Archives

Flip-Top Sawhorses I got tired of rummaging around for a blanket or anything soft to lay my finished projects on, so I rigged up these simple carpet caps that fit on top of my sawhorses. They [...]

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Plane Stand Every so often I need to plane down a piece of wood that is too small for my jointer. To handle these small jobs, I devised a stand for my No. 5 Stanley jack plane. The plane rests …

Spray-On Crackle Finish   Q: Is it possible to get a crackle finish in a pigmented, water-based lacquer that is applied with an HVLP spray gun? If so, please tell me how. A: Yes, it can be [...]

  Behind the Stairs Storage In my basement shop every square inch counts! Out of necessity I found a wealth of unused space tucked right under my nose, or should I say feet. That awkward [...]

Straight-Shooting Drill Jig You may not face this problem often, but when you need to drill a hole nice and straight but the part is too big to fit on the drill press, here’s what to do: [...]

Double-Decker Mini Clamp Here's a great little clamp for those light-duty hobby or craft jobs. Start with two ordinary clothespins, then modify and combine them as shown above. You now have a [...]

Clean Cuts in a Countertop   Q: I have a plastic laminate countertop that’s about 12 in. too long. I know that plastic laminate tends to chip when cut. How can I trim the countertop to size [...]

Workbench Joint Plans for my knock-down workbench called for the 2 x 4 stretchers to be fastened with bolts and hex nuts. I'd have to rout huge pockets, weakening the stretcher, in order to [...]

Edge-Banding Clamp I ran out of clamps and patience the last time I applied a veneered edge to a long piece of plywood. The tangle of clamps to hold the veneer and cauls in place was more than I [...]

How Can I Avoid Kickback When Resawing on a Tablesaw?   Q: Is there a splitter that can be used for resawing on a tablesaw? Mine is hooked onto the blade guard so it won’t work. A: [...]

Should I Run My Tablesaw on 120 or 240 Volts?   Q: My contractor’s saw pops a breaker every once in a while, and that’s driving me crazy. I noticed that its motor can be wired [...]