Woodworking Tips & Tidbits – 02/10/08

1. Make a dado guide for quick size reference by taking a length of plywood by about 6″ and making cuts across it with all the size variables of your stackable dado blades. Mark the sizes and blade/shim combinations in the appropriate dado. Then all you have to do is fit your wood in the dado that it fits to quickly determine your dado setup.

2. When gluing up large pieces like a table top use a dowel the same size as the thickness of the boards laid parallel between your clamps and the wood. This concentrates the pressure in the middle of the wood and minimizes the tendency of the clamps to force the boards up and down.

3. To help keep sawdust off your safety facemask try rubbing an anti-static dryer sheet over the face shield. You can also try anti-fog spray sold at most sports stores.

4. To force glue into a tight spot like a crack, put a little dab of glue where you want it and then blow it deep into the tight spot using a straw.

5. An old toothbrush (or a new one) makes a terrific glue spreader in some applications like spreading glue on edge of a board.

6. You can steady your pipe clamps and keep them from tipping over making several “cradles” from inexpensive metal broom clips and plywood blocks. The cradles have the added benefits of raising the panel off the clamps, so there’s no worrying about the pipes leaving behind ugly black stains on the wood.

These are a few woodworking tips and tidbits that we picked up (and/or wrote down) over the past week. They come from a variety of sources including magazines, newsletters, online and personal experience.

There are more Woodworking Tips and Tidbits located here.

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