-
Vertical-to-horizontal drill press jig
This jig comes in handy when I have to process cut bottles. I stick sanding discs to the velcro pad and polish the glass. For any other tasks i.e. wood and metal, I use my disc/belt sander, but for glass, I like to sand through the grits, from coarse to very fine. That wouldn’t be easy with a bench sander as it uses self-adhesive discs and offers no control over the sanding speed. Glass is different and it likes to be sanded slowly – excessive heat can crack the glass and melt the velcro backing pad. That’s why I built…
-
Tape holder
Its body was made from a plastic pipe, that was part of an intake/exhaust gas boiler shaft. However, not its origin, but its diameter was more important to me, the pipe could go inside the masking tape roll and surprisingly it could store some insulation tape inside. The scrap pipe I had was too long, I had to cut it to size using a hand saw and a mitre box, and next, all the sharp edges had to be sanded down. Once that was done I started drilling holes. As that project was very simple, there were only 2 steps…
-
Mini shooting board
Never mind its look, because it’s made from scraps. It works great, though, and even if it’s not made of very durable materials, it should last for a while. I wanted to see if I need one, and how does it improve my work? I used MDF, plywood and some off-cuts to make it. All glued together, reinforced with nails. A simple jig, used in combination with a block plane to trim and square up ends of boards. I think it does the job, can be quickly pulled out for a project and easily stored on a shelf. It was…
-
Back-to-school tools, edition 2021
This year, 2021, is about going cordless, at least for me. Many tools and appliances in my household have been changed from noisy and corded to quiet cordless ones. But the noise wasn’t the main reason I did some upgrades. Portability and ease of use, which often means no preparation before the job. In the past, time after time, I didn’t use a tool at all and skipped the task just because I saw all the cable work in my head, plugin in, changing sockets, being careful not to go over the cable etc. Many tasks started and immediately finished…
-
Simple weathervane
It’s made of scrap dowels, a scrap metal handle and a toolbox divider. If there was a need to cut wood, I used a hand saw. The arrow was built first and tested for a couple of weeks, using a temporary stand. It worked great, and I decided to make a proper mount for it. Coincidentally, I had some scrap metal handles lying around that I no longer needed for the device they came from. They were used for the mount. Surprisingly, my chamfering bit turned out good for wood and metal, and it saved me some time in part…
-
Summer tools, edition 2021
The first tool, which is a thickness planer, helps me to get smooth and evenly thick boards in no time. Three other Bosch tools, give me the ability to take them with me anywhere and 3 big batteries last long, so I can be sure the job will be finished. The last one is my 3rd hand in many situations and also serves as a workbench. I’ve always wanted to have this tool, but due to the limited storage space, I couldn’t buy it. Luckily, my storage room has magically stretched and finally, I could purchase this wonderful machine. This…
-
Valentine’s Day tools, edition 2021
This time I’ll present and recommend 4 tools that I use very often in my “shed shop” and around the house. They are essential for my work and I find a hundred uses for them. Here we go: The first tool is my deburring bit aka deburring tool or external chamfer bit. Designed to use with a drill, it has a hex shank which prevents slipping in the chuck. I’ve always thought that these tools were meant to be sharp inside, but this one is completely blunt and still does the job. What I mean is that it’s designed and…
-
New Year tools, edition 2021
Let me present 2 tools that I bought recently and which are a handy-dandy addition to my tool collection. They make my work easier, faster and more precise. Also, when it comes to cleaning – it takes less time. Speed and ease. Proxxon 28092 Scroll Saw was bought because of 2 reasons – one – it’s Proxxon, which speaks for itself – good quality, good design and very robust; two – it had a square table – love from the 1st sight! When it arrived I had to convert its plug from a 2-pin EU to a 3-pin UK one.…
-
Horizontal belt sanding station
It works just like a vertical belt sander, that has a tool rest, or a small tilting table, except my sanding station is horizontal and the tool rest doesn’t tilt. It always stays at a 90º angle and it’s rather quite big for a rest. On the other hand, is relatively small for a table. But that’s not a problem, if I need a bigger table I mount the sander in a different position. This setup works great for sanding small parts, I can rest a workpiece vertically, against the wooden block, or keep it flat and still use that…
-
Finger joint jig
This is just an attachment for my table saw sledge, it can’t be used on its own. It’s made of scrap, unused and upcycled materials. Very cheap to make and didn’t take much time. It was one of these jigs that had to be made sooner or later as it is quite essential addition to any shop. There will be a new way to join wood, strong joints that also look good. First I removed one corner from the timber block, and that was only done to get the same height as the backing fence it was going to be…
