5 Quick Wood Finishing Hacks

Read Time: 7 mins

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There are many, many different options when it comes to putting a final finish on your woodworking project and to make sure that finish goes on the way you want, there are often some tips and tricks that we can learn along the way to help us do a quicker and better job, and when it comes to the topic of "finishing" many woodworkers (myself included) find the finishing process long and tedious, so anything we can do to help it along is a bonus ...

Finishing Story or Sample Boards

A fancy name for noting more that selection of finishes on some boards that are all the same species so you can see what they look like and make your determinations from there in terms of color, type of finish and type of surface .. glossy, semi-gloss or matte.

Small Parts Holding Router Jig for the Router Table

Read Time: 3 mins

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Attempting to make small parts on any woodworking machine means extra care is needed and almost always some sort of a holding jig to keep your hands and fingers away from cutting bits and blades, which is why this jig is so handy. Router bit spin at very high speeds and for some, just the noise can be intimidating. The high speed spinning bits will normally produce excellent results, but if you ware working with smaller pieces, if then are not supported properly, can whip smaller pieces out of your hand in an instant so support for smaller pars means a safer way to cut, and equally as important ... a better quality cut because working safely means we can take our time to ensure better quality results.

This small parts holding jig is easy to build and doesn't take a lot of time and when you are done you will appreciate how well it works for holding those small parts in the router table. I started off with some bits of plywood ...

5 Quick Drill Press Hacks - Woodworking Tips and Tricks

Read Time: 6 mins

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The poor Drill Press ... often the last tool to get picked, and the first one you go to when you want a precision job done. Drill presses are not necessarily the handiest tools in the shop, but after you have had one, try and live with out it. You will soon find just how valuable it is, and how much it get used for all those quick litte holes you some to need on so many things. For many years my drill press accessories seemed to get spread around the shop and to find something for it was always a kind of "find-me-if-you-can" hunt, so some time ago I decided to put everything that attaches and/or goes with the drill press either in the small roll-around cabinet it sits on, or in the small cupboard right beside it. It was almost like a miracle, all of a sudden the drill press began to get more and more use ...

The one thing that confunded me for years was were to put the chuck key. For a time the chuck key lived at the end of a string attached to the drill press, but the cord always seemed to be getting in the way of tangling up as I twisted it around and around to tighten and loosen drill bits ...

Making a Simple Router Jig for Dados

Read Time: 3 mins

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Not every jig needs to be complicated, and this jig is one of the simplest, yet most effective jigs you can make for cutting dados. It's ideal for anyone who wants to make a shelving unit and want to make sure the shelves are securly connected to the sides by having them inset into dado. The jig is quick and easy to set up, and it's variable, meaning you can use it for any depth of shelf you want and you don't even need to measure them, you can use the actual shelf that you have to set the width of the dado, then simple clamp the jig to your end boards and start cutting ... it's that easy.

I made mine form 3/4 inch plywood because it's stable, thick and sturdy and won't easily (if at all) warp or crack, and will give me many, many years of service ...