ShopNotes Magazine

Yesterday (a Sunday), I woke up my shop from its winter hibernation. My home shop occupies the back of our unheated garage. I have a couple of electric heaters that allow me to work there in the shoulder seasons. However, once the frost sets in, the way I use my shop time transforms. During this time, I’m teaching classes, bringing tools and supplies to the workshop here in the ShopNotes/Woodsmith building. By the end of winter, the back and forth leads to a pileup of project components, tool boxes, and returned tools. I felt a combination of frustration and despair every time I saw the mess. Warm, sunny weather with the windows open made a huge difference. After a few hours my shop is in much better shape, and so…

The idea for this article originates from a game table project for the Woodsmith Shop TV show. Between segments, I cleaned up the surfaces of the base, while trying to come up with an article idea for this issue. After a water break, I noticed the collection of tools scattered around my workspace and had my article idea. The tool kit I recommend includes a mix of abrasive (sanding) tools and edge (cutting) tools. In the kind of work that I do, this short list helps me smooth large surfaces as well as get into all the corners, crannies, and crevises most projects have. The criteria these tools must check include versatility and affordability — though a splurge here or there makes a big difference. DUST MASK. Let’s prepare ourselves before…

How to make the best crosscut is a com-mon concern in the woodshop. Miter saws are great for breaking down lumber, but they’re notori-ously inaccurate when it comes to final cuts. The table saw itself is reliably accurate, but it’s limited by the miter gauge or sled you make the cut with. Allow me instead to present a different option: the miter box. For most of woodworking history, miter boxes were the de facto crosscutting tool. Like most things in woodworking though, when power tools hit the scene they went to the way-side. However, miter boxes still hold an important place in many shops. PRECISION CROSSCUTTING. A miter box is often the most efficient way to cut many joints. Establishing precise lap joints or cutting the miters for a frame might…

In any work environment, organization is key. That’s especially true in our shops. Not only do we want to keep our tools safe and protected, but we also want to have all of the most used tools right at hand. That allows us to make the most out of our precious shop time. This benchtop tool organizer is meant to be a landing spot for some of your most used items right on your workbench. As you can see in the photos above and to the right, this organizer offers space to customize it to fit your most used tools. Here, designer Dillon Baker has outfit it with chisel holders, a tool rack for some layout tools, and a clever sliding dovetail tray to fit hardware, pencils, and more. For…

For precision crosscuts and miters, there’s no beating a miter box. It offers cleaner cuts and a higher degree of accuracy than a table saw or miter saw, plus it’s a safer way to cut thin or narrow pieces like dowels and edging. Of course, a miter box is also unparalleled at making tight-fitting miter joints. The box you see here offers all that, while also being light, to move easily, and small, to store discreetly. This miter box features a 90° kerf for exact crosscuts as well as 45° kerfs in either direction for miters. A stop block slides along a T-track, making repeated cuts a simple task. Thanks to clamping pockets on both sides, it can be used with push or pull saws, and one simple technique will…

NOTE: ALL PARTS ARE MADE FROM ¾" PLYWOOD I haven’t kept track of the times that, upon arriving at home — and as the garage door opens — I’m greeted by a rogue basketball that either rolls under the car, or down the drive into the street. Even though there’s a shelf for the ball, large round things easily break free of such confines. The storage center shown to the left is designed to corral and tame all manner of objects that live in your garage. The tiered bins pay homage to the metal bins you find in hardware stores that stow a gamut of items from tacks to 60D landscape spikes. GOOD BONES. Our bins, and the plinth base shown above, are made from ¾" plywood. The parts are…