1. If you use multiple measuring tools; tapes, rulers, squares, etc. ensure that the distance increments all match. Sometimes they don’t. If they differ, and you use a variety of measuring tools on a project, your dimensions can vary causing sizing problems. It is best to use the same measuring tool thruout the project.

2. Oil finishes can dramatically change the color of light woods. Use sanding sealer prior to application of your oil finishes to reduce this color change.

3. Cover unused electrical outlets in your shop. This will keep out sawdust and dirt out of the slots, a common cause of short circuits.

4. To carry a full size sheet of plywood or panelling by yourself, tie a single length of rope, about 18 feet long, in a loop. Hook the ends of the loop over the lower corners of the sheet and with your arm over the sheet grip the middle of the rope in one hand. Use the other hand to balance the sheet.

5. Lose the cap of your glue bottle? Need a cap for a caulking tube? Try an appropriate sized screw-on electrical wire nut (marret).

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 some from personal experience.

There are more Woodworking Tips and Tidbits located here.

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1. Round the edges of the back of your bandsaw blade to increase the allowable radius of a cut. This makes the cutting easier too.

2. To keep panels from bowing under clamp pressure while gluing, clamp lengths of angle aluminum on each end with the two opened edges on the wood (like an upside down ‘V’). Clamp the angle pieces just firmly enough to hold things in place. Then tighten the pipe clamps. Unlike iron or steel, aluminum won’t leave black marks where it contacts squeezed-out glue. Also, unlike a wooden cleat, it won’t become glued to the panel.

3. Don’t grab your wood from a tool like the table or band saw until you can count the teeth on the blade.

4. Do you need a quick zero clearance insert for your table, band or scroll saw? Use masking tape. It won’t last long but just may get you through a small project.

5. It is best not to wipe off the wet glue after clamping, as it will spread the glue around and make finishing difficult. However, if it is a water based glue, it should be removed before it is cured. The moisture of the glue raises the grain a little and when it hardens the moisture is trapped. Then later, when the glue is removed, the wood shrinks and a glue line becomes perceptible. If you use a scraper or chisel when the glue skims over it will come off in nice strips. Washing the glue off with a wet cloth works but you must be careful to get all off or it will be everywhere.

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 some from personal experience.

There are more Woodworking Tips and Tidbits located here.

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1. If you resaw wood, keep a bandsaw blade strictly for this purpose. Cutting curves knocks down the set of the blade’s teeth which will cause a blade to wander.

2. Most boards display rift grain at the edges and plain grain in the middle. To cut legs for a project that displays straight riftsawn pattern on all four faces cut your legs from the edges of your boards. You will get legs with four good faces and look good from any angle.

3. When preparing laminates make the bottom board wider than the others, with one long edge machined straight and square. During glue-up have the squared edge proud of the rest of the stack. Once glue has dried you can use this edge against your tablesaw fence to square the other side.

4. Compact discs make excellent shims for setting up dado blades. Simply enlarge the hole to your tablesaw’s arbor size, and insert the discs between the blades to the required thickness you need.

5. Some woods are more prone to tearout and require an extra step when cutting, especially plywood. Run a strip of masking tape down the length of your wood; mark your cutline directly on the tape. Saw and remove tape. It should be tearout free.

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 some from personal experience.

There are more Woodworking Tips and Tidbits located here.

Back to the shop…

1. Crosscutting large sheets of plywood on the tablesaw can be difficult, and you usually end up binding the blade, burning the wood, or worse. To get around this, clamp a board under the plywood, and use it as an auxiliary fence which rides against the left edge of the tablesaw top.

2. You can use your screwdriver bits with a ratchet using a 1/4″ socket. This comes in especially handy when trying to put a screw in an awkward place.

3. Blunting the end of a nail will often prevent it from splitting the wood because a sharp point tends to separate the fibers of the wood causing it to split, while the blunt end shears the fibres as the nail is driven.

4. When woodturning always work down hill. In other words, work from the outside towards the center of the spindle or bowl. It is easier to work and control the gouge, chisel or scraper working this way.

5. Some woods, such as walnut or oak, are very tough and hard to carve. You can soften the wood up by applying de-natured alcohol to it. The alcohol will not cause the grain to raise like water will. The alcohol, of course, will evaporate with time.

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.

Back to the shop…