Instant Rosewood
I like to use purpleheart pen blanks because they’re less expensive than other exotic hardwoods. Recently, I stumbled on a cool trick. I discovered that I could cause the wood...
A Good, Affordable Sanding block
One of the most mundane – but important- tools in our toolbox is a sanding block. We, and I include here my students in grades four to twelve, are using...
3M Pro Grade Precision Keeps Improving
Tool: Pro Grade Precision Sanding Sheets Shop Now Manufacturer: 3M MSRP: $4.79/pack Everyone knows using the right tool for the job is the way to go, and that rule definitely applies...
Sandpaper Index
When turning, I like to have all my supplies close at hand, ready for use. I use an index card box to store and organize cut pieces of sandpaper. It has...
Mobile Work Station
Tool: Workcenter Buy Now Manufacturer: Festool MSRP: $415 Remember the old adage “a place for everything and everything in its place”? Well, Festool’s CT Workcenter puts everything right at [...]
Sanding Chalk
I’m making and installing approx. 5000-bd.ft. of hard maple trim. Keeping track of what I’ve already sanded is difficult, so before sanding, I rub artists non-oil pastel chalks (also available...
Creating A Sanding Block
Efficient, cheap and simple to make. This magazine puts a lot of emphasis on hand tools – that is, tools without motors. Common subjects include handplanes, chisels, scrapers etc. But...
Two-Handed Sander
Tool: 5″ Random Orbit Sander BO5041k [Buy Now] Manufacturer: Makita MSRP: $89.00 Ever wish you had an extra handle on your sander? Not for extra pressure—that would create unwanted swirl [...]
Sander Circle Jig
I find myself needing a lot of small circles for use on wooden toys. When I cut those disks out with a circle-cutting jig on the band saw, the edge...
DEROS Random-orbit Sander
Tool: DEROS Manufacturer: Mirka MSRP: $625 Editor’s note: This review originally appeared in the April 2015 issue of Popular Woodworking. The tool is still available and just as great as ever...
Arbortech Contour Random Sander
Tool: Contour Sander Manufacturer: Arbortech MSRP: $79 I’ve been building a stacked-lamination piece with plenty of concave and convex curves that require a good deal of sanding. Arbortech’s new [...]
Set-up / Sanding Combo
Tool: Table Saw Setup and Sanding Disks Manufacturer: Infinity MSRP: $29.90 This tablesaw set-up/sanding kit from Infinity really hits the mark for me. As I’ve noted in the past, a tool with...
