This honing stone setup is part of my dedicated sharpening station. It consists of a plastic tray mounted in a plywood carrier box that also provides solid footing for a wooden stone holder that bridges the box. The unit is screwed to the bench next to my grinder, consolidating all my sharpening needs in one…

A micro-Adjust fence is the perfect accessory for making grooves, mortises, or other milling operations using a hand-held router. It allows you to precisely adjust the distance between the bit and the fence. This device operates in two steps. First, move both fences together, with the micro fence against your workpiece, within 1/8″ of your…

I make my own zero-clearance throat plates for my table saw to minimize exit tear-out on workpieces and to prevent narrow pieces from dropping into the saw. When raising the blade through the insert blank for the first time (using a small-diameter blade), it’s necessary to hold the insert down for safety. I used to…

The traditional way to make a square finial on a bandsaw is to mark and cut the pattern on one side of the blank, then tape the offcut back on in order to guide the cuts on the adjacent side. This is difficult to do with an intricate pattern because it’s hard to keep the…

I like to augment tabletops and drawer fronts with decorative banding, inlaying it around the perimeter. The problem has always been the fussy trimming of the mitered corners. It’s hard to cut the miters perfectly using a chisel freehand while cutting to a layout line. I recently cobbled up a jig that simplifies the process…

Sanding between coats of polyurethane is tough on sandpaper. And I make it tougher, because I never wait the recommended 72 hours before recoating. But if the finish isn’t bone-dry, the paper is likely to gum up. When my sandpaper loads up, I clean it using my trusty stripping brush. Its firm nylon bristles remove…

After our last family birthday party I spent an hour scraping big globs of candle wax from several tables and our wood mantel. The next day, in response to my complaining, a coworker told me to try mineral spirits next time I’m faced with wax on wood. He said it won’t hurt varnish, lacquer, or…

Crouching to operate my compressor’s drain valve was no big deal until my football-ravaged knees started acting up. To keep from grimacing in the sawdust, I devised a more civilized way to clear the tank. I replaced the drain value with a 90° elbow, a 200-psi-rated reinforced hose and a ball valve. Barb fittings on…

I got tired of jury-rigging extra light for finishing, so I built this light stand from a 4‘ length of 2“ x 2“ and 1/4“ plywood. The 6“ x 17“ legs include 1/2“ by 31/2“ feet. The post aligns with the bottoms of the leg cutouts, so it doesn’t touch the floor. Each leg simply…

A router can be one of the most versatile tools in your shop. We’ve brought together a few of our favorite tips and tricks to help you get the most out of your router.

I hated the black hole that appeared when I installed corner bifold doors in my kitchen cabinets. To get rid of this annoying gap, I decided to make the main door (the one with the hinges) 3/4-in. wider, so it would extend behind the second door. This alteration required cutting a pair of 3/4-in.-deep notches…

My workbench is beautiful and I want to keep it that way, so I cover the top with builder’s paper whenever I’m gluing or staining. But the heavy roll was hard to handle and a nuisance to store until I devised this simple holder made from 4“ PVC drain pipe (10‘ length). The holder is…