Tips and Techniques 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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PROJECT: Gluing Supplies Caddy

Chris Marshall — Thu, 29 Feb 2024 22:41:43 +0000

It’s tough to do much woodworking without reaching for a glue bottle and some means of spreading it around or dispensing it into joint parts. Over time, you’ll likely end up with a bottle of nearly every “flavor” of glue out there. I keep five types of PVA glue, hide glue, four viscosities of CA glue and a couple of small bottles of five-minute epoxy. Along with the adhesives, I have all sorts of Rockler silicone glue brushes, including those made for dowel, biscuit and other specific joints. And just recently, I’ve added some new silicone glue bottle caps for joinery to my collection too — they’re brand new from Rockler.

All of this stuff has needed organization for some time, and with this gluing supplies caddy, I think I have the solution. On top it’s amply sized to hold all the glue options, plus a quart of mineral spirits for checking for glue splotches and a small pail and sponge for cleaning up squeeze-out. Underneath, there’s a drawer for storing a bunch of glue brushes, a putty knife and my new Rockler glue bottle caps. The drawer is divided and slides out from either the front or back of the caddy to make it easier to find what I need. It’s held closed with pairs of rare-earth magnets to keep it from sliding open when I carry the caddy from where I’ll keep it to the bench for use. If your gluing supplies could use tidying up too, that’s a good excuse to commit some energy and a bit of lumber to this project on a Saturday morning sometime soon.

Building the Carcass

Mill 1/2″-wide x 3/4″-deep notches on the ends of the carcass front and back, and a mating pattern into the top ends of the carcass sides, to form interlocking box joints. Be sure to test your setup on scrap stock first.

Get this build underway by gluing up panels for the carcass sides from 3/4″ stock, as needed. Rip and crosscut them to final size, according to the Material List. Then cut a pair of workpieces for the carcass front and back to size.

The front, back and side panels connect with 1/2″ box joints. I made them on the router table with Rockler’s box joint jig and a 1/2″-dia. upcut spiral bit. But, you could also make them on the table saw with a 1/2″-wide dado blade and a shop-made jig. Raise the bit or blade to 3/4″ so the pins and slots of the joints will enable the workpieces to mesh completely together. Start the joints with a pin at the top edges of the front and back pieces, and machine the pattern across the full width of these two parts. Then use them as spacers to mill a mating joint on the top edges of both side panels. Here, there should be a slot that starts the pattern. Mill four slots and three pins only.

Plow 1/4″ x 1/4″ grooves along the inside faces of the carcass front, back and sides for the deck panel. Mark the cutting limits of the router bit so you can start and stop the groove cuts in the side panels accurately.

Next, install a 1/4″ straight or spiral bit in your router table so you can plow 1/4″-deep grooves on the inside faces of the front, back and sides for the caddy’s top deck. Adjust your router table’s fence so these grooves align with the bottom edge of the bottom pin on the front and back panels. Plow them the full length of the workpieces.

While the author opted to use #20 biscuits to attach the bottom panel to the sides, other joinery options would be fine choices too, including nailed or screwed butt joints or loose-tenon variations.

Use the same router table setup to plow grooves for the deck on the side panels. This time, however, mark the cutting limits of the router bit on the fence so you can start and stop these groove cuts 1/2″ in from the front and back ends of the side panels in order to hide them when the carcass is assembled. Square up the ends of the grooves with a chisel.

A pair of 3/8″-dia. rare-earth magnets, set fl ush with the top face of the bottom panel near both ends, will provide half of the drawer “catch” feature. Rough up the bottom surface of the magnets with a fine-grit sharpening stone or sandpaper before installing them in their holes with 5-minute epoxy.

Now you can cut a 1/4″-thick deck panel to size — I used MDF for mine. Prepare a 3/4″-thick bottom panel, too. Then go ahead and dry-assemble the six carcass parts you’ve made up to this point to ensure that the box joints close properly with the deck and bottom panel in place. If they do, sand the inside faces of the front, back, side and bottom panels up to 180-grit.

How you’ll install the bottom panel in the carcass is entirely up to you. I decided to use biscuit joints and machined four evenly spaced #20 biscuit slots into the adjacent surfaces of the bottom and side panels for this purpose.

Glue up the carcass with the deck and bottom panels installed. Rockler’s blue 1/2″ Box Joint Cauls and a pair of strap clamps are an effective way to press the joints’ pins and slots together snugly. Hide glue, used here, makes squeeze-out easy to clean up with water and a sponge.

As you can see, the drawer can be opened from either end of the caddy. And since this project is intended to be carried where it’s needed, it’s a good idea to provide some provision for a drawer “catch.” Four 3/8″-dia. rare-earth magnets can accomplish this purpose nicely! We’ll embed two magnets in the top face of the bottom panel and do the same in the bottom edges of the drawer’s front and back pieces. This way, when the drawer is closed, the pairs of magnets will attract one another and hold the drawer in place. I used a 3/8″-dia. Forstner bit to drill shallow holes for the magnets in the inside face of the bottom panel and then glued the magnets into place with quick-setting two-part epoxy. Make sure the top faces of the magnets are flush with the panel’s face.

Glue a pair of 1/4″-thick scrap drawer guides to the bottom face of the deck panel. They’ll prevent the drawer from tipping down excessively when it’s opened. If they’re initially flat, the guides don’t need to be clamped in place.

Next, spread glue over the pins and slots of the four box joints and into the biscuit slots, and clamp the carcass together with the deck, bottom panel and biscuits in place. When the glue cures, rip and crosscut two strips of 1/4″-thick scrap to create drawer guides. Glue and clamp them to the bottom of the deck inside the drawer “tunnel,” with their long outer edges flush against the carcass sides.

Adding the Handle

Saw the handle to shape and sand it smooth. Then ease the sharp edges above the carcass area with a 1/8″ roundover bit in a handheld router, as shown here, or with sandpaper, to make it more comfortable to grip.

Cut a blank for the handle to size, as outlined in the Material List. If you’re building your caddy from solid lumber as I did, make sure to orient the grain direction so the long grain will be parallel to the handle’s top grip (the grain should run horizontally when the handle is in place on the caddy). Lay out the handle’s shape, using the Handle Drawing as a guide.

Now step over to your band saw to cut out the handle, or use a handheld jigsaw. Sand the cut edges and faces of the handle smooth. Then ease the sharp edges of the portion of the handle that will extend above the carcass with a router and 1/8″-radius roundover bit. Or break these edges with sandpaper.

Fasten the upper divider to the front end of the handle with a couple of #8 x 2″ countersunk screws. Then attach the handle/divider assembly to the carcass with more screws.

Cut a divider for the upper area of the caddy to size from 3/4″ material. It should fit snugly between the side walls of the carcass. Center the front end of the handle on the length of the divider, and fasten the parts together by driving #8 x 2″ countersunk screws through the divider and into the handle.

Wood plugs aren’t necessary for shop projects like this, but they do make evidence of screws less noticeable. Install them with glue, then saw off the excess and sand the areas flush.

Slide the handle assembly into place on the caddy. Drive more countersunk screws through the sides and back of the caddy to secure the divider and back end of the handle. Cover the exposed screwheads, if you wish, with matching wood plugs. Trim the plugs flush and sand them smooth.

Assembling the Drawer

Box joints are an attractive and sturdy choice for the caddy’s drawer, too. This time, set the 1/2″-dia. spiral or straight bit to cut 1/2″-deep slots. Mill the joint patterns on the drawer front and back first so the outer corners become pins. The drawer sides have slotted corners instead of pins.

Joint and plane enough 1/2″ stock to make the drawer’s front, back, sides and drawer divider. Cut the parts to size. We’ll assemble the drawer with box joints to mimic those on the caddy. Set up your box joint-making system again, only this time, adjust the cutter height to 1/2″. I arranged the pattern so the drawer faces would have pins on their top and bottom edges. Mill all four corner joints.

Cut a 1/8″-deep x 1/2″-wide dado across the inside face of each drawer side for the drawer divider. This way, you can simply glue the divider into place without using nails or screws.

Just as before with the carcass, dry-fit the corner joints. If all looks good, plow a 1/4″ x 1/4″ groove for the drawer’s bottom panel into the inside faces of all four parts. Locate these grooves 1/2″ up from the bottom edges of drawer workpieces. That placement enables you to rout the grooves along the full length of the drawer front and back. Stop the grooves 1/4″ in from the ends of the drawer sides so they won’t show.

Assemble the drawer with glue and clamps. Be careful not to apply excessive pressure, which could throw the drawer out of square. Its diagonal measurements should match.

I decided to install the drawer divider with dadoes rather than simply nail or screw it to the sides, because sometimes a rogue nail will go sideways when driven into such thin material. I used a 1/2″-wide dado blade set 1/8″ above the table to plow dadoes all the way across the width of the drawer sides for the divider panel. I located these dadoes 8-1/4″ from the same ends of the drawer sides.

Drill a shallow 3/8″-dia. hole into the bottom
edge of the drawer front and back for inserting
the second pair of magnets. Be sure to double-
check for correct polarity with the bottom
panel magnets before gluing these into place.

After you cut a 1/4″-thick bottom panel and a divider to size, fit all the drawer parts together without glue to make sure the joints close correctly. If they do, sand the inside faces of the parts up to 180-grit. Then glue and clamp the drawer together. Make sure the corners remain square under clamping pressure; the diagonal corner-to-corner measurements of the drawer should match.

Drill a centered hole through the drawer front and back for the drawer knob machine screws. It never hurts to back up the drilling area with a piece of scrap clamped in place to prevent the bit from splintering wood as it punches through.

Once the glue dries, mark and drill a centered hole into the bottom faces of the drawer front and back for the other pair of magnets. Epoxy them into place, but before you do that, make sure to orient them so their polarity will attract the magnets in the carcass bottom instead of repel them.

Finishing Up

After applying several coats of a wipe-on oil/varnish blend, the author added a hook to the back of the handle for hanging Rockler’s 5″ Glue Roller. He also mounted a Glue Bottle Dock to the caddy’s front, above the drawer opening.

Finish-sand the outer surfaces of the caddy and drawer, and break all sharp edges either with sandpaper or a 1/8″ roundover bit. Then measure and mark a center point on the outer faces of the drawer front and back, and bore a 3/16″-dia. hole through each for a machine screw to attach the drawer knobs.

Apply finish to your new caddy. I wiped on several coats of Rockler’s Sam Maloof Poly/Oil Finish — it’s an amber-toned oil/varnish blend — to make the most of the grain pattern and color of my caddy’s southern yellow pine.

When the topcoat cures, install the two drawer knobs and fill this handy shop project up with your collection of glues and applicators. I attached a hook to the back of the handle for hanging Rockler’s 5″ Glue Roller and mounted a Glue Bottle Dock to the front with a couple of machine screws.

Click Here to Download the Drawings and Materials List.

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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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