Attempting to rip a straight edge onto a board with irregular edges can be dangerous or downright impossible. One solution: Tack a straight board to the irregular board with finishing nails. Unfortunately, this method leaves small nail marks in the top surface of the workpiece.

Construct a carrier board from 3/4" plywood to a width and length to accommodate most of your boards (14"x7' works for me). As shown right, you can quickly clamp the workpiece to this carrier board, then rip one edge. Remove the workpiece from the carrier board, place the jig aside, and position the just-ripped edge along the fence to straighten the other edge.

--Thomas Bruzan, Des Plaines, Ill.
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Occasionally, a plan calls for sawing a wooden ball in half. Such is the case for a rocking horse that uses two birch half-balls for eyes.

In one end of a length of 2x4, bore a hole 1/16" smaller than the diameter of the ball and to a depth that's about three-fourths the diameter of the ball. Also, cut a kerf into the block as shown below, centered on the hole for the ball. Force the ball into the hole and cut. (Note: The ball must fit snugly into the jig to give you a safe, accurate cut.) Afterward, shut off the saw, allow the blade to stop, and remove the two halves.

--Henry E. Coleman, Anaheim, Calif.
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Few of us own tablesaws capable of safely and accurately crosscutting large workpieces. Or do we?

Use the saw-table edge as a guide. Clamp a 1 x 6 to the underside of the material the appropriate distance away from, and parallel to, the intended cutoff line. Then, run the material through the saw, using the 1 x 6 as your fence. Use this technique to straighten an uneven edge, too.

--From the WOOD® magazine shop
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Centering a Forstner bit on a workpiece can be difficult because the shape of the cutting head prevents you from seeing its point and your layout lines.

Drill a 1/16" guide hole at the centerpoint of each hole. Ease the tip of the bit into the guide hole and take care to keep it in place as you turn on the drill press.

--From the WOOD® magazine shop
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When you have to store chisels in a drawer or toolbox with other tools, the sharp edges often get chipped and dulled. They'll still be sharp enough to gash your fingers when you stick your hand in there, though.

Slip plastic tubing from the hardware store onto those blades, extending it past the edge. Pick tubing that fits the blade snugly. Now, your edges and your fingers will be safer.

--Kenneth Rewinkel, Sunnyvale, Calif.
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Buying old furniture in need of serious repairs can be a bargain for the person willing to fix it up and refinish it. One major hurdle: making new parts match the color of the original parts.

Disassemble the piece of furniture and use wood that matches in species and grain for replacement parts. Reassemble the parts before stripping the varnish or other finish on them. Now, cover the replacement parts with dirty strippings and wipe off. About the third time you do this, you won't be able to distinguish the new part from the old ones.

--Bill Perkins, Roachdale, Ind.
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In many shops, finding the right tape at the right time can be a problem. Once located, it's often covered with sawdust, wood shavings, and other debris.

To keep various types and sizes of tape in one handy location, use scrapwood and a piece of dowel or broomstick to make a tape dispenser. An old hacksaw blade reinforced with a wooden strip makes an excellent cutting edge.

--Dwight Blakeney, Seaford, Del.
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Making rip cuts at angles to the edge of a small workpiece can be both difficult and hazardous. As with many other shop tasks, a simple jig will make this operation much safer and easier.

Build an adjustable carrier using a 10x16" piece of ½" plywood. To the bottom side, screw a strip that snugly fits your saw's miter-gauge slot. Then, install a dowel stop near the rear edge as shown in the drawing right. To the top side, screw a movable cleat, and reposition as needed to cut desired angles.

--Carl Cummings, Marcellus, Mich.
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Making identical dado cuts in a series of pieces can be tricky, particularly when the cut happens to be wider than the widest setting for your dado blade.

Measure carefully and clamp two separate blocks (A and B in the drawing right) to the top of your tablesaw to establish the right- and left-hand limits of the dado. Position the stock against stopblock A, make the cut, and do likewise after aligning the stock with block B. Use scrap stock to check your settings before cutting the actual workpieces, and hold the stock securely against the miter gauge.

--Silvia Eder, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Even the most persnickety of woodworkers rarely avoids an oops with freshly mixed epoxy adhesive. Accidental drips and smears quickly show up on the materials being joined and on the worker's hands. Trying to wipe up these little messes before the epoxy sets often falls short of success.

Dampen a clean cloth with white vinegar that contains 5 percent acetic acid. Then, quickly wipe up the epoxy before it has a chance to set.

--Walt Easley, Gladbrook, Iowa
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You want to chamfer the corners of some small pieces of stock using your tablesaw. Your fingers would end up uncomfortably close to the blade, though.

Construct the jig shown from 1/4" plywood and scrapwood. Size the base according to the stock you'll be cutting and the distance between the saw's miter gauge and blade. Square one end to one side, and then attach cleats to the square corner with glue and brads. Be careful not to put metal fasteners into the cutting line. Clamp the jig to the miter gauge. Cut the corner off the jig, adjusting the position to achieve the desired angle on test stock. Then, cut your project parts safely and securely.

--Alan R. Holtz, Torrance, Calif.
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The slick metal surface of a miter gauge often is the culprit when wood slides into the tablesaw blade.

To prevent wood from sliding, use double-faced tape to affix medium- or fine-grit sandpaper to the face of the miter gauge of any power tool. You can easily replace the tape and sandpaper whenever it's necessary.

--Bill Roberts, Angola, Ind.
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Sometimes, you just can't get into a tight curve or follow an irregular edge very well when sanding.

Grab an old, dull scrollsaw blade and a piece of sandpaper about three-fourths the length of the blade and 2" wide. Wrap the paper tightly on the blade and secure the ends with thin strips of plastic electrical tape. Use it for hand-sanding, or if you really have some smoothing to do, put the blade into the scrollsaw and use it as a power sander for tight places.

--Chris Lyles, Hereford, Texas
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Suppose you have to determine the diameter of a piece of pipe or dowel, but calipers aren't to be found in your shop. How can you take the measurement?

Slip an adjustable wrench over the piece, tighten snugly, and then use a tape measure to determine the jaw opening.

--From the WOOD® magazine shop
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You're working on a project which calls for a number of same-sized short dowels, but measuring and marking them for cutting is seriously slowing your pace.

Measuring from the blade, mark the desired length on the saw table with a piece of masking tape. Line up the end of your dowel with the guiding edge of the tape and make your cuts.

--From the WOOD® magazine shop
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Powder-fine sawdust that accumulates and sticks to face shields, goggles, and glasses can interfere with a safe, clear view of your work when using power tools. The culprit: static electricity that builds up on everything in a workshop with dry air.

Put the kibosh on static electricity by cleaning your safety eyewear with a used sheet of fabric softener. Fresh pieces contain a heavier chemical and are not as soft as those that have been through the clothes dryer at least once. The soft sheet will remove both dust and static without scratching the lenses. If you don't have any fabric softener sheets, a thin film of Armor All brand automotive vinyl protectant rubbed in with a soft cloth also works.

You also can use this trick to clean and treat clear plastic shields on power tools. Repeat the anti-static treatment as necessary.

--Anita K. Booth, Lakewood, Calif.
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