Archives

Knot-Free Planing I use a lot of #2 pine boards, but when I plane them, the knots often nick my knives. I found a way to prevent this by cutting out the knots before I plane. Because most of my [...]

Stable Roller Stand I bought a roller stand to support my lumber when sawing. It worked okay, but sometimes the rear leg would fold up and the stand would collapse. This was very annoying. I [...]

Bleaching Wood Subtract color to add life. By Michael Dresdner There are four types of bleach that woodworkers commonly use: chlorine, two-part wood bleach, oxalic acid and peroxide. Two-part [...]

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 [...]