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7 Tips for Better Drum Sanding
by American Woodworker Editors Wednesday, November 4, 2009
If you hate sanding (and who doesn’t?), a drum sander can be a godsend. Just feed in your boards, or even completed doors and other projects, and out they come, perfectly sanded, flat and smooth. And for a modern cabinetmaker looking for speed,...
Tips for Using Epoxy
by American Woodworker Editors Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Epoxy is a specialty glue that does more than simply stick wood together. It also fills gaps. That makes it ideal for tackling loose joints, hard-to-clamp parts, repair work and colored inlays. Besides that impressive flexibility, it’s also useful...
Draw Huge Arches
by American Woodworker Editors Wednesday, November 4, 2009
This old boatbuilder’s trick allows you to draw large arches without using a giant compass or trammel. All you have to know is the arch’s height (also called its rise) and length (its run). You don’t need a center point. I like the long...
Vertical Panel-Rising Jig
by American Woodworker Editors Wednesday, November 4, 2009
I always get great results when I use this tall fence for making raised-panel doors. It has a built-in dust collection port and a pressure bar that holds the panel firmly against the fence. I keep the bar’s front edge waxed, so panels slide smoothly...
A Better Jointer Fence
by American Woodworker Editors Tuesday, November 3, 2009
In our last issue (AW #114, May 2005), we published a workshop tip titled “Right-Angle Guide for Jointing.” In this tip, a reader suggested a way to steady a hand plane by attaching a wooden fence to its side, with the fence being held to...
$2 Mallet
by American Woodworker Editors Monday, October 26, 2009
My favorite chisel whacker comes from my hardware store’s plumbing department. It’s two pieces of malleable black pipe (not cast iron), a nipple and a reducing coupler, wrapped with a bicycle inner tube for a comfortable grip. It costs $2...
Practical Paraffin
by American Woodworker Editors Monday, October 26, 2009
Ordinary paraffin canning wax has dozens of uses in my shop. It’s cheap at $2 a pound, available at any grocery store and easy to cut into small chunks. Unlike candle wax, which often contains beeswax, or some spray lubricants, which may have silicone...
Freebie Marking Knife
by American Woodworker Editors Tuesday, October 20, 2009
I get a kick out of making new tools from old parts. I keep all my old files and chisels to turn them into something useful around the shop. The same goes for hacksaw blades. I turned a dull one into an excellent single-bevel marking knife. I prefer a...
Ladder Lumber Rack
by American Woodworker Editors Tuesday, October 20, 2009
I organized all my short boards by turning an inexpensive 6-ft. stepladder (about $30 at a home center) into a lumber rack. Now every board is easy to see and reach. My ladder didn’t have treads on the back legs, so I screwed on wooden cleats that...
Finish on Tap
by American Woodworker Editors Tuesday, October 20, 2009
I buy varnish by the gallon because it’s more economical, but after a few uses, the rim fills with gunk and the finish begins to skin over inside the can. As a result, I usually have to throw the can away before it’s empty. I solved this problem...
Hinged Frames Give Broad-Based Support
by American Woodworker Editors Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Whether I need support for cutting plywood or bases for an assembly table, I reach for my hinged frames instead of sawhorses. The hinged frames open into stable, double-armed platforms that can be used individually or together. Each assembly consists...
9 Tips for Beating Router Tear-Out
by American Woodworker Editors Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Stop router disasters before they start. by Eric Smith Snap, crackle, crunch! No, it’s not your breakfast cereal. That’s the sound of router tear-out. Aaargh! And that’s the sound of a woodworker facing a do-over or repair. Tear-out...
3 Kitchen Storage Projects
by American Woodworker Editors Monday, October 19, 2009
Squeeze more space from your cabinets with customized roll-outs. by Eric Smith and David Radke It may seem like a paradox, but even kitchens that are overflowing have underutilized space. Many base cabinets are only half used, because the back is inaccessible...
Honey, I bought a log!
by American Woodworker Editors Monday, October 19, 2009
For perfectly matched boards, I ordered a whole flitch-cut cherry log. by Joe Gohman I love the look of natural, unstained cherry, but I’ve never had much luck matching its color and figure. Every cherry board I’ve bought at a lumberyard has...
Double Scrollsaw Blade Life
by American Woodworker Editors Thursday, October 15, 2009
When my scrollsaw blade gets dull, it’s really only dull on the bottom half, because the wood I cut is usually less than 1/2 in. thick. To get more life out of my blade, I made an auxiliary table that raises the workpiece, so I can cut with the...

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