Woodworking Tip of The Week - Small Parts Clamp

Cutting small parts on the table saw doesn’t always involve making a lot of repetitive cuts or identical pieces. Often all I need to do is cut or trim one or two short pieces to length. Or possibly cut several small pieces to size that are each a little different. For a long time, I struggled with making these crosscuts cleanly and accurately without losing my fingers. The solution turned out to be the simple clamping jig you see at use in the photo at right.

This small parts clamp attaches to the miter gauge of the table saw. It holds the workpiece firmly between the two jaws so all I have to worry about is sliding the miter gauge past the blade.

Building the Clamp. As you can see in the drawings below, the construction is pretty simple. Basically, the clamp consists of a back jaw, an adjustable front jaw, and a slotted spreader that connects them.

You start by cutting the front and back jaw to identical size from 3/4″-thick hardwood. Then you drill matching holes at the “blade” end of the jaws to hold the carriage bolt that tightens the clamp.

Once the slot is cut in the spreader, you can screw it to the opposite end of the front jaw. The slot fits over a hanger bolt installed in the end of the back jaw. Both ends of the clamp are tightened down with wing nuts and washers.

Using It. Putting the clamp to use doesn’t need much explanation. First, you adjust the jaws to loosely fit the workpiece. Then line up your cut mark on the workpiece with the blade and tighten the wing nuts. Making the cuts is just a matter of sliding the miter gauge past the saw blade.

Good woodworking,

Phil HuberEditor,
ShopNotes

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Handi

Woodworking Tip of The Week - Applying Edging

Gluing hardwood edging to plywood has never been one of my favorite tasks. It's always tricky to keep the edging from slipping while tightening down the clamps. So to help hold the edging in place, I made some clamping blocks.

These blocks have a shallow, wide groove on one side that's sized to just fit over the edging and plywood, see drawing. This holds the edging flush with the plywood. To prevent the blocks from getting glued to the workpiece, I apply wax to the surface of the blocks before using them.

Have a nice weekend,

Ted Raife
Editor, Woodsmith

Please Refur to pictures by clicking the Title of the Post to goto the Link Provided

Handi

Audio Podcast Introduction

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Welcome everyone to my First ever attempt to an Audio Podcast.

Thanks to Matt Vanderlist over at http://www.mattsbasementworkshop.com/ for recommending such a Great Audio Recorder and Better yet FREE at it's best anyone can Afford it...

This is just a Small 3 minute Introduction about what I do on my Blog with Woodworking and Scroll Sawing.

I hope Y'all find it Informative and continue to come back and listen to, and watch my Video and Audio Podcast hobo Style!

Thanks for listening,

Handi

Woodworking Tip of The Week - Band Saw Fence & Stop Block

I like cutting tenons on the band saw because it's quick, easy, and accurate — especially with this fence and stop block. As you can see in the drawing, the plywood fence is attached to a base that can be adjusted and clamped to the table. A cleat registers the base square to the table.

I made the fence and stop block 3″ tall. That's tall enough to handle most tenons, but low enough to keep the blade guides close to the work. To cut the slot for the stop block, drill a pair of 3/8″-diameter holes in the fence and remove the waste in between with a jig saw. Then, drill a hole at the same height in the stop block for the bolt. The 6″-wide base is the same length as the fence.

At this point, you're ready to assemble the fence. Begin by attaching the cleat to the front edge of the base. Then, attach the fence to the side of the base with countersunk screws. A carriage bolt through the slot with a star knob makes adjustments quick and easy.

Good woodworking,

Phil HuberEditor,

ShopNotes

Pictures are available from the Titled Link above.

Thanks,
Handi