A can of lubricant is very useful around the shop, and so is the little red straw… if you can find it after the first use! I figured out that the straw fits in the groove in the top of the can, and you can still put the lid on. No more lost straws!—Brian Roesch

C-clamps can make nasty dents that are tough to sand out. Pads or block will prevent this, but they’re often awkward to hold in place while you tighten the clamps. I make pads that don’t require extra hands. I bought a roll of 1-inch wide adhesive-backed magnetic strips from a craft store and cut off…

While doing the dishes the other night, I looked at the drying rack and thought, “Wow! I need one of these in my shop.” First I drilled centered 5/8″ diameter holes every 3″ along both edges of a 1″ x 6″ wide board. After mitering both edges to a point, I ripped off the two…

This jig makes it easy to set up the bit for routing flutes and dadoes. I simply drop the appropriate depth gauge into the channel, set my router on top and lower the bit until it touches the gauge. The base is an 8″ square piece of 3/4″ MDF. Two strips of 3/4″ MDF on…

Trimming miters used to drive me crazy, because I couldn’t hold the piece I was trimming securely enough against the miter gauge. The piece would always slide away from the blade during the cut. I solved the problem by covering the miter gauge face with a 120-grit PSA (pressure sensitive adhesive back) sandpaper. One 5″…

Accurate Inside Measurement An accurate inside measurement is sometimes difficult to obtain. For example, I needed to take a measurement behind a cabinet’s face frame to fit a new shelf. Typically, most people would solve this one of two ways. Some would try the quick and dirty method of bending the tape into the corner…

Specialty hardware can be really annoying. Take the T-bolt—it’s essential for attaching anything to a T-track, but where can you buy one at a moment’s notice? Hardware stores don’t carry T-bolts, but I’ve found that they always have a good substitute in stock: closet bolts. Closet bolts are used to fasten a toilet to the…

Pegboard isn’t just for walls—it’s perfect for organizing stuff wherever you need to store it. I’ve bolted a piece of perfboard to the end of my table saw’s extension table to hold all the accessories I turn to each day in the shop. Choosing from a wide variety of hooks makes it possible to hang…

Sturdy yet collapsible is easier said than done, but this drying rack is both. It folds flat against the wall to save space until I need it. I made my rack 36 in. tall, with 8″ between levels. Each side of the rack is made by sandwiching hardwood support arms between plywood uprights. Each arm…

To save space, my trash can doubles as a work support. I made a dolly with locking casters to fit the can’s bottom, so I can roll the unit to wherever it’s needed. The work support is adjustable in height. It’s just a round-nosed board with two 1/4″ x 6″ slots, held in place with…

I used to have three shooting boards for planing end grain: one for 90° cuts, one for 45° horizontal miters and one for 45° vertical miters. Now I’ve combined them all into one. The jig’s main body is a typical shooting board for trimming pieces at 90°, except that it has long wedges to tilt…

Routing long, stiff pieces such as handrails, presents a couple of problems. First, it’s very hard to get (or make) stock that’s extremely straight and 12′ to 14′ long. Second, a piece that thick won’t flex, so a featherboard isn’t going to keep it tight against your fence. The solution? Use two short fences, each…