Archives

Q & A: Sawdust in the Garden?   Q: I spend as much time tending plants in the garden as making sawdust in my shop.Are there any problems with using the sawdust and chips in my [...]

Q & A: Silencing a Squeaky Tablesaw Q: My tablesaw screeches like nails on a chalkboard whenever I adjust the blade.WD-40 made the noise go away for a while, but now it’s back. What do [...]

Q & A: What Kind of Saw for Dovetails? Q: I’d like to try hand-cutting dovetails for the drawers of a sideboard I’m building.What kind of saw do I need for this job? A: Dovetailing can become [...]

Q & A: Planer or Small Drum Sander? Q: I’d like to try using more rough lumber, but I’m not sure whether to choose a portable planer at around four bills, or a drum belt sander at [...]

Q & A: Anti-Kickback Router Bits Q: I’ve noticed some router bits are available with an “anti-kickback” feature. If this works, this seems like a great thing. Does it? [...]

it’s very useful to have one very precise square in your shop. You can rely on this square for machinery setup, such as setting your jointer fence and your tablesaw blade square to the table.

Q & A: What’s the Deal with Combination Planer/Molders? Q: I’m shopping for a planer, and am also planning to do a bunch of trim work in my house: crown moldings, door casings, [...]

Mortise Centering Jig With this jig I can rout mortises exactly centered on the workpiece— no measurement or layout necessary. First I drilled and tapped two holes in my router base plate [...]

Q & A: Best Grinder for Woodworking Q: I’d like to buy a grinder that will handle a variety of maintenance projects and also be good for sharpening my woodworking tools.What should I [...]

Q & A: Clean Bandsaw Tires   Q: My bandsaw tires have a buildup of pitch and sawdust that seems to be embedded right into the rubber. What’s the best way to clean my tires? A: An [...]

Q & A: One Step at a Time Q: ARGH! I cut all the parts according to the cutting list and my face-frame came up short! I worked out the math and the cutting list was correct. What went [...]

Triangle Sandpaper Triangular hook-and-loop sandpaper for detail sanders first loses it’s bite at the end because that part does most of the work. By cutting a used piece, as shown, and [...]