Tabla de contenidos para Issue 143 en ShopNotes Magazine

It’s been a year since we relaunched ShopNotes. Thank you for joining us in celebrating the spaces where we build. ShopNotes has been my favorite woodworking magazine since I was in college. While I didn’t build much in my dorm room, any time I went home my dad’s issues were waiting for me. You may have seen a survey about the relaunch recently. One of the primary reasons is to find out what makes ShopNotes readers unique. What drew me to the magazine were the ideas and inspirations about creating a space of my own. A place to build things, learn techniques, and develop a skillful use of tools. I also discovered the delight of restoring vintage tools, modifying the tools I had, and even making some. Building furniture projects…

The mordant adage that “there’s more than one way to skin a cat” holds true in many areas of life, woodworking no less than any other. While we detail the process and tools we used in creating our projects, there are often numerous alternatives available using a variety of different tools. Among these tools is one niche group in particular that we explore only on occasion: hand tools. Entire books could be (and certainly have been) written on setting up a hand tool shop. However, that’s not what I’ll be focusing on in these next pages. Instead, I’ll cover some basic tools for those who may be interested in dipping their toes into the hand tool side of the pool. WHY USE HAND TOOLS? There are a number of reasons…

Building an adjustable mortising jig for your plunge router essentially creates a benchtop joinery tool. Over the years, I gravitated to power tool joinery methods: biscuits, dowels, loose tenons. They click for the way I work. ShopNotes has featured several different jigs — I even wrote about some of them. They range from simple to complex. When it came time to make a version for myself, the jumping off point took the form of the two jigs shown at left. To be clear, there isn’t anything wrong with how they work. They are easy to set up, accurate, and straightforward to create. As I worked with my first iteration, a few modifications came to mind. As an aside, I don’t feel like I truly own a tool unless I’ve customized…

As many times as not, when I hear the term “new and improved” it winds up being an eye-rolling event. But the upgrades that Chris Fitch endowed this version of our CNC router is impressive. GO BIGGER. Compared to the first iteration that was presented in issues 242 and 243 of Woodsmith magazine there are three improvements that make all the difference. First, as you see in the photo above the worksurface is wider (the Y direction), allowing for a full 24" routing area. Second, since the electronics box is not attached to the bed of the machine — but tethered by a length of sheathed wiring — you can stow it out of the way and have an unlimited X direction to play with (photo above and right). STAND…

When it comes to adding tools to my shop, versatility is one of the biggest things I look for. When you can afford the shop space (and cost) of specialized tools, they’re wonderful to have. However, for my shop at home — with somewhat limited space — I prefer to keep a smaller selection of tools capable of performing a number of tasks. So I ask when looking at a tool: how much can it do? Does it do those things well? And how many projects will I really be using this on? In the realm of versatility, the router is a standout. Just reading through ShopNotes or Woodsmith, you can probably tell it’s one of our favorite tools. However, one tool that we don’t speak of often, but can…

Aluminum T-track isn’t in everyone’s budget. There’s another way to get the same benefits by making your own tracks. This jig face is made in two layers. The back layer is plywood. Cut a series of dadoes and grooves to suit whatever layout you prefer. The width and depth of the dadoes should allow the head of a 5/16" hex bolt to slide easily. Next, glue a hardboard layer over the top. Trim it flush, then cut narrower dadoes and grooves centered on the now-buried ones. What you have are custom T-tracks that can accept all manner of stops, supports, and hold-downs (photo at right).…

There seem to be two types of people when it comes to grabbing tools for a project: surgeons and runners. The surgeon lays everything out neatly in a row with each tool ready to go as soon as the corresponding step is reached. The runner, on the other hand, goes back and forth between project and tool cabinet each step, rummaging around until they obtain the single item they need, repeating throughout the project. I tend to fall into the latter camp, though I’ve been chipping away at that problem here and there as I make my shop a more pleasant place to work in overall. I’ve found that grouping tools by task means I can bring an entire tool receptacle to my workstation and make fewer trips. Now I’m…

There are a few ways to define “portable” when it comes to shop gear. The most familiar is a grab-and-go concept associated with cordless drills or tool totes. The stool you see here works on a different aspect of portable. It’s designed for site work — think shop in a box. The drawing and photos on the next page lay out some of the features. Drawers and an upper till keep necessary tools and supplies close by and organized, like a mini tool chest. The two-piece top turns the unit into a stout, low workbench (complete with miter station). Between tasks, you can sit down for a snack and drink as you ponder the next move. BALANCING ACT. It’s tough to get portability and the features I just highlighted to…