American Woodworker
 

Tips
1 | 2 | 3 | Next

  • Eliminate Pipe Stains

    by American Woodworker Editors     Thursday, October 15, 2009
    I learned the hard way that pipe clamps leave ugly black stains during glue-ups wherever they contact wet wood. Those stains are hard to sand out! Fortunately, I’ve discovered an inexpensive solution that keeps all my glue-ups pristine. For a couple...

  • Glue Squeegee

    by American Woodworker Editors     Wednesday, September 9, 2009
    I stack-laminate boards to create turning blanks. Each blank contains numerous laminations, so I have to work fast during assembly. To spread glue quickly and evenly, I use a squeegee designed for silk-screening. You can buy one at an art supply store...

  • Mobile Clamp Compressor

    by American Woodworker Editors     Wednesday, September 2, 2009
    I’ve got a pile of K-body clamps that I use all the time. This clamp carousel guarantees they’re always close at hand. It stores 18 clamps in a 2-sq.-ft. space, and I can roll them right to the job. My carousel consists of two 3/4-in. plywood...

  • Overhead Clamp Rack

    by American Woodworker Editors     Tuesday, August 18, 2009
    by Frank Muhvich Storage space is limited in my shop, so my pipe clamps hang from the ceiling. I made this rack from 3/4-in. plywood and attached it to the ceiling joists with 3-in. decking screws. A center block prevents the handles from rotating when...

  • Glue-Free Clamps

    by American Woodworker Editors     Tuesday, August 11, 2009
    by Mandy Houston Dried glue used to make my pipe clamps hard to handle and use. Now I give the pipes a light coat of paste wax from time to time. The wax makes dried glue pop right off. The bottom jaw slides more easily, too.

  • Double Duty Clamp Rack

    by American Woodworker Editors     Tuesday, August 11, 2009
    by Brian Rajewski One sure thing about clamps is that they’re never close enough when you need them. That’s why I devised this rolling rack. Its 4-in. locking swivel casters easily plow through sawdust and over cracks and power cords (see...

  • Handy Clamp Storage

    by American Woodworker Editors     Thursday, July 2, 2009
    I store my clamps under my assembly table so they’re always right where I need them. I made a frame to hold the clamps and attached it to the table’s base. The frame is made of 2x10 lumber with a 3/4-in.-thick back, so it’s sturdy enough...

  • Using Wet Wood

    by Tim Johnson     Wednesday, February 25, 2009
    Q. I'm building outdoor furniture from rough cedar. When I cut the wood, it's soaking wet on the inside. Should I use polyurethane glue since it's a moisture-cure glue? A. Not when the wood is that wet. Polyurethane glue uses moisture to cure...

  • Spread Biscuit Slot Glue

    by Tim Johnson     Wednesday, February 25, 2009
    4. Apply Glue With An Acid Brush Glue must be evenly applied throughout the biscuit slot to get the strongest joint possible. The easiest way? Squirt some glue into the slot and then run a glue brush, sometimes called an acid brush, through the slot until...

  • Don't Use Smelly Glue

    by Tim Johnson     Monday, February 23, 2009
    Buying glue by the gallon costs less, but it may not be a good investment if you use glue infrequently. After a while, leftover glue can develop a bad smell. According to the folks at Franklin Adhesives, your best bet is to toss the old stuff and buy...

  • Grit-Free Benchtop Weights

    by Tim Johnson     Sunday, February 22, 2009
    I keep a few landscape pavers handy in my workshop to use as hold-downs and weights when clamping is inconvenient. The only problem is that they leave grit behind with every use, and grit and woodworking don't mix. I solved this gritty problem by...

  • Flexible Clamping Pads

    by AW-Editor     Thursday, January 29, 2009
    t's tricky to keep clamping pads positioned when gluing curved surfaces, so I came up with these flexible pads. To make them, cut multiple kerfs in a piece of plywood. Next rip the plywood into 1-in. strips. The deeper the kerfs, the more flexible...

  • Easy-Tighten Bar Clamp

    by AW-Editor     Thursday, January 29, 2009
    Bar clamps are great tools, but sometimes it's tough to get a good grip on the small wood handle. To get extra torque, I drilled a hole in the handle and inserted a dowel. It gives me a lot more twisting oomph with a lot less hand strain. I drilled...

  • Bottoms-Up Glue Cup

    by AW-Editor     Thursday, January 29, 2009
    Whenever I need a small amount of glue, I reach for a paper cup. And since I visit the neighborhood coffee shop every morning, I always have a supply of used cups! But instead of filling the cup with glue, I turn it upside down. The indentation on the...

  • Vacuum Glue into a Crack

    by AW-Editor     Thursday, January 29, 2009
    Last fall while moving into a new house, I dropped my kitchen table off the back of my pickup truck. The solid oak top suffered a serious crack near one corner. I figured some glue and a clamp would take care of it, but the crack was narrow and the glue...
 

Sort By

 
Most Recent
Most Viewed
Most Commented

 

Advertise on this site  |  About Us  |  Privacy Policy  |  Contact Us