Page 110 - Learn Woodworking Tips with Rockler

Even if you can't develop an intricate dust collection system like this, there are many simple ways to improve your dust collector's output. Whether it’s a broom and dustpan or a state-of-the-art central collection system, every woodworker I know has some kind of strategy for dealing with wood waste in the shop. Of course, some of these methods produce better results than others in terms of fire safety, cleanliness and respiratory health.

This auxiliary table doubles the cutting surface of your bandsaw, with T-tracks to assist in setting up jigs and cutting guides. The common 14" band saw is one of the most versatile shop machines. You can crosscut and rip on it, do circles and complicated curves, even scrollwork with the right blade. It easily resaws expensive stock up to 6" wide and turns that waste into additional projects.

Does every woodworker need a complete set of Forstner bits? In truth, many other less expensive bits - like brad point bits - will do a nice job in many situations. Keep in mind, though, that Forstner bits have a few qualities that make them indispensable in certain situations. You may be able to get by without a set of Forstner bits, but if you stick with woodworking for a few years, you'll probably end up with at least part of one - purchased one at a time out of sheer necessity. When you weigh the cost of individual bits against the much more friendly price per bit afforded by a complete set, the set starts to look like a bargain.

Keeping Tools Sharp - One Size Does Not Fit All How seriously should you take keeping your tools sharp? Ask around and you'll get a range of opinions. For some woodworkers, sharpening is at best a necessary evil - to be taken up only when a tool will no longer successfully cut wood. For others, the practice of keeping every chisel, plane iron, gouge, saw blade and pencil in the shop in absolute razor-sharp condition carries an almost spiritual significance. Most, however, would take a more moderate position.

The sort of combination square you have says a bit about you as a woodworker. The first one I used — for a couple of decades, at least — was a 1940s Craftsman I got from my dad. I used it for home improvement and construction projects and furniture-making work without much thought about its accuracy or about all the different uses I had for it.

With things the way they are with the economy, more and more woodworkers are looking to get the most use out of the tools they already have, which is why I created this simple base fixture that transforms a standard portable belt sander into a small horizontal benchtop sander.

For as little as it takes to get set up, and the short time it takes to acquire skill at using a router table, it's easy to see why this venerable workhorse is often one of the first and most important tool purchases that a woodworker ever makes. Below, we'll take a quick look at the common woodworking procedures that you can master within the first few weeks of owning a router table, including:

In this article, we'll take you through the process of refacing your cabinets with pressure sensitive wood veneer and precut end panels. Along with providing step by step instructions, we'll point out the tools and materials you'll need to complete the project, all of which are available at Rockler Woodworking and Hardware. Once you've refaced your cabinet frames you can easily replace the doors and drawers using the Rockler Custom Cabinet Door and Drawer options The made-to-order doors and drawer fronts are available in a variety of styles.

When installing a European style hinge, drilling the hinge cup hole in the back of the cabinet door is the first and most crucial task. This sometimes puts people off. They imagine it has to be done with great precision and is therefore painstakingly difficult to achieve. They’re half right. Both the size and the placement of the hinge cup hole are extremely important to the end functioning of the hinge.

When starting out as a woodworker or when you are setting up a new workshop the router is one of the first tools people invest in. This is because in the power tool world, routers are as versatile as they come. A plunge router and a fixed based router are the two most common styles. Which is best for woodworking? Let's find out.

If you're an occasional scroll saw user, you might think that one scroll saw blade is pretty much like another. The fact is, there's quite a range not only in type and purpose among scroll saw blades, but also in quality, and the differences can really show up in how a blade performs. How do you pick a good one?