ShopNotes Magazine Issue 138

As a woodworker, I always want to make the best use of material. So when a project comes along where all that’s left over at the end is a pile of sawdust and maybe a cutoff or two, it makes me happy. And that’s the case with the sawhorses you’ll find on page 14. I knew our Assistant Design Director, Chris, was working on a sawhorse that was sturdy and compact. When I saw the final design, I was more amazed that you could cut four of them out of a single 5' x 5' sheet of Baltic birch plywood — with the only waste created by the saw cuts and a couple of small cutouts. Each sawhorse folds to ¾" thick. So a set of four only takes up…

THE WINNER! Router Table Fence Micro-Adjuster I needed a simple, but effective, way to finely adjust my router fence and still be able to return it to its original position. This fixture gives me the precise fence adjustment that I need. Body. The wood parts for the body and fence block are small. So to safely cut these, start with oversize blanks. I laid out and cut the notches and rabbets, and then drilled the holes for the threaded inserts and bushings. Then I cut the parts to final size. (You may need to adjust the dimensions and hole locations to suit your fence and table.) Adjustment Mechanism. I cut out the adjustment wheel with a hole saw and installed a threaded insert into the center after enlarging the hole.…

SLOT CUTTER BIT Tight-fitting joints are essential to building good projects. I keep a few tricks up my sleeve to make sure the joints in my projects are the best they can be. One of those tricks is a slot-cutting router bit. It’s natural to think of using a slot cutter for creating the grooves for tongue and groove joinery or to house a panel. But I use a slot cutter for a few other joinery tasks, as well. Aligning Parts. Probably the most frequent use for my slot cutter is creating long edge joints. I use the slot cutter to create matching slots in a pair of workpieces. A spline spans the grooves to lock the parts together. The spline registers each board to the registers each board to…

Pocket hole joinery is the go-to method of joining wood for many woodworkers. If you use this method on a regular basis, the new Kreg Foreman Pocket Hole Machine can really increase your productivity over other jigs currently on the market. With a standard jig, you have to position and clamp the part, then drill the pocket hole with a power hand drill. The Kreg Foreman is a self-contained unit that clamps the positioned workpiece and drills the pocket hole all in one smooth motion. Features. The Foreman features a built-in drill motor that drives a stepped drill bit. When the machine is turned on, and the handle is pulled down, the drill extends from below the table to drill the pocket hole. The Foreman has a large, cast aluminum table to…

Woodworkers by and large are a creative bunch. We’re constantly finding new and unique ways to use different materials in the shop. And one of those materials is foam. Over the years, we’ve seen some pretty handy tips for using foam in the shop. But as you’ll soon discover, there are different types, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Closed-Cell Foam. In simple terms, foam falls into two categories: open-cell and closed-cell. Open-cell foam is the soft foam typically used for things like mattress toppers and padding in upholstered furniture. Closed-cell foam is the more dense or rigid foam. The white Styrofoam material often used as packing material and in disposable cups is considered a closed-cell foam. The problem is, for shop use, it’s messy to work with. Instead,…

A set of good sawhorses is an essential part of any workshop. You can use them to create a temporary surface for assembly and finishing, break down sheet stock and long boards, or even serve as a short-term lumber rack. Many sawhorse designs take up a lot of space. So I’m always on the lookout for one that’s compact but still rugged enough for heavy use. The version you see here is tough to beat. The idea came from a space-saving folding chair design. Each one is cut from a single piece of ¾" plywood and folds out into a solid A-frame shape. To set them up, swing out the short leg and flip up a shelf that locks onto horns in the long leg. Careful Layout. The most challenging…