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To keep power cords rolled up when not in use, try using elastic ponytail holders. The best holders are the type with a small plastic ball at each end.
WoodNet.net
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A piece of masking tape around a drill bit can be a great depth stop indicator.
Wood Zone
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Attractive and unique picture frames can be made with basic tools, for some only a saw and a square are needed. Sawdust Making shows you how....
Sawdust Making 101
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When gluing up a project it’s inevitable that some of the glue will squeeze out of the joint. It’s best to wait for the glue to "gel up" before scraping it off with a sharp chisel or razor blade. Wiping up the glue before it gels can spread it over the surface of the wood and cause you a lot of sanding later.
Wood Zone
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To help prevent the glue from drying out, squeeze out the air of the bottle after you finish using it. The glue will last longer.
Needlepointers.com
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When spreading glue out across a wood joint don’t use your fingers! This introduces dirt and oil that may weaken the joint. A better solution is to use an old paintbrush or a small section of a hacksaw blade. Scraps of wood also serve as an inexpensive spreader.
Wood Zone
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A tips on how to spread white glue or liquid adhesive using a gift or credit card.
Needlepointers.com
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If you do not have a glue brush, try an old toothbrush.
WoodNet.net
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How to make a small hand plane for precise trimming and surfacing.
Popular Mechanics
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Take the guesswork out of compound miters with this handy calculator. Just enter the sides and slope.
Woodworker's Central
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Protect your fingers while hanging something (such as a picture), by holding the nail in the tines of a comb.
Real Simple
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Use a common nail to tap a couple of small holes into the rim of the can. These holes allow extra paint that's trapped in the rim to drip out.
Wood Zone
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How to remove paint or vanish from furniture.
DIY Home Improvement
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This is a handy easy to make clamp for picture frames with mitered corners.
Sawdust Making 101
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To prevent a power sander from tilting near the edge of a workpiece and rounding over the corner, place another board that's the same thickness up against the workpiece. This way, the sander rides across the edge instead of rounding it over.
ShopNotes
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Use a large cardboard box as a spray painting booth.
Craftionary
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A skirted tables offer unlimited storage potential. Purchase a round plywood decorator table and cover it with a ready-made tablecloth. Stack beneath it hatboxes filled with sewing notions, crafting supplies or anything else you want to keep close at hand.
Country Sampler Decorating Ideas
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To trace a pattern on dark wood use a white pencil from an art supply store or a soapstone used in metal work. The light color will stand out against the dark wood.
Wood Zone
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When using a hardening filler, fill the holes before sanding the project. Then wait overnight to allow the filler to dry, and sand the wood and filler smooth.
Woodworking Tips
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To remove grease and oil stains from woodworking projects, spray them with automobile starting fluid which contains ether. The stains come off and the wood dries almost immediately.
Refinish.com
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Remove the dust from your project prior to staining. You can vacuum it or you can use a tack cloth.
Proven Woodworking
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Woodworking - To fix a "little gap" on the outside of a miter joint, use the edge of a screwdriver to subtly round over the corners. The corners will close in and mask the gap. No wood putty!
WoodZone.com
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To preserve your paper woodworking patterns, spray them lightly with aerosol hair spray. The spray will seal the surface and keep pencil lines from smudging.
Accents Woodcrafts
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WOODWORKING - Use a white pencil from an art supply store or a soapstone used in metal work. The light color will stand out against the dark wood.
Woodzone.com
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WOODWORKING - Gluing up wood can sometimes be a messy job. Before being tempted to wipe up wet glue that has squeezed from the joint, let it dry for almost an hour and lift it from the wood using a chisel.
The Winfield Collection
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Is you dowel to tight? Simply place the dowels in a microwave oven for three or four minutes. This will remove moisture and make the dowels easier to insert.
Gold Country Woodworks
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When you have loose sleeves, baggy pants, or rags hanging out of your pocket, they can get caught by power tools, or a ladder.
Al's Home Improvement Center
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Always use a stop block when you crosscut short lengths with a table saw.
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To avoid the dreaded rust on your expensive tools try a coat of paste wax.
Village Woodsmith
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Wearing the proper shop protection is an important part of safe tool operation. Goggles, Ear Protection, and Lung Protection should be used when operating tools.
Wood Worker.com
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When spreading glue out across a wood joint don’t use your fingers! This introduces dirt and oil that may weaken the joint. A better solution is to use an old paintbrush or a small section of a hacksaw blade.
WoodZone.com
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To avoid slippage when driving nails, it's a god idea to occasionally scuff up your hammer's head with coarse emery cloth, a file or an abrasive wheel.
WoodshopTips.com
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Make your own tacky cloth by soaking a diaper or piece of cheesecloth in turpentine and wringing it out until it's still fairly damp. Brush on stripes of varnish, roll up the cloth and wring out again. Repeat this process until you achieve the degree of stickiness you desire.
WoodshopTips.com
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Working around power tools can be perfectly safe provided you work with care. Over-reaching or stretching to make a cut is an accident waiting to happen.
Woodzone.com
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Remember to sand with the grain of the wood.
WOODBIN
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Working around power tools can be perfectly safe provided you work with care. Over-reaching or stretching to make a cut is an accident waiting to happen.
Woodzone.com
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Discarded pantyhose or nylon stockings make an excellent application for urethane or polyurethane finished, particularly on contoured surfaces or turnings.
Gold Country Woodworks
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When gluing make sure surfaces to be glued are smooth, flat, and free of dust.
WOODBIN
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