Too often, you don't see spots of glue film on your project until after you've started to apply the stain or finish.

Expose glue smears by wiping all joints and adjacent areas with mineral spirits or lacquer thinner. The glue smears will remain light-colored but the surrounding wood will darken. Be careful not to soak the wood with solvent.

--Frederick Schramm, Magalia, Calif.
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Partially filled varnish cans tend to "skin over" quickly.

Pour the remaining unused varnish into a plastic, bellows-type container obtainable from photographic-equipment suppliers; it allows you to squeeze out any air that's inside before capping. The less air in the container, the less reaction and "skin-over."

--From the WOOD magazine shop
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Drum sanders save a lot of time in the shop. You lose a lot of that saved time, though, when you have to change the sleeve and it's stuck to the rubber drum.

Sprinkle a little cornstarch on the rubber sanding drum before you put on the sleeve. Cornstarch prevents the two from sticking together, so sleeve changes are easy.

--Al Lantinen, Portsmouth, N.H.
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Neatly applying woodworker's glue to plugs can be tricky. You just can't dribble a small stream out of the bottle.

Pour some glue onto a plastic jar lid. Then, roll the bottom edge of the plug in the puddle of glue to apply an even coating right where you need it. Glue buttons, Shaker pegs, axle pegs, and other similar parts in the same way.

--Glyn Roberts, Woodruff, Wis.
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When you apply pressure to boards or sheet goods that you're attempting to surface-laminate, the stack wants to slide around.

To prevent this from happening, drive wire brads into the material before applying the glue. Snip off the brad heads at a sharp angle. Now apply glue and, after aligning the boards, tap them together with a mallet.

--C.P. Squires, Warrensville, N.C.
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Some projects call for you to drill holes perpendicular to a surface. But, what do you do if the piece is too large for your drill-press table, and you don't own a guide for your portable drill?

Join two blocks of wood at a 90° angle. By holding your drill bit in the corner of this jig, you can accurately bore perpendicular holes with many sizes of twist and brad-point bits.

--Mike Fagan, Elgin, Ore.
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