You need to clamp diagonally across a case. The problem is the clamp has a flat face and needs to be steady on the point of the corner and not damage the corner when clamping pressure is applied. (more…)

After having cut all of the pieces of a cabinet it is time to dry fit them together and check how well everything fits together.  Now it is time to determine if the cabinet is square.

Note: This technique applies to any box you are building from a cabinet to bed frame. (more…)

In a previous post I pointed out a technique for cutting a flat surface on a twisted or warped board by using a joiner.  Well, what if you don’t have joiner?  What if the board is twelve inches wide and you have a six inch wide joiner?  A fellow wood worker came up with an interesting solution using his bench top planner. (more…)

For the beginner woodworker the terminology of the woodworking can be rather confusing.  There is a plethora of acronyms and terms that only make sense within the woodworking world.  Without understanding the initial jargon of woodworkers it is hard to understand and communicate without feeling out of place. (more…)

There are a wide variety of techniques in joining boards together from simple butt joints to through mortis and tenon joinery.  Each joinery technique has a set of applications where it works very well at.  Learning how to make these joints will greatly increase your woodworking skills and expand the types of projects that you can take on. (more…)

Woodshop safety is not a very popular topic. Most woodworkers want to know the latest tool, free plans, or learn more advanced techniques. All of which are important; however, without paying attention to shop safety, the likelihood of having a major accident increases greatly. (more…)

This is the second installment of tips to save money when buying your lumber.

6. Use proper board storage.

When lumber is stored properly it reduces the risk of warping and splitting. This will let you hold on to the discount lumber purchases for a long time. The proper way to store lumber is on a lumber rack horizontally. Stack the boards carefully on strong horizontal supports that form a flat shelf.

7. Buy rough cut lumber.

If you have a bench top planer and don’t mind planning up the boards this is a great way to save some money. Having access to a 6 inch wide joiner will really help in producing clean, square edges.

What to do with all of the planer shavings? They make great mulch and also compost well in the compost bin. (more…)

Who doesn’t want to save some money when purchasing wood? Here are ten tips to help reduce the cost of purchasing lumber without reducing the quality of your wood working project.

1. Build less visible parts from lower cost woods.

Hidden parts of the project do not need to be built out of the same wood as the visible parts. For example, drawer bodies, drawer supports, spaces, and shelves can be built out of less expensive wood such as poplar or plywood.

2. Buy shorter boards.

Many hardwood dealers specialize in ‘first and seconds’ and ‘select’ grades of lumber. To meet this requirement boards must be six or eight feet long. The short boards are typically of the same or better grade as the higher grades. They usually sell for 30 percent less than the ‘first and seconds’ price.

Recalculate your materials list to take advantage of shorter boards or boards that have imperfections such as rough grain or knots. (more…)

The basic definition of a board foot is a measurement of the volume of wood, sort of. In its simplest form one board foot equals 144 cubic inches. Or a board that is twelve inches wide by twelve inches long and one inch thick. That is the simple definition.

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Do you have problems with your table saw rusting? Or are you getting black marks on the wood stock when cutting it on the table saw? Here is a simple solution to stop a cast iron table saw top from rusting and stop an aluminum top from marking the wood when being pushed over it. As a side benefit this solution makes the wood slide easier over the table saw top.

Apply a coat of paste floor wax to the table top. What brand should you use? I have used Johnson floor wax. Follow the instructions on the can and apply a coat to the table top, wait the prescribed amount of time and wipe off with a clean cotton towel, sock or underwear.

Won’t the floor wax soak into the wood and mess up the finishing?

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Does your table saw blade leave ‘chatter’ or vibration marks on the stock you are cutting?  Most of the economical table saw blades vibrate while they are spinning.  When ripping stock, this vibration leaves a slightly uneven cut.

An edge joiner is the way to square up and clean up the edges of the wood.  However, not every home wood worker has an edge joiner.

The typical solution to remove the unevenness is to use a sander.  Be it either a quarter inch vibrating sander, random orbital sander, or a belt sander.  Sanders work well, although there is a good chance that the sanded surface will be slightly uneven, due to uneven pressure.

Consider using the bench top planner.  The potential problem here is that the board is being run through the planner on edge so that it could tip over and the planner would destroy the edge.  So, group a set of boards of the same width together and plane them at the same time.  This will prevent the stock from tipping over while being run through the planner.

Note: I have only tried this technique on a group of boards that were two inches wide.  The wider the stock the more boards you will need to run through the planner at the same time.

I am working on a Christmas project where I needed four 2” x 3/4” x 48” legs.  Cut the stock and eight wider at 2 1/8 inches.  Set up the bench top planner to 2 1/16.  Take all four pieces and hold them together as a bundle.  With the table saw cut side facing up towards the planner’s cutter head run the four pieces through, at the same time.  Lower the planner cutter head to 2 inches and run the other side through.

Edge joining
woodworking joining tip