Tricks of the Trade Archives - Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To

Rare-earth Magnet Bit Holders

Bruce Kieffer — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 17:13:15 +0000

I screwed these countersunk rare-earth magnets to the back of the cabinet door where I keep my cordless screwdriver. They hold my most often used screwdriver bits at the ready. The magnets have about a 1/8″ projection, which makes grabbing the bits easy. If you adopt this trick for your shop, be sure to gently hand-drive the screws, since rare-earth magnets are brittle.

– Bruce Kieffer
Edina, Minnesota

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Rounding Gouge Heels

Reader Submitted — Fri, 29 Mar 2024 15:00:19 +0000

As part of sharpening a bowl gouge, I have learned that occasionally grinding the heel is very beneficial, especially when turning deeper, smaller bowls. Without the sharper heel, I’m able to turn the gouge to a tighter radius as I’m hollowing out bowl interiors. If I place the gouge between the platform and the sharpening wheel with the heel against the wheel, then slowly rotate the gouge, I get a smooth and uniform grind to remove the heel.

– Howard Hirsch
Downingtown, Pennsylvania

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Adjusting Height of Long Bit

Reader Submitted — Fri, 22 Mar 2024 20:52:09 +0000

Not long ago, I encountered the problem that I couldn’t adjust my router table motor low enough in its lift to use a very long straight bit for cutting the shallow groove I needed to make. So instead of buying a shorter bit, I just attached a piece of slippery melamine board with a hole in it to my router table’s top with carpet tape.

The board acted like a giant shim to give the bit the lower cutting height this operation required. I positioned the through hole for the bit so that I could slide my router table fence up beside it. In the future, I can just drill more holes in this melamine board at whatever fence setting I need to use it again in the same way.

– Serge Duclos
Delson, Quebec

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Clamping Angled Corners

Reader Submitted — Fri, 15 Mar 2024 19:24:42 +0000

When I built a corner table recently with three sides, I needed a way to clamp the apron to each leg on a 45-degree angle. I cut a 45-degree notch in a couple of pieces of 2×4 so that one face of the notch was parallel to the one apron and the other face to the joining apron. The corners then became easy to clamp.

– Andrew Limeri
Framingham, Massachusetts

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Grippier Crosscut Fence

Bruce Kieffer — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 16:00:06 +0000

Here’s a simple way to improve the “grip” on any machine fence where workpieces slipping out of place is problematic. Just apply a light coating of spray adhesive to the contact surface of the fence. Allow a week for the adhesive to cure before you use the fence.

The coating will produce a non-slip surface without transferring the dried adhesive to the workpiece. I’ve found this treatment to last for many years!

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Crosscut Sled Holster

Reader Submitted — Fri, 22 Dec 2023 16:00:43 +0000

I love my beefy crosscut sled, but I don’t like having to haul it very far from where I keep it to the table saw. I wanted to store it under my saw’s wing, but I found that it would sometimes tip over, and dragging the hefty sled out was getting tedious and starting to cause damage to the sled. That’s why I built this “holster” using a few dozen inexpensive transfer bearings and some scrap plywood. The sled now stores securely inside the holster next to my saw and pulls out quickly and easily whenever I need it.

– Greg Snow
Grand Rapids, Michigan

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Rip Fence Stop Uses Rockler Clamp-It Square

Reader Submitted — Wed, 13 Dec 2023 23:16:10 +0000

At times I need to make a stopped cut on the table saw with no convenient, repeatable method to clamp a stop block to my outfeed table. To solve the problem, I have bolted a long plywood bracket to my rip fence, and I use a Rockler Clamp-It Assembly Square screwed to a shorter plywood base that I clamp to the bracket to act as the stop. I just unclamp the stop when I don’t need it so the plywood bracket doesn’t obstruct the rip fence for normal rip cuts.

– Dan Martin
Galena, Ohio

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Square Drive Nailset in a Pinch

Charles Mak — Wed, 06 Dec 2023 16:00:26 +0000

A Robertson “square drive” driver bit of the right size can become a makeshift nailset on a jobsite or if a nailset is not around. Simply put the bit in a magnetic bit holder for drill/drivers or impact drivers and tap on the hex end of the holder with a hammer to recess the nail head. It’s not an ideal substitute, but it sure comes in handy in a pinch.

– Charles Mak
Calgary, Alberta

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In Praise of Parchment Paper

Reader Submitted — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 15:00:37 +0000

I have been making 3D cutting boards like this lately. Gluing multiple flat pieces together, edge to edge, has been a challenge, because they can stick to whatever is underneath. I have tried various non-stick solutions, but the absolute best is a plain piece of parchment paper. It’s cheap and widely available in grocery or kitchen stores. The dried board pulls right off of it easily. Go buy your own roll of parchment paper for shop projects instead of taking the one in your kitchen (don’t ask me how I know!).

– Charles Mattina
Rumson, New Jersey

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Sealing Edges with Joint Compound

Reader Submitted — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 19:41:16 +0000

Painting MDF or particleboard creates smooth surfaces on the faces of these sheet goods but not on their sawn edges. The edges are much more porous and soak up paint like a sponge. To remedy this, I thin joint compound for drywall with a little water and rub it into the edge with my finger. Then I lightly sand it. The joint compound seals the edges so they absorb paint more similarly to the smoother faces.

– Randy Wolfe
Hoover, Alabama

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