Archives

Tablesaw Jig Clamp I added this hold-down to my tablesaw’s sliding cutoff jig and find it a great convenience, because the height of the clamp is easily changed. This clamp uses a standard [...]

Why Predrill Screw Holes?   Q: I think predrilling screw holes is a real drag, so I rarely do it. Most screws seem to work fine without all that bother. Why are you always advocating [...]

Cool Tip for Changing Sanding Sleeves Changing the sanding sleeves on a spindle sander can be as tough as removing an old rusty bolt. Next time, try this trick: Put the drum in your freezer for [...]

Glove Finger Chisel Protectors My Chisels used to get dull and rusty rattling around in my toolbox. No more! I found a clever way to protect them. I cut the fingers off some old leather work [...]

Prescription Safety Glasses   Q: I hate fumbling with goggles over my prescription glasses, so I’ve given up. Don’t regular glasses protect my eyes well enough in the workshop? A: No. Normal [...]

Rigid Routing Sled A routing sled is a great help when coping the ends of rails and stiles. But I had a problem when I built my first sled. The pressure from the toggle clamp caused the [...]

Router Base Transfer Points After I lost track of the base plate for the router that goes in my router table, I had to make a new one with accurately marked holes for the mounting screws and a [...]

Vise Crank Handle I'm getting up in years but I still love woodworking. My hands aren't as limber as they used to be, so it was uncomfortable to twist my vise handle. I remembered the [...]

Anti-Slip Dust-Collection Table Here’s a pair of sanding helpers that work great together. The rug pad provides a soft anti-slip surface.The Peg-Board, combined with the holes in the rug [...]

Working Alone Solitary Strategies for Three-Handed Tasks By Tim Johnson One of woodworking’s major attractions is being able to say, “I built that myself.” On the surface, this [...]

How Fast Should a Forstner Bit Spin?   Q: I just bought a set of Forstner bits for my drill press.The first time I used one I made more smoke than sawdust! How do I figure out the right [...]

A Brush for Tight Spots Q. I built a little TV stand for our living room that included a 4″ space for the DVD player. It seemed like a great idea until I went to varnish the piece. [...]