Paul’s Top Woodworking Tips: Part 2

In this blog we are continuing to share some of Paul’s favourite woodworking tips he has collected over the years. You can catch up with Part 1 here.

Removing a Buckle in Saw Plate

To see if your saw is buckled, turn it so the teeth are facing up and look down the length. If it is buckled, rest the spine on a hard surface, such as a bench top and grip the handle with both hands, Whack the spine against the bench top then check to see if it has realigned, if not, repeat the process.

Planing Plywood Edge

To avoid fractures on the edges when planing plywood, use a chisel to take off the corner.

Applying Finish to Small Projects

When finishing a small project, use a scrap piece of wood with 4 screws in turned upright, place the wet side on this to allow you to apply finish to the rest of the project with minimal damaging the wet finish.

Setting Small Saws

When setting a saw with a nail punch and hammer, put 2 magnets into a scrap piece of wood and put in the vise. Use the magnets to keep the saw plate in place while you set the teeth.

Creating a Flat Surface With a Scraper

To remove small undulations in a piece of wood, put it in the vise alongside a flat piece of wood to guide it when scraping. Instead of the scraper following the undulations, it will give you a smooth surface.

Clamping Curved Wood

If you cut a curved piece out of a larger blank and want to plane it, use the leftover calls to hold it in place in the vise without putting stress on the bend

Check Your Square is Square

Place your square up against the edge of a piece of card stock, draw a line with a pencil, flip the square over and check it lines up. If it does, your square is square.

Unclogging Sandpaper

If you are using sandpaper and it’s clogged, use an eraser to remove the particles on the surface of the sandpaper.

Tighten Saw Handle Studs

To tighten the studs on a saw handle, put a hammer in the vise and line the stud on top of this, use another hammer to drive this in from the other side. One strike should tighten it.

Retrofitting Sash Clamps

To ensure your clamps don’t mark the surface of your wood, Paul likes to add a plywood pad onto his. You can use double sided tape to stick these on, tighten up the clamp to set these in place. 

Prefer to see these tips in video format? Click here.

Catch up with ‘Paul’s Top Woodworking Tips: Part 1’ of this blog series.

Similar Posts

One Comment

  1. I use cork to line my vice and clamp faces using double sided tape. It is easy to replace… although it holds up extremely well, and can hold rounded objects without damage. The cork I use is a little over 1/16″ thick and is sold as a roll for hobbyists, and cuts with scissors.

Leave a Reply