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Tips

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Cool Tip
by American Woodworker Editors Monday, March 8, 2010
Changing the sanding sleeves on a spindle sander can be as tough as removing an old rusty bolt. Next time, try this trick: Put the drum in your freezer for 15 minutes. The cold will shrink the rubber drum and the sanding sleeve will almost fall off.
Handy Dandy Craft Sticks
by American Woodworker Editors Thursday, March 4, 2010
A $3 box of 1,000 craft sticks is the best bargain I’ve found in a long time. I use these small wooden sticks for everything from spreading glue to shimming cabinet doors. They also work great for mixing stain and dabbing putty. If you want to use...
Long Tenoning Sled
by American Woodworker Editors Thursday, March 4, 2010
Here’s a tablesaw-tenoning jig that combines the light weight of a miter gauge with the support of a wide tablesaw sled. I made this sled for use on the right side of my blade so my saw’s right-side table supports the sled. I also added an...
Mobile Magnetic Light
by American Woodworker Editors Thursday, March 4, 2010
My shop has poor light. I’ve found a magnetic-base work light (see Sources, page 92) to be a real godsend on my bandsaw and drill press. I liked the light so much I figured out how to use it anywhere in my shop. I brought home a handful of metal...
Aluminum Angle Sled Runners
by American Woodworker Editors Thursday, March 4, 2010
If you’ve had a problem with the wood runners on your tablesaw sled shrinking or swelling, make new runners from 1/8 in. x 3/4-in. aluminum angle. These runners will fit most miter slots and will not shrink or swell like wood. Here’s how I...
Drawer Slide Tracing Jig
by American Woodworker Editors Thursday, March 4, 2010
I recently needed a jig to trace lathe turnings. I tried a variety of designs but none produced the accuracy or ease of operation that I wanted. While rummaging around my shop, I discovered an extra set of 10-in. ball bearing drawer slides (see Sources...
Quick-Release Hose Clamp
by American Woodworker Editors Wednesday, February 10, 2010
I have a couple tools from which I frequently remove the dust collector hoses. I got tired of getting out my screwdriver and cranking out the adjustment bolt every time. After a bit of experimenting I came up with this quick-release solution that uses...
Shallow Angle on a Chop Saw
by American Woodworker Editors Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Cutting shallow angles can be tricky. Normally miter saws and tablesaw miter gauges aren’t capable of making these cuts. On a recent project, I needed to make 30-degree angled cuts on the ends of my boards for some triangular boxes. This required...
Grain Direction on Plugs
by American Woodworker Editors Wednesday, February 10, 2010
When using wood plugs, I like to keep track of which way the grain runs. This can be tough with some woods once the plugs are cut. To keep track of the grain direction, I draw lines on the board before cutting the plugs. After the plugs have been cut...
No More Bruises
by American Woodworker Editors Wednesday, February 10, 2010
My shop is so small that I often bump into my tools while navigating between them. Recently, I got a nasty scrape and bruise on my thigh from the end of the fence rail on my tablesaw. To prevent further injury, I plugged the end of the rail with a rounded...
Jumbo Tape Dispenser
by American Woodworker Editors Wednesday, February 10, 2010
I have five or six different kinds of tape in my shop, and last weekend I got fed up with rooting through a drawer to find the one I wanted. To solve the problem, I built this tape dispenser that holds a variety of tape widths and types. I made my dispenser...
Overhead Lumber Rack
by American Woodworker Editors Wednesday, February 10, 2010
I like working in my basement shop, but the floor space is limited. So when it came time to put up a lumber rack, I screwed it to the ceiling because that’s the only space that was wide open. I designed the rack so it holds both long and short boards...
Furniture Repair Tips
by American Woodworker Editors Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Tricks for taking it apart and getting it back together. by Mac Wentz Major furniture repair often involves disassembling the piece and putting it back together. Sounds simple enough: knock things apart and glue them back together. But anyone who’s...
Easy-Tighten Bar Clamps
by American Woodworker Editors Friday, January 22, 2010
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...
Playing Cards in the Shop
by American Woodworker Editors Friday, January 22, 2010
A deck of playing cards can be very useful around the woodshop. One of my favorite uses is for shimming my dado set. I drill a 5/8-in. hole in the center of several cards and keep them with my dado set so they’re ready when I need them. Playing...

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