Shop Tips

Learn tips and tricks that make your shop time more productive. Find out how to get the most out of hand tools and power tools, including your router and table saw. See tips on finishing, gluing, clamping, sharpening, layout, and more!

Low-cost way to put light where most needed

At some machines, such as a drill press, bandsaw, lathe, and scrollsaw, fine work requires clearly seeing what you’re doing.

Cut perfect circles quickly using a bandsaw

With this jig you can accurately and repeatably cut circles of various diameters, even when months pass between work sessions.

Under-the-table solution for clamp storage

Attach this sliding clamp holder to the bottom of your tablesaw’s extension table to keep bar clamps

Don’t let big bowl blanks bust your bandsaw blades

Like most woodturners, I cut bowl blanks round on my bandsaw before mounting them on the lathe.

Get an edge on maintaining a consistent sharpening angle

To quickly and accurately position plane irons in a sharpening jig, write down the distance from the iron’s tip to the jig after you sharpen the iron.