Archives

Router Dado Jig In the course of my work as a contractor, I often need to build cabinets and bookshelves on site – without the luxury of shop tools. I gave up on the flimsy router fence [...]

In Part 1 of this two part post I covered this subject in broad strokes. Now we are going to look a little deeper at my naming conventions for components, layers, scenes and special layers such [...]

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 clamps [...]

Plastic Stickers Don't Stain I use plastic conduit to make stickers for stacking and drying my wood. These stickers provide consistent spacing and excellent air circulation with minimal [...]

Smooth-Cutting Hole Saw I cut a lot of discs and large-diameter holes in my shop. I was puzzled for the longest time because I was getting vibration and smoke. It even happened with new hole [...]

As you gain experience with SketchUp there will come a day when the light bulb will go on and you will realize that you need a strategy for naming components, organizing and naming scenes and [...]

Dovetail Marking Jig This little jig greatly speeds the laying out and marking of dovetail pins. Make the jig so the thin piece is exactly the same size as the pin you plan to use. Then, mark a [...]

Q & A: Easy Drawer Dividers Q: Help! The junk drawer in our kitchen is out of control! I have trouble finding anything in there. Is there a simple way to add dividers to my kitchen drawers [...]

For a few years I’ve had the idea of following up my Beginner’s SketchUp and Intermediate SketchUp Webinar series with and Advanced SketchUp series. Exactly what an Advanced SketchUp [...]

Sawing Rack My shop is simply too small to cut full-size sheets of plywood on the tablesaw.After many a bitter battle using a circular saw to cut floppy sheet stock perched on sawhorses, I [...]

Chad’s Stepbox Learn how to make compound-angle dovetails building this handy stool and portable tool box. Chad Stanton For my job as a trim carpenter and furnituremaker, I’ve always needed [...]

Easier Resawing I'm stuck with a wimpy 1/2 hp bandsaw that stalled whenever I tried to resaw anything tall. Then my neighbor turned me on to a technique that solved my problem. I pre-cut a [...]