It’s NOT oriented strand board (OSB), a material composed of large wood chips and strands that’s structurally equivalent to plywood. But if you need something flat and cheap for use in a dry place, particleboard will do you proud. Here’s a way to joint or shape work pieces that are too small to hold in a vise. Flip a hand plane upside down and clamp it in your bench vise. Now you can pass the wood over the plane to joint the edge.

• Trimming the excess, however, is tricky.
• First set the pieces so that the outer edges are facing up and tape them edge-to-edge.
• Instead, I use a wide, sharp chisel.
• I find the best way to protect my cast-iron table saw top is to occasionally rub on a coat of paste wax.
• Recess the nut by drilling through the bottom sheet with a 1-in.

Chances are, you’ll be the only one that knows it wasn’t perfect to begin with. To prevent friction burns and splinters while sanding a curved tabletop, I put on a leather glove and wrapped painter’s tape around it, sticky side out. https://bestwoodcarvingtool.com/best-hand-planer/ The tape kept the sandpaper from slipping, and the glove protected my hand. Brace skinny material on edge with this slick system. Clamp a shelf bracket to a workbench, stand the material on edge and then clamp it to the bracket.

(Wear eye protection.) Now you have a heavy-duty awl for starting screws and finish nails right on the mark, and chipping dried glue from project corners. Stuff your hole saw with a moist rag. It will not only keep your saw cooler and the teeth sharper but also extend the life of the saw. Remember to leave room for the depth of the piece of wood you’re cutting. When you’re finished, dry off the saw to prevent rust.

We’ll address best methods and practices and also look at possible variations. We’ll look at edge joints, mitered joints, casework and clamping and gluing curves. Our special thanks to Bessey and Titebond for sponsoring this series.

It also works great for marking and then shaping inlays for my woodworking projects. Discover the artful craft of woodworking with step-by-step tutorials and demonstrations taught by our professional woodworkers. Learn all the skills you need to start creating beautiful handmade pieces that will last a lifetime.

Iron pipe clamps can easily mar softer woods or react with the glue to stain the wood. My solution is to cut a section of plastic PVC pipe to size and place it around the pipe. If you have several short lengths, you can space them strategically to accommodate different widths of stock wood.

At one point, many years ago, 2x4s actually were 2 inches x 4 inches, but their rough surfaces made them difficult to stock and handle. The old terms, such as 2×4 or 4×4, are still used, and are known as the “nominal” size of the board. These nominal sizes are used because they are easier to say and they stick to tradition. While trying to trace an exact copy of the throat plate for my table saw, I came up with this nifty technique using an ordinary pencil. I just shaved my pencil into a half-pencil by carefully grinding it on my belt sander. The flat edge enables my modified pencil to ride straight up along the edge of the template.

Simply soak a washcloth in water and ring it out a bit so it’s not sopping wet. Put the damp washcloth on the affected area. The water will wick through the wood, and that’s fine. Now, with your iron on its highest setting, place it on the damp washcloth over the affected area, and make small movements back and forth and in circles. Press down firmly and continue until your wash cloth is dry. It won’t take long to evaporate.