1. Have a project that needs a lot of small clamps? Use clothespins! They don’t have much clamping power but you can use a lot of them. 🙂 They come in handy for a lot of situations.
2. When setting the proper height for a lathe use different thicknesses of plywood on the floor or under the lathe and try each height for a while to determine the most comfortable position to use.
3. Consider the height of rubber fatigue mats in your calculations for work bench and lathe heights. These mats really reduce back and leg strain but can add 1/2″ or more to your height.
4. You can ‘sneak up’ on a cut using your chop saw by butting the end of the workpiece against the body of the blade (not the teeth), while the blade in NOT running. Then hold the piece in position, and raise the blade. Now power up the saw and make the cut to remove just a sliver of material.
5. When clamping something on an angle and the clamp slips try using a folded piece of sandpaper between the clamp face and workpiece to give the clamp some grip.
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.
Got a woodworking tip that you want to share with the woodworking world? Let us know and we’ll add it in a future issue of Tips and Tidbits!
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