Woodworking Jig Upgrades: Table Saw Miter Jig & Drill Press Fence

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Jigs in woodworking can help us accomplish a lot of different things but some jigs can be improved upon, but the improvements aren't alway obvious unless you have used the jig for a time and I am going to tackle 2 of those jigs in this episode.

Drill Press Magswitch Fence Modification
The first and one of the handiest jigs I have is the Magswitch fence for my drill press. This is easily the best fence system I have ever made for my drill press, it's quick, easy and not complicated and can be taken of in a heart beat. I can't say enough about this jig.

Watch it on Youtube: https://youtu.be/4krLJWELogQ

The first version of this jig works well, but I didn't think about one thing, and that was that I really like to use a 3/4 inch thick backer board on my drill press which in this case also happens to be the height of the magswich fence so doesn't work the way it could. I like to use the 3/4 inch backer board to help prevent the drill bits from bumping into the metal base and making them duller quicker, and because using a backer board helps to reduce tear-out on boards being drill ... well, sometimes it does ... 

Workbench Hacks 2 - Woodworking Tips and Tricks

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One of the nice things with getting reclaimed or used lumber, especially plywood, it's perfect for making little workshop accessories, jigs and for just working with to see what things you can come up with. It's part of the fun of woodworking and I can get absorbed for hours at a time working on new ideas and adaptions to my workbench.  

Watch it on Youtube: https://youtu.be/LAbjM_gdBdQ

There are so many different kinds of things we do on our workbenches, I'm sure there are no 2 alike. Everyone changes and adapts their workbench to fit what works best for them and here are a few ideas that may inspire other changes and adaptations. 

Novice Door Making - Guest Column by Glen Bayley

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Background: The first attached image (1-Door-inspiration.jpg) is the inspiration for the design of some of my doors.  To be clear – I didn’t make this.  This is kind of what I’m shooting for.  I have a few variations I’m building.  The basic construction of the door involves a solid 1” core with ¼” thick panels glued to the core spaced ½” apart from each other.  Interesting details and tips in here, but are not relevant to this tip.  I constructed the core of my first door, milled 9” wide, ¼” thick African Mahogany panels perfectly and started gluing the first one ...   

Reclaimed Wood & Free Wood - Money Saving Tips for Woodworking Part 2

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I am always looking for wood. I am not always intentionally looking, but it's always in the back of my mind. I look for all sorts of wood, new wood, used wood, demolition wood, cut trees ... it's all potential sources of wood. This article will reveal many of my sources and ways of acquiring lumber that may help others get good wood for good prices and in some cases even spare sending wood to the landfill.

There are lots of different places that are great sources of finding new and used wood, but be aware that you are likely not going to be purchasing premium wood, so there will be some work in it for you. There may be excessive trimming or gluing, or the wood may only be suitable for smaller projects. That is what you often get with discounted or free lumber. It just means you need to but a bit more effort into using it, but the savings could be well worth the investment ...