11/30/08 – Woodworking Tips And Tidbits
1. When using a honing guide to sharpen your plane blades place a couple of earth magnets on the blade. The metal particles will then collect on top of the blade aiding sharpening and easing cleanup. When finished remove the magnets from the blade over the trash.
2. To drill a perfect sized pilot hole for a finish nail, just clip the head off a same size finish nail and use it to drill the hole.
3. To glue wood together temporarily make a paper joint with a sheet of paper (brown paper bag works best!) in between them. To break apart place the tip of a chisel at the crack point and tap with a mallet.
4. Use Titebond III for gluing dark woods and Tightbond II for gluing light woods. The color of Titebond III dries dark and Tightbond II dries light, thereby minimizing the visibility of a glue line.
5. Use a small amount of denatured alcohol or mineral spirits to temporarily bring-out the grain in a piece of sanded wood. Once dissipated neither of these will leave any trace that will affect your finishing.
These are just a few tips that I picked up lately. They come from a variety of sources including books, magazines, newsletters, online and some from personal experience.
There are more Woodworking Tips and Tidbits located here.
Got a woodworking tip that you want to share? Let me know and I’ll add it in a future issue of Tips and Tidbits!
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