Tools & Jigs

Tips for Resawing with a Bandsaw

If you ever wondered why it’s so hard to resaw large pieces of stock on the bandsaw – you’re about to find out. Engineer/woodworker Matthias Wandel builds woodworking tools out of wood – the kind of tools most of us buy – so we can build stuff out of wood. He’s written a great article [...]

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Make a Roof Pitch Guess-timator

This simple little device represents the kind of creative thinking that’s brought us to the point of living in houses (with roofs) and not in caves. Duane Mackey designs home additions, so he came up with this brilliant idea that lets you estimate the pitch of a roof safety from terra firma. He’s posted the [...]

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5 Gift Ideas for Woodworkers

Every woodworker I know has a list of stuff that they’d like to have, but just never get around to getting them. It’s not necessarily the price or the effort to make it happen, stuff just drifts to back of your mind when other things take priority. Nothing increases the length of my wish list [...]

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The “Mighty” Rockwell BladeRunner

Imagine having a table saw, jig saw band saw, hacksaw and tile cutter in one portable package – all for less than $200. Well now you can! Asa Christiana, editor at Fine Woodworking magazine has run the “mighty” BladeRunner from Rockwell Tools through its paces and gives it high praise, especially for anyone just getting [...]

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A Bucketful o’ Tools

Now THIS is a good idea! I can’t even begin to count how many trips I wouldn’t have made back to the workshop if I had one of these. Duluth Trading Co. launched their company on this one simple product – the "Bucket Boss"- a tool organizer that hangs over a plastic bucket. This thing [...]

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Saw on it. Stand on it. Sit on it.

Subscribe today and get the detailed Woodworking Plans to build this multi-purpose step stool. I didn’t make this handy little work step, but it’s the first thing I grab when it’s time to change a light bulb, paint a room, or get down & dusty on a reno project. It’s been dinged, danged and dunged [...]

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Make a Right-angle Clamping Jig

Anyone who’s ever built a cabinet or frame will appreciate the critical need to get everything lined up straight and square. That’s where a jig is indispensible. I made a couple these right-angle clamping jigs last year from a design I found in an old Wood Magazine "Tips, Jigs & Organizers" print publication. It’s an [...]

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12 Home Tools You Need – Part 5

A Guide for New Homeowners. #12 Reversible Power Drill/Driver This tool should (and likely will) actually go up your priority list. I left it til last because it’s the only power tool in my top 12 home tools list, and because it’s a bigger investment that deserves some thought before you buy. Don’t forget that [...]

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12 Home Tools You Need – Part 4

A Guide for New Homeowners. Like most new homeowners, you’ll soon come to the point where you want to build something of your own. Maybe it’s a built-in shelf, a coat rack, or something more ambitious, like a pass-through between the kitchen and the dining room. Of course, a few more tools will come in [...]

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12 Home Tools You Need – Part 3

A Guide for New Homeowners. Well, now that you’re in your new place and have the important stuff unpacked, you’ve probably made a good start on your list of things to fix or change to suit your taste. And that means… you’re likely going to be heading for the hardware store. Today I’m highlighting 3 [...]