American Woodworker

Window-Shade Saw Table Cover

by American Woodworker Editors Thursday, November 19, 2009

In my small shop, my tablesaw doubles as an assembly table. To protect the saw’s surface when I’m gluing or staining, I installed a heavy-duty vinyl window-shade on the end of the extension table (about $20 at hardware stores). The shade is...

Soup Up Your Shop Vacuum

by American Woodworker Editors Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Had enough dust? Hook up to any portable power tool with this set of accessories. by George Vondriska Most shop vacuums are big and powerful, like SUVs. These vacuums have tons of suction power for cleaning the mess on your floor, but their standard hoses...

Working Alone

by American Woodworker Editors Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Solitary Strategies for Three-Handed Tasks by Tim Johnson One of woodworking’s major attractions is being able to say, “I built that myself.” On the surface, this statement is about mastering skills and techniques. But on another level...

Perfect Holes for Router-Bit Tray

by American Woodworker Editors Tuesday, November 10, 2009

I decided to organize my router bits by making a tray from a scrap block of wood. But I soon discovered that my 1/2-in. shank bits wouldn’t fit into 1/2-in.-dia. holes—the holes needed to be slightly larger. Unfortunately, I didn’t have...

Lathe and Disc Sander Combo

by American Woodworker Editors Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Thanks to my new sanding table, my lathe doubles as a disc sander. I really like this setup, because I can adjust the speed of the disc to the job and the material. The table is glued to a hollow box that bolts onto the bed just like the tool rest and...

Mobile Clamp Rack

by American Woodworker Editors Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Tired of dragging clamps around my shop, I built this rack that brings them right to the job. It takes up only 21 x 32 in. of real estate and can handle 36 adjustable clamps and 12 4-ft. pipe clamps. I assembled the side frames separately before screwing...

Blast Gate Manifold for Vac Hoses

by American Woodworker Editors Monday, November 9, 2009

In my small shop, I use a shop vacuum to collect dust from several tools. To cut down on the need to swap hoses, I built this manifold with two blast gates. Now I transfer suction with a flip of my wrist. To make the box, I drilled holes for the hoses...

Lightweight Extension Wings

by American Woodworker Editors Monday, November 9, 2009

Extension wings on the miter saw make cutting long stock a breeze. My shop-made wings install and knock down in seconds and they’re as light as feathers. My secret? The wings are made from a hollow-core door. After ripping the door to width, I pushed...

Mobile Bandsaw

by American Woodworker Editors Monday, November 9, 2009

Horsing my bandsaw out of the way was a real pain until I installed a pair of large casters (see Source, below). Now my saw has a built-in two-wheel cart. During use, the saw sits firmly on the floor, because the wheels don’t touch the ground. They’re...