Shop Tips - Page 134 of 165

This method grew out of my need to make some small, precise wooden prototypes a few months back. First I purchased one of those X/Y milling vises and clamped it…

In Methods of Work, Fine Woodworking #86, Steven Springston describes a method of sawing picture-frame miters using complementary angles. Although Mr. Springston's method will produce a perfect 90¡ angle, if…

Recently, I needed to cut a large number of 5/8-in. grooves across several large pieces. Because I dislike using cutters larger than 1/2 in. in my small router and because…

The toy wheel cutting fixture I made for my Craftsman 12-in. bandsaw attaches to the saw's fence with two screws. The fixture will cut out wheels ranging in diameter from…

Over the years, I've seen many plans for homemade jigs that utilize a hardwood runner that fits in the miter-gauge slot. But, because wood shrinks and expands depending on the…

I like to reinforce the miter joints in my picture frames by adding a contrasting key after the glue in the joint has set. The usual method of cutting the…

The fixture above marks the centers of turning stock and, at the same time, notches the stock to receive the spurs of your lathe's live center. To make the fixture,…

Here is a quick procedure for setting the fence on your router. Grind a center point on the end of a steel dowel pin that fits the chuck of your…

When I needed to make several scarf joints for a cover board in a boatbuilding project, I used a router and template to cut the joint's profile. The challenge was…

Here's a cribbage-board drilling method that's more straightforward than the one offered by Charles Whitney in Fine Woodworking #92, p. 20. Start with a piece of 1/8-in.-thick flat iron long…