1. You’re wasting your time if you sand past 220 grit if you plan on using a film finish like varnish or shellac. Anymore than that and the small scratches are filled in by the finish.

2. To tell if the entire surface of a board that you ran through your thickness planer is flat scribble on it with chalk and run it through your planer until all the chalk is removed.

3. Use the eraser ends of pencils to make great guides for running small stock through a bandsaw.

4. Use rare earth magnets to keep your tool accessories handy like the drill press key, bandsaw wrench, etc.

5. To saw wide boards on your table saw turn your miter gauge around so that the miter gauge head is in front of the board instead of behind it. It also helps to add a longer faceboard to the miter gauge.

These are just a few tips that I picked up over this past week. They come from a variety of sources including books, magazines, newsletters, online and from personal experience.

There are more Woodworking Tips and Tidbits located here.

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