Archives

Tubular Storage Here’s my solution for storing skinny things like wood trim and edge banding. I bought a 12-in.-dia. by 8-ft.-long cardboard concrete form at a home center for about...

Suspended Outlet This is one of my favorite shop upgrades.By adding this suspended outlet over my work area I always have electricity close at hand. It sure beats running an...

Do Blade Stiffeners and Stabilizers Really Help?   Q: I’m trying to get a super-smooth cut on my contractor’s saw. I’ve seen blade “stabilizers” for sale. Do [...]

Why Does My Wood Have Stripes?   Q: I put a clear finish on a beautiful ash table I made and found faint stripes an inch or two wide going...

Perfectly Parallel Fence Here’s a quick and easy way to align your tablesaw fence with your miter slot.Plane down a board until it fits into your miter slot without play....

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....

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...

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:...

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...

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 pad,...

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...