Masking Tape Clamp

Recently, I was building the Craftsman-style clock that was featured in the November 1999 issue of Workbench.

The long edges on the front and sides of this clock are mitered. So, the trick was trying to clamp up the clock without having the tips of the miters slip out of alignment. To prevent the pieces from sliding, I “clamped” the clock together with masking tape. (The tape also lets you adjust the fit of the miter joints.)

Start with the front and sides of the clock face up on your workbench. After you’ve carefully aligned the tips of the miters, tape the pieces together, leaving a space between each piece of tape.

The space will allow you to see whether the tips of the miters are aligned during glue-up (Fig. 1a).

After flipping the pieces over face down, put glue in the valley of the miters (Fig.1). Then flip up one side and use a small square to hold it in place (Fig.2). Now stand the second side up and tape across the two sides (see photo at top). To adjust the fit of the joint, loosen or tighten the tape.

Magnetic Clamp Pads

Whenever I use pipe clamps, I like to use a block of wood as a clamping pad.

The clamping pad helps prevent damage to the surface of my project when I tighten down the joint. Problem is, it's always been difficult to hold the block in place while I tighten the clamp.

To solve this problem, I attach small magnets to my wood blocks to keep them in place while I tighten the clamp. To secure the magnet to my wood block, I cut a recessed hole on one side of the block (the same diameter as the magnet) and then epoxy the magnet into the hole, see drawing. The magnet holds the

clamping pad in place, leaving me with both hands free to align the clamp on the workpiece.

Locking Dowels for Dadoes

A recent project for my shop called for quite a few drawers. To make the project as quick as possible, I simply cut dadoes in all the drawer fronts to accept the sides. After I completed the project, I found the dado joints just weren't as strong as I would have liked them to be.

So next time I tried something new.

I wanted a joint that was easy to make and would also stand up to heavy use. So I tried "beefing" up my dado joint with a pair of dowels that lock each joint like a key, see photo.

After assembling each drawer, I drill a small hole on each joint line, as shown in Fig. 1. Then I insert and glue a short dowel into the hole to form a "locking" pin.

Choose a dowel size about a fourth the thickness of your drawer front. With 1/2"-thick stock, I used a 1/8"-dia. dowel. And don't worry about cutting them to perfect length. Just trim them flush with a chisel after they're glued in.(Fig. 1a).

Since most small drill bits are short, you'll only be able to insert a small length of the dowel into the joint. So repeat the process on both the top and bottom of the drawer (Fig. 2).

Glue Roller

Like a lot of woodworkers, I use a paint roller to spread glue over large surfaces. But instead of using an ordinary roller cover, I cut a piece of PVC pipe to fit over the roller cage.

The PVC pipe gives me a more even and smooth application, and doesn't soak up the glue like a paint roller would. Clean up is easier, too. Just let the glue dry on the pipe, and then chip it off. Now it's ready to be used again.

Fitting Threaded Inserts

I use threaded inserts in quite a few of my shop jigs and accessories. A good way to make sure the insert goes in straight is to use the chuck on a drill press.

Start by drilling an undersized pilot hole for the insert. Find a spare bolt that fits the insert, cut off the head, and mount it in the chuck. Next thread a nut and the insert on to the bolt, see drawing. Tighten the nut to make sure the insert is secured to the bolt.

Lower the drill, applying light pressure with the control arm while you rotate the chuck (clockwise) by hand.

When the insert is completely embedded, lock the spindle in place and back off the

nut from the top of the insert. Then unlock the spindle and unthread the bolt from

the insert while slowly releasing pressure on the control arm.

Corner Clamp

Whenever I'm assembling mitered frames, I have a difficult time holding the frame pieces in position while gluing or installing fasteners. But instead of buying an expensive corner clamp, I made my own using a couple of pipe clamps.

First, I attached my clamps to a couple of short lengths of black pipe and threaded them into a "T" fitting. Then I attached the whole assembly to a 3/4" plywood base with a couple large screws.

I also cut a notch in one corner of the plywood to provide clearance for assembling the frame pieces. 

To support the frame pieces while they're in the clamps, I added supports along the edges and down the middle of the base, as you can see in the lower drawing.

Centering a Table Top

Centering the top of a table on its base used to be a time-consuming process for me. I'd spend a lot of time with a ruler checking and rechecking the overhang along all four sides to make sure it was the same all the way around. But now I use a quicker method — that's more accurate.

First, I flip the top of the table or cabinet upside down and mark the center of all four sides, as shown in the drawing. Then I find the center of each apron (or side), making a mark on the outside face of each one where it meets the top. Once the centers are marked, place the base upside down on the table top.

Now to center the base on the top, it's just a matter of aligning the marks on the aprons to the marks on the top. (Note: Before you tighten the mounting hardware, double check the alignment marks one more time to make sure the base hasn't shifted.)

Applying Edging

Gluing hardwood edging to plywood has never been one of my favorite tasks. It’s always tricky to keep the edging from slipping while tightening down the clamps. So to help hold the edging in place, I made some clamping blocks.

These blocks have a shallow, wide groove on one side that's sized to just fit over the edging and plywood, see drawing. This holds the edging flush with the plywood. To prevent the blocks from getting glued to the workpiece, I apply wax to the surface of the blocks before using them.

Magnetic Featherboard

Sometimes clamping a featherboard to the table saw is more trouble than it’s worth. The cast ribs underneath the saw table always seem to get in the way of the clamps. And when I need to move the featherboard just a hair, it’s a pain to reposition the clamps.

To help simplify things, I made a magnetic featherboard that attaches to the table saw in seconds, as you can see at right. The key to this featherboard is a pair of magnetic bases like the kind used to hold a dial indicator (above, left photo). We bought our magnetic bases from Enco Manufacturing. Search their web site www.use-enco.com for Part No. 625-0930 or call toll-free 1-800-873-3626 to order.

Note: magnets do not work on aluminum tables.

The unique feature on these bases is a switch that lets you "turn" the magnetic field on or off. Once the featherboard is in position, you simply flip on both switches to secure it to the saw table. To reposition (or remove) the featherboard, just turn the switches off.

To make this work, a featherboard is attached to an L-shaped support, like you see in the drawing below. After cutting an angled notch to fit the featherboard, I rabbeted each end of the top to fit the magnetic bases. A threaded hole in the top of each base makes it easy to bolt them to the support.

Router Crank Handle

The fine adjustment knob on plunge routers can be small and difficult to use. So I replaced mine with a window crank that I found at my local hardware store.

The large handle makes fine adjustments easier to con-trol. Plus, the handle is a lot easier to find when I mount the router under a table.

Window cranks come in several sizes, so be sure to get one that matches the shaft on your router. The shaft on my router just happened to be 3/8", which is a standard window crank size. 

Depending on the kind of router you have, you might get a better fit if you first remove the threads in the crank handle. I reamed out the splines of my crank.

with a 3/8" bit and then used the set screw to anchor the handle to the flat part of the shaft.

Recycled Brush Holder

When using oil finishes, I like to keep my brush immersed in thinner until I'm finished with the project.

Problem is, if you stand the brush up in a can or jar, you'll eventually ruin your brush with permanently curled bristles.

One way to keep bristles in like-new condition is to temporarily store your brushes in baby wipe plastic containers. The lids already have an expansion hole in the top, which makes it easy to insert the brush handle.

With the lid in place, the brush stays suspended and the thinner doesn't evaporate as quickly as it would in an open jar.

Putty Trick

When filling nail holes with putty, I sometimes smear the putty around without too much thought. This can cause problems if the putty is lighter than the wood around it, resulting in large ugly blotches (instead of tiny nail-sized spots). Fortunately, I found a better way to fill the holes with less mess.

Before picking up the hammer, I apply a strip of masking tape over the area where I'm going to set the nails. Then I nail and recess the heads as normal. 

When I fill the nail holes, the putty goes in the holes and never touches the surrounding wood. After I remove the tape, I simply sand the small bump of putty that remains.

Power Stir Stick

Here's a quick and easy way to thoroughly mix a can of paint that's been sitting in your shop for awhile.

Simply cut a piece out of a plastic coat hanger and chuck it in your power drill, see photo. You'll find it mixes the paint quicker and more thoroughly than stirring by hand.

When you're done mixing, just open the chuck and let the hanger drop in the trash.

Glue Brush Tip

I like to use a small acid brush to apply glue to my projects. Problem is that I never know what to do with my brush between applying coats. It always seems to end up on my workbench, leaving a sticky mess.

To solve this problem, I converted a standard-size baby jar lid into a brush holder.

The lid keeps my brush off the bench surface while I'm working.

And when I'm finished, I simply leave the brush in the lid and screw it back onto the jar. It's a great way to store the glue until it's time for my next project.

Finishing Wood Plugs

Whenever I use wood plugs, I like to stain or finish them before adding them to my project. Problem is, they’re so small it’s difficult to hold on to them. Plus, I usually end up with stain on my hands and fingers. To make things easier, I came up with this simple trick.

Take a piece of masking tape and push a row of thumbtacks into the sticky side of the tape. Then place the tape down on a piece of scrap wood, with the point of the thumbtacks facing up. Now push your wood plugs onto the thumbtacks, just enough to keep them steady while you apply the stain or finish.

When the plugs are dry, simply pull up the tape and remove the plugs.

Finishing Shelves

Finishing shelves can be a time-con-suming task. Once you’ve applied the finish to one side of the shelf, you have to wait for it to dry before turning the shelf over to finish the other side.

While working on a project with a lot of shelves, I came up with a simple solution. I screw some narrow strips of wood to the back edge of the shelf to act as temporary "feet", as you can see in the drawing.

Then I stand the shelf up while applying finish to both sides. Once the finish is dry, I simply remove the feet. Don't worry about the screw holes.

They're aren’t visible since they are on the back edge of the shelf.

Finishing Easel

Applying a finish to something lying on a sawhorse can be a pain, literally. To ease the strain on my back and make the work less tiring, I built an adjustable "easel" that rests on a sawhorse. Now I can work at a more comfortable height.

Shelf Pin Jig

I like drilling shelf pin holes in the top, bottom, and sides of a box so that it can be used vertically or horizontally. But that means the holes must be perfectly aligned if I want the shelves to be level regardless of how I set up the box. To get this kind of uniform spacing, I like to use a simple layout jig to mark my hole locations before I drill.

I made my jig out of ¾"-thick scrap material. The L-shape design lets me slide the jig flush along the edge of the board while I mark holes with a nail. Plus, the indentation left by the nail makes a nice starter hole for my drill bit. 

Start by marking the position of the first set of holes. Then simply slide the jig down the board and mark the next pair of holes. If you start your jig at the same place on every board, all shelf pin holes will be perfectly aligned.

Quick Drawer Slides

Some of the older wooden drawers in my house just don't slide in and out like they should. They bind and catch in the drawer slides, especially in the more humid months of the year. Here's a quick fix I discovered that will have your sticky drawers gliding smoothly across the slides.

Try inserting metal thumb tacks on the bottom of the drawer and on the front of the drawer opening, see below. I use two on the cabinet front rail and two on the drawer bottom at the back.

Overhead Storage Shelf

Finding extra storage space is always a problem, especially for seasonal items that don't get used that often. Here's an easy-to-build overhead shelf perfect for a garage or storage room.

I made my shelf from a standard hollow-core interior door cut in half (you can make two shelves out of one door). If you don't have a spare door, you can buy one for about $20.

You'll need to support the veneer skin of the door along the cut edge (it's a hollow door), so I screwed a filler block along the inside edge of the door, as shown in the drawing. To hang the shelf, simply attach it to a cleat that's lag screwed to the wall (see detail a). 

You'll need to support the front edge of the shelf, too. I used a pair of brackets made out of ½" electrical conduit for this (see detail b). You can crimp the ends in a vise, then screw one end to the shelf and attach the other end to a wall stud.

Louvered Doors

If you've ever attempted to build a cabinet with louvered doors, you know that cutting the slots for the louvers can be complicated and tedious. You could build a router jig to help with the task, but this still means more work just to build the jig. So I came up with a different method that allows me to quickly cut the slots on a table saw.

First I cut a groove in the door stile, as shown in the drawing below. Then, using my table saw and miter gauge, I make a louver strip that contains a series of angled kerfs, spaced to fit the louvers I'll be installing in the door later. To prevent tear-out, I use an auxiliary fence attached to the face of the miter gauge while cutting the kerfs. 

After all the kerfs are cut, I rip the louver strip to fit the groove I cut in the door stile. Then I glue it in place. When making the louvers, I just make sure to size the thickness of the louvers to match the width of the kerfs I cut in my louver strip.

Loose Panel Fix

I often have trouble with raised-panel doors and cabinets during the winter. Dry weather causes the panels to contract, leaving them loose and rattling in the frames. To prevent this from happening, I now put small dots of silicone near the corners of the frame before assembling the door.

Apply a small dot at each corner and let the silicone dry overnight. Then install the panel as normal. The silicone acts as a shock absorber, cushioning the panel inside the frame.

Mounting Full-Overlay Doors

Sometimes it takes a lot of fiddling around to get an even gap between two full-overlay doors. So I use a simple technique to establish a consistent gap.

First attach the hinges to the doors. Then roughly position the doors on the cabinet frame. Next slip a steel rule (mine is 3/32" thick) between the doors and clamp them together, see drawing. The steel rule keeps a perfect gap between the two doors while you position them on the cabinet frame. When everything is aligned, simply screw the hinges to the cabinet frame.

Note: To raise the pipe clamps above the rule (and to protect the doors), I added an over-sized clamp pad to each jaw. It’s just a scrap with a hole to fit the pipe.

Two Tips for Installing Hinges

Installing a door on its hinges can be one of the trickiest parts of building a cabinet. Here are two tips I've used in the past to make the job easier.

Temporary Steel Woodscrews

I usually take a door on and off a few times before I get the right fit. In the process, I often strip or break the brass screws that come with the hinge.

To prevent this problem, I temporarily substitute steel screws while I'm positioning the hinge. Plus, I put only one screw in each leaf while adjusting the fit. And when it's time to add the other screws, I run steel screws in and out of the pilot holes first. This creates a ready-made hole for decorative brass screws.

Thin Shims

If a hinge mortise is cut too deep, there may not be enough of a gap between the door and the cabinet. A quick fix for this is to add a paper or thin cardboard shim below the hinge. 

A shim also comes in handy if the gap between the door and the cabinet tapers from top to bottom. Use the shim at the top or the bottom hinge only to correct the taper.

Self-Centering Plunge Router Base

A plunge router is great for cutting mortises on the edge of a workpiece. The only trick is getting it centered. Here's a handy auxiliary base that will center the bit automatically, and it works with workpieces of just about any thickness.

The key is a couple of pins. These are nothing more than common bolts with their heads cut off. I fastened them to the base with T-nuts and hex nuts, but for the base to work, these pins have to be positioned carefully. The centerpoint of the bolts and the router bit must form a straight line. Plus, the pins must be the same distance away from the bit. 

To use the base, simply attach your router and set the base on the edge of the work-piece. Twisting the base so the pins contact each face of the piece automatically centers the bit, as you can see in the details at bottom right. Then just plunge and rout the mortise.

Routing Stopped Flutes

Recently I was making a bookcase with stopped flutes on the side. I was disappointed when I noticed my router bit left some pretty bad burn marks at the end of each flute.

Routing a stopped flute usually results in burn marks at the ends.

The ramps lift the bit out of the flute, leaving a clean, tapered end.

To overcome this problem, I made a simple ramp device that keeps my router from burning the edges. This method works so well that now I use it just about anytime I’m building a project that calls for routed flutes.

My device looks like a miniature skateboard ramp, see photo below. When I slide the router up the ramp, the bit is lifted smoothly out of the flute. Not only do you eliminate the burning, but you also get a nice, tapered end.

The ramps are nothing more than scraps of “2x4” stock with arcs cut in them, see Fig.1. The blanks for the ramps should be the same width as the stock that you are routing the flutes in. For the flutes in the bookcase, I found that a 3"-radius arc was just about right. After laying out the arcs, I cut them on a band saw and sanded them smooth on a drum sander. To see how I use the ramps, go to page two of this tip.

To use the ramps, simply clamp them to the ends of the workpiece, making sure that the end of each ramp is square to the edge of the workpiece, see Fig.2. (You could also tape the ramps down with double-sided carpet tape.) With a jig or edge guide attached to your router, the ramps will help lower and raise the router into the cut, see Figs.3 and 3a.

There's one thing to be aware of. I found that the sharp edge of my router base had a tendency to "catch" on the edge of the ramp at the end of the flute. To avoid this, I simply filed a slight chamfer on the edge of my router base plate.