How many cordless tools do you own? Probably more than two, like I do. But if you leave your chargers plugged into various outlets 24/7 with the batteries still trickle-charging, you’re wasting watts and money. So, consider plugging them all into a power strip with an On/Off switch. Before you leave the shop for the day, turn off the strip. Most chargers fully recharge a battery in an hour or less, so your batteries will be ready the next time you need them anyway. Turn the power strip back on only when you need to for recharging. After all, saving every little bit of energy just makes “cents ..read more

Those of you who subscribe to our print magazine have probably seen a tinted box on the Stumpers page called “Insights.” It’s an opportunity for me to peruse my woodworking library and find (at least to me) really great quotes from noteworthy woodworking authors. I don’t own hundreds of woodworking books — true confession! — but I do have some really good titles. One of my favorites is Bob Flexner’s “Understanding Wood Finishing.” I’ll go so far as to say every single woodworker who wonders about wood finishes or wants to get better at the art and science of finishing wood should read Bob’s b ..read more

Last week, Chris wondered whether you have ever bought more lumber than you actually could use. It seems several of you have! – Editor “I know the feeling of the allure for more wood to feed my hobby! I have a cabin in the mountains, and we had a bunch of cherry and walnut trees fall down. I had previously taken some logs to a mill, but this was close to thirty 8′ logs. I started to figure what it would cost to be milled, then saw an ad for a Woodland Mills sawmill for about the same price. I bought the mill and sawed up the lumber but afterwards needed a place to store the mill and lumber. My ..read more

The best way to store kitchen knives is in a knife block. It will keep them organized and protect the blades from both getting damaged and perhaps even injuring you! While countertop knife blocks often serve as decorative accents in a kitchen, not everyone wants their cutlery on display. Or maybe you just don’t have room for another object on the countertop. A knife block that fits inside a drawer is a great space-saving alternative. Face-glue and clamp three pairs of bottom inside dividers together, and do the same for the handle rest halves. Be careful to keep the part edges and ends aligned ..read more

I screwed these countersunk rare-earth magnets to the back of the cabinet door where I keep my cordless screwdriver. They hold my most often used screwdriver bits at the ready. The magnets have about a 1/8″ projection, which makes grabbing the bits easy. If you adopt this trick for your shop, be sure to gently hand-drive the screws, since rare-earth magnets are brittle. – Bruce Kieffer Edina, Minnesota The post Rare-earth Magnet Bit Holders appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To ..read more

Industrial-grade panel saws often have a smaller blade, situated in front of the main blade, to pre-score the surface of what’s being cut before the primary blade cuts completely through it. It’s a highly eff ective means of eliminating splintering on the face of the panel where the primary blade teeth emerge. This sort of technology is never off ered on conventional table saws for home shops, much less portable track saws! That is, until now, with Festool’s revolutionary new TSV 60 KEB-F-Plus Plunge-cut Saw with Scoring Function.   While other Festool and competitor track saws rely on sp ..read more

Early in my woodworking hobby, I got caught up in the desire to start stockpiling wood — especially when it seemed like a great deal. At the time, Joe, my mailman, would drive by the house and see me in my garage, busily working away on something or other. He could hear the whine of my woodworking machines and put two and two together. “Hey, I cut down a walnut tree a couple of years ago and had it sliced into boards,” he informed me one day. “Want to buy some?” It was the siren call I really didn’t need to hear, but her alluring voice was just too sweet to resist. The next afternoon, I was i ..read more

Last week, Chris wondered if you are a member of a woodworking guild. Several of you share those experiences. – Editor “Your latest newsletter asked for the benefits of a local woodworking guild. I became a member of the Central Virginia Woodworking Guild a little over a year ago. Some of my thoughts about guild membership are tangible; however, many benefits are difficult to discern and place into words. Since I am of German heritage, I love making lists, so here goes: 1) Knowledge. Seeking and finding that elusive bit of information that solves a sticky problem. A solution that even YouTube ..read more

As part of sharpening a bowl gouge, I have learned that occasionally grinding the heel is very beneficial, especially when turning deeper, smaller bowls. Without the sharper heel, I’m able to turn the gouge to a tighter radius as I’m hollowing out bowl interiors. If I place the gouge between the platform and the sharpening wheel with the heel against the wheel, then slowly rotate the gouge, I get a smooth and uniform grind to remove the heel. – Howard Hirsch Downingtown, Pennsylvania The post Rounding Gouge Heels appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To ..read more

Aproject doesn’t have to have “heirloom” potential to be worth building, of course, and that was the case for this little organizer. I simply needed a way to stack a printer, scanner and a ream of paper to take up less space on my desk. The stand’s through dovetails on top aren’t crucial, but they gave me a good reason to practice my sawing and chopping skills, which had gotten a little rusty. If your dovetailing could use a refresher course too, perhaps earmark this project as one to build before diving into a bigger dovetailing commitment. Preparing a Long Panel Laying out the project parts ..read more