1. If your hammer is continually slipping off the nails as you strike, use sand paper to roughen the face.

2. Don’t try to cut a log on a bandsaw without a jig. Because it is round the log will be drawn down to the table jamming the blade, possibly breaking it.

3. When making picture frames always make at least one extra piece. Somewhere along the line, whether cutting, routing or dadoing, you’ll be sure to lose a piece and have to create another. This will involve setting your equipment back up with the exact same measurements as the other pieces, reinstalling blades and bits, etc.

4. A clean shop is a happy shop. Sweep often. It’s a simple thought but I find that a regular sweep of the shop floor and equipment always gives me the feeling of starting anew, ready for the next project. If done at the end of the day it also gives a sense of completeness.

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…

1. Don’t check your lathe toolrest by running your fingers along it while turning a pen blank. The square edge of the blank will catch your fingertip, ripping the skin away from the nail causing great pain and distress.

2. Always, always, always wear your face shield when turning.

3. Measure twice, cut once is not enough. You must ensure your measurements are correct first, then measure twice and cut once.

4. The higher the clamp pressure, the thinner the glue line. The thinner the glue line, the stronger the joint. Most woodworkers are probably underclamping their joints.

5. Create an ebonizing stain by using equal parts of vinegar, water and steel wool, allowing to soak for two weeks. Store in a glass jar with a breathable lid to allow hydrogen gas to escape.

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…

1. Logs cut during a tree’s growing season will have bark that is easy to remove while logs cut during a tree’s dormant season will have bark that is hard to remove. This is because during the growing season the tree’s cambial cell contents are quite fluid and making the cambial layer fragile. During the dormant season the cell content thickens and the cambial layer stiffens becoming less vulnerable.

2. Wipe exotic woods with a little acetone to clear the oils before gluing.

3. To slow checking as you turn a piece of green wood you can spray with water.

4. After you rough turn a bowl using green wood seal the outside only, leaving the inside unsealed. This will speed up drying and allow more even drying.

5. If you have one of those vacuum sealers used for food they also work great for keeping your used paint brushes from drying out overnight, minimizing the need to clean them between painting sessions.

6. To mark a straight line on a dowel place it in the miter slot of your table saw and then draw a straight line where the edge of the slot meets the dowel. If your dowel is smaller than 3/4″ round cut a smaller dado in a scrap piece of wood and use the same technique.

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…

1. Make a dado guide for quick size reference by taking a length of plywood by about 6″ and making cuts across it with all the size variables of your stackable dado blades. Mark the sizes and blade/shim combinations in the appropriate dado. Then all you have to do is fit your wood in the dado that it fits to quickly determine your dado setup.

2. When gluing up large pieces like a table top use a dowel the same size as the thickness of the boards laid parallel between your clamps and the wood. This concentrates the pressure in the middle of the wood and minimizes the tendency of the clamps to force the boards up and down.

3. To help keep sawdust off your safety facemask try rubbing an anti-static dryer sheet over the face shield. You can also try anti-fog spray sold at most sports stores.

4. To force glue into a tight spot like a crack, put a little dab of glue where you want it and then blow it deep into the tight spot using a straw.

5. An old toothbrush (or a new one) makes a terrific glue spreader in some applications like spreading glue on edge of a board.

6. You can steady your pipe clamps and keep them from tipping over making several “cradles” from inexpensive metal broom clips and plywood blocks. The cradles have the added benefits of raising the panel off the clamps, so there’s no worrying about the pipes leaving behind ugly black stains on the wood.

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…