2. Clamps too short? Extend your clamp length by joining two clamps with a third one. Sometimes you can get away with just two clamps if the angle of the clamp heads of the two joined clamps is suitable to your application.
3. If you need to countersink screws inside a drawer for a drawer pull simply drill the hole for the draw pull screw. Then, keeping the drill bit in the hole, mount the countersink cutter to the bit where it extends into the inside of the drawer. Reverse the rotation of the drill and gently pull back to create the countersink.
4. When cutting a slot for an exposed spline use an outer dado blade instead of your regular combination table saw blade. The raker teeth on the outer dado blade will create a flat-bottomed kerf instead of the V-bottomed kerf made by the alternating teeth on the combination blade, thereby allowing the spline to seat properly with no noticeable gaps. This bears repeating, only use an outer dado blade. Never use the inside dado blades alone!
5. When filling nail holes with putty there is often the tendency to apply to much. This results in more sanding and can leave ‘oil’ marks on the wood. To eliminate this problem place masking tape where you are going to nail. Then pound in the nail, sink the head, fill the hole and remove the tape. All you are left with is a small bit of putty that is easily sanded and leaves no mark.
These are just a few tips that I picked up over this past week. They come from a variety of sources including books, magazines, newsletters, online and some from personal experience.
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Got a woodworking tip that you want to share? Let me know and I’ll add it in a future issue of Tips and Tidbits!
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