Hardwood runner SHOP. Marked cutline. ¾ x 3/8" groove TIPS OF. Spray adhesive corner guards. Plastic wall

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1 TOP SHOP TIPS OF 2013 Plastic wall Spray adhesive corner guards Hardwood runner ¾ x 3/8" groove Marked cutline

2 Sponsored by: In each issue of magazine, the editors choose their favorite tip for Top Shop Tip honors. In 2013, you also voted for your favorites from each issue for the Readers Choice award. We then pitted them against each other to name one as 2013 s Shop Tip of the Year! Here are those tips. woodmagazine.com/tips

MARCH issue 217 Hinges Need a lift? Make and mount one to your tablesaw Heaving heavy sheet goods onto your tablesaw might be the most physically demanding task in woodworking.

To make it, fit a 12"-long hardwood insert to your tablesaw s fence tube. Then, attach the 3 4"-plywood A-frame so that it just touches the shop floor.

3 MARCH issue 217 Hinges Need a lift? Make and mount one to your tablesaw Heaving heavy sheet goods onto your tablesaw might be the most physically demanding task in woodworking. Here s a solution: Add this simple, removable lift to your tablesaw and easily swing even full sheets of plywood or MDF onto the saw table without damaging the stock or your back. To make it, fit a 12"-long hardwood insert to your tablesaw s fence tube. Then, attach the 3 4"-plywood A-frame so that it just touches the shop floor. To use the lift, place one edge of the sheet onto the A-frame and slide it until it s centered. Lifting with your legs, swing the A-frame up until the top edge of the sheet rests on the saw table. Nudge the sheet off the frame and onto your tablesaw. Dan Martin, Galena, Ohio Hardwood insert to fit fence tube ¾" plywood A-frame _# TJC edits R C H No-rock, easy-roll planer outfeed conveyer My benchtop planer used to snipe until I came up with this inexpensive outfeed support that rests on my benchtop. After moving my planer (on its stand) beside my workbench, I measured the height difference between the planer s outfeed table and the workbench and used that dimension to determine the approximate height of the conveyer frame. I built the frame from 3 4" stock and installed simple rollers made from 1" PVC tubing with end caps drilled for 1 4" steel-rod axles. I inserted the rods through holes drilled in the frame and capped the exposed rod ends with push nuts. Finally, six levelers, made from carriage bolts, star knobs, and threaded inserts, help fine-tune the rollers to align them with the planer s outfeed table. When not in use, the conveyer stores vertically to save space. Don Riley, Marietta, Ohio READERS PVC outfeed roller Star knob Threaded insert Carriage bolt Leveler 1" PVC with caps ¼" steel rod Push nut Top Shop Tips of 2013

4 MAY issue 218 Angle finder becomes dead-on height indicator When setting up my router table for cutting half-lap joints, I figured out a quick and reliable way to adjust router bit height with more accuracy than eyeballing it against a rule. I needed to raise the router bit 3 8" above the table, so I laid a 3 8" twist drill bit on the router table and rested a flat piece of scrap atop both bits, as shown. After placing an electronic angle finder on the router table and zeroing the scale, I placed the finder on the scrap and raised the router bit until the angle finder read zero. Lester Borja, Lansing, Ill. READERS Electronic angle finder Flat scrap 3/8" drill bit Raise or lower router bit until angle finder reads 0.0. woodmagazine.com/tips

5 JULY issue 219 Big jig keeps face frames flat and square Face frame Cleats When assembling a tall, narrow face frame for a bookcase, I knew an assembly jig would help keep it square and flat. Looking around the shop, I found just what I needed to build such a jig: an old door and a sheet of perforated hardboard. To make the jig, first screw the hardboard to the door. Drill pilot holes centered in the width of the hardwood cleats and screw those to the door, aligning the screws with the hardboard s perforations, as shown. To use the jig, clamp the frame parts to the cleats as you glue up the assembly. The cleats can be moved easily for new projects, and the door can be tucked against the wall until needed again. Edouard Piché, Troy, Mich. OP TIP CH Perforated hardboard screwed to old door ER ER CE 2 01 S CH OI R E AD Spray adhesive 3 WINN Corner guards make cheap, slick slides Small drawers don t usually need to support much weight, so why mount expensive sliding hardware to them? Instead, try acrylic corner guards used to protect drywall. Use high-strength spray adhesive to attach them to the cabinet s insides. They provide a slippery, long-wearing surface for the drawers to ride on. Bill Seitz, LaPorte, Ind. Top Shop Tips of 2013 Plastic wall corner guards AD E R S T RE OICE 12

6 SEPTEMBER issue 220 Rafter square adapts a sled to make miters For accurate crosscuts on the tablesaw, I rely on a sled. I wanted that same precision for miters, but I didn t want to build another sled for 45 cuts. That s when I came up with this simple and inexpensive upgrade to my existing sled. All it takes is a plastic rafter square. Begin by grinding or filing away one side of the square s lip so it lies flat. Align one corner of the square with the edge of the saw kerf in the sled, placing the square s longest side tightly against the sled s fence. Drill a 3 8" hole through the square and into the sled, and install a threaded insert in that hole. Now you can quickly install the rafter square for 45 cuts, and remove it by using a star knob. Bill Wells, Olympia, Wash. READERS Rafter square ¼" star knob Rafter square To lie flat, remove one side of the square s lip. Sled base ¼" threaded insert Plastic rafter square ¼" star knob Rafter square Sled base Plastic rafter square ¼" threaded insert woodmagazine.com/tips

7 OCTOBER issue 221 Shop-made circ-saw guide can t stray Hardwood runner Marked cutline ¾ x 3/8" groove TO R P TIP OOD W While I don t care for wrestling sheet goods atop my tablesaw to cut them, I dislike even more the hassle that comes with setting up most circular saw guides: all that measuring, offsetting, and praying it comes out right. So I built this simple tracked guide that puts the blade in line with the cutline every time. To build one, cut a piece of MDF _# wider than your saw s base and as long TJC edits TJCas you ll need to span your sheet goods. Then, cut a 3 4"-wide groove 3 8"-deep the length of the MDF. Mount a 3 4"-wide DE hardwood runner to your saw base (to EA RS match the groove in the MDF) and wax it with paraffin. Place the runner in the groove, turn the saw on and cut the full length of the MDF. Now, simply align the edge of the guide with any cutline, clamp it in place, and run the saw in CH OICE the groove for an accurate cut. Lonnie Holbrook, Kannapolis, N.C. Copper wire to prevent kinking Maximum suction level ¾"-I.D. clear vinyl tubing TIP CH OICE Gauge shows reduction in dust-collection suction Dust collector Colored water ¾" brass pex coupling OP AD E R S T Resting level RE I tend to leave dust-collection blast gates open after using a machine, and that reduces suction at the next tool used. To provide instant visual indication of a drop in suction, I came up with this handy gauge. To make one, attach a length of 3 4" clear vinyl tubing to the dust collector s pipe within a few feet of the dust collector and mount it as shown. Pour a small amount of water (adding a few drops of food coloring makes it easier to see) into the tubing and mark the resting level of the liquid. With one blast gate open and a clean filter in the dust collector, turn on the dust collector and mark the maximum suction level next to the tubing. Now, you can spot a drop in suction caused by extra blast gates open, leaks in the system, clogged filter media, or full bags just by looking at the gauge to see if the water level has fallen. Ken Wadsworth, Sedalia, Colo. Top Shop Tips of 2013

8 Epoxy rod into ½ x 2½" top rail. diameter wheel NOVEMBER 2x6" issue 222 ipped into wo pieces " and 4¼" 3/8 x 3" mortise Rip the rail to tweak the top 3/8" threaded rod, 5" long 3/8" nut epoxied into counterbore 3/8" flat washers In my garage shop, I use sawhorses for my tablesaw outfeed supports. But I don t always put the saw 5" in the same spot, and the uneven floor sometimes had me shimming the sawhorse feet to get them flush and level with the tablesaw top. So I added these adjusters to quickly make small leveling adjustments. A few quick twists of the shop-made wheels raises or lowers either end of the top rail and offsets the angle of the floor. David McGuffin, Louisville, Ky. READERS Epoxy rod into top rail. ½ x 2½" diameter wheel 3/8" threaded rod, 5" long 2x6" ripped into two pieces 1¼" and 4¼" 3/8 x 3" mortise 3/8" nut epoxied into counterbore 3/8" flat washers 5" READERS Door-hanging jig frees your mind and hand Mounting overlay doors on a cabinet seems to take three hands. This simple jig supports the door while you install it. Build the jig as shown from scrapwood, with the door rest offset from the cabinet rest by the amount of the door s overlay. Mount the door rest to the jig s center to form a T-shape and you can use the same jig for both left- and right-hinged doors. Clamp it in place, mount the hinges to the cabinet door, and rest the door on the jig. Drill pilot holes for the hinges in the cabinet and drive the screws. Dan Buss, Viroqua, Wis. Backing board Door rest Cabinet rest woodmagazine.com/tips

Hinge Mortising Jig. One of the make it or break it parts of building a. 6 ShopNotes No. 74

Hinge Mortising Jig A Mortise for a Hinge. Quick, clean, and accurate that s the only way to describe the mortise you get with a trim router and this hinge mortising jig. One of the make it or break it