center By George Vondriska Quickly find and approximate the center of a narrow board by using your fingers like a marking gauge. Set a pencil in your fingers, allowing one finger to run [...]

Bandsawing Inside Curves This is a useful trick when bandsawing inside curves. It requires no marking and no special jig. First I cut a shallow slot in a piece of scrap and attach it to the [...]

Large Sheet Crosscutting Crosscutting large sheets of plywood on the tablesaw can be difficult, and I usually end up binding the blade, burning the wood, or worse. To get around this, I clamp a [...]

Dovetailed Step Stool Three kinds of dovetails make it extra strong. By Frank Klausz After I finish a large commission, I like to surprise my client during the holidays with a gift—this [...]

Hammer Your Own Copper Hardware “…the decorative quality of such things is really wonderful.” —Gustav Stickley By David Olson Hardware doesn’t have to come from a catalog. You can make your [...]

Sycamore Pantry The best way to match solid wood and veneer is to make the veneer yourself. By John English Sometimes you just fall in love with a special kind of wood. For me, that wood is [...]

Farm Table You don’t need a dream shop to build this dream project. By Tim Johnson Aside from feeding the occasional flock (when's the last time you had eight dinner guests?), a big [...]