One Man’s Trash … I jump at any chance to dig through an old building—you never know what you’ll find. Rummaging through an old farmhouse and barn slated for demolition, [...]
“Turn” Handles Into Savings The price of good turning tools can be pretty steep. Since most of the better lathe tools can be purchased without a handle, put your money where it [...]
Easier Resawing I'm stuck with a wimpy 1/2 hp bandsaw that stalled whenever I tried to resaw anything tall. Then my neighbor turned me on to a technique that solved my problem. I pre-cut a [...]
Q & A: Clean Up Squeeze Out Q: I saw one of those woodworking wizards on television the other day. As I watched the guy build a three-day project in 30 minutes, I noticed he washed off glue [...]
A Bead in any Board Click any image to view a larger version. I wanted an antique beadboard look for my cabinet doors, but stock beadboard didn’t work out with my door size. Here’s what I came up [...]
Bevel Gauge For years I ground a way-too-shallow edge on my favorite chisel. It wouldn't hold up worth beans, so I dug through the junk drawer for something I could make a bevel gauge out of. [...]
Rubber Band Veneer Clamp I had tried everything to successfully glue veneer on curved surfaces: cauls, three-way clamps, string and tape, you name it. Nothing ever worked as well as this homespun [...]
Q: I’ve got an old plane that my grandfather left me. I’d like to use it, but its cutting iron is really rusty. Do I need to buy a new one? A: Don’t throw away that iron yet. Flattening the …
Adjustable Curves Laying out a large curve with a cobbled-together, oversize compass is a pain in the neck. Instead I use a bowed slat that can be adjusted to any curve. I used to bend the slat [...]
Q & A: The Right Mortise/Tenon Fit Q: What’s the right fit between a mortise and a tenon? I’m going crazy trying to measure them with a dial caliper! A: You’re not alone. [...]
Snap-On Soft Jaws I’ve been using an old metal-working vise in my shop for years. Occasionally I really do need a metal-working vise, but most often I use it to hold drawer sides up high [...]
Comfortable Dovetails Like the majority of wokbenches, mine is fine for planing but too low for cutting dovetails without prolonged stooping. My answer is to clamp a heavy backing board, as shown [...]
