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Having accumulated a number of Bessey F-style bar clamps over the years, I eventually came to realize that stacking them on the shelf underneath my workbench wasn’t the ideal storage option. They were difficult to get to, and I always managed to knock a couple off the shelf when picking …
I work with a lot of rough-sawn lumber and live-edged tree slices, like the one shown above. Unfortunately, my planer is usually either too small to handle such large pieces, or it would cause too much tearout on endgrain. To get around this problem, I built this router leveling jig …
When I work on bulky items like large drawers and cabinets, I like to be able to rotate the workpiece for easier access to all sides of the project. My solution was to build several of these “roller bars” using 360° roller bearings. These bars are easy to make by …
There’s never a shortage of small parts and loose pieces of hardware cluttering my workbench. I needed a way to organize some of these items while still keeping them close at hand. My solution was to build this double-decker small parts carousel that you see in the photo above. It’s …
Get the step-by-step plans to build this Bench Vise from WoodsmithPlans.com.
Get the step-by-step plans to build your own All-in-One Table Saw Workstation from WoodsmithPlans.com. This mobile workstation packs three tools into one. On one end, a benchtop table saw sits on a low table. The main worksurface of the station acts as the perfect outfeed support for the saw. On …
I often use several types and sizes of fasteners in the course of building a project. But often their containers end up scattered all over the workbench. This nifty little organizer holds all the fasteners I’ll need for the job at hand, keeps them in one place, and provides easy …
The hold-down on my benchtop mortiser doesn’t hold workpieces as firmly as I’d like. If the workpiece twists even just a little bit, the chisel binds in the mortise. I also wanted a way to clamp the workpiece against the fence of my mortiser. To do this, I added a …
I designed my workbench to be the appropriate height to act as an outfeed support for my table saw. But, when I replaced my old table saw, the bench was suddenly too short to serve that purpose. Instead of building a new bench, or trying to raise it, I built …
I really look forward to spending time in the shop. But like many home workshops, mine has a concrete floor. Concrete is great for durability and cost effectiveness when building a shop, but it has a few drawbacks. Concrete is a very unforgiving surface. And a day spent working on …
When it comes to drilling holes for a project, a drill press is usually my first choice. But sometimes, a hand-held drill is more convenient and practical — particularly if you’re dealing with large workpieces that exceed the capacity of your drill press. The challenge with using a hand drill, …
A router table is one of those “must-have” tools for any serious woodworking shop. But in a small shop, a large table can take up too much space to be a viable option. Fortunately, there are several portable benchtop alternatives. They make it possible to have a fully functional router …
When using a router or orbital sander on a flat workpiece at the bench, I've always relied on a router mat. It cushions the workpiece and keeps it from sliding around on my bench. Within the last few years, though, there's been a new challenger to the trusty router mat …
Knock-down construction is certainly not a modern invention. Furniture and other utilitarian items designed to be disassembled have been built for centuries. As it still is today, this was often simply a matter of making large pieces easier to move from place to place. Traditionally, one of the common methods …
Let's face it: the jig saw often seems more at home on the job site than in the shop. Sure, it's great for rough cuts in construction-grade lumber and curved cuts in all sorts of materials, but for woodworking, we tend to use a band saw or scroll saw. Despite …
