Question: I have an inexpensive harbor freight lathe. I would like to purchase a lathe chuck to hold blanks to turn stuff. Don’t know how to go about doing that. Can you help? Submitted by TommyG Answer: You’ll need to look at your owner’s manual to get some information about your lathe. Specifically, you’re looking…
Question: In prepping blanks for bowl turning, I cut them out of logs for face turning. I am using a freshly felled American Elm stump and a year old Walnut trunk for stock (felled a year ago). The blanks range in size from 6-8″ inches round and 4-6″ thick. Both the Elm and Walnut blanks…
I have a problem which, admittedly, is a good problem to have. After a few years of woodworking (and thoughtful gifts from family and friends), I’ve got more than one router. The problem comes up when I reach for wrenches. Since the routers aren’t all the same brand, the wrenches aren’t interchangeable. Seems like I…
Even with dust collection on my router table, it seemed I always had the same problem. I’d open the doors on the cabinet below the table and find a mountain of sawdust. The biggest problem was that somewhere below that sawdust were my router wrenches, collet, and other tools I needed for the router table.…
Question: How do I remove a large water stain from the dining room table top? Submitted by aldevita Answer: Try this trick on how to remove water stains on furniutre…lay a dish cloth over the water mark and, with an iron on a low setting, iron over the dish cloth for 30 – 60 seconds.…
Question: I am building a bedroom set out of quarter sawn oak. What would you recommend for this type of wood – varnish, lacquer, water or oil polyurethane base, or an oil rub finish? Can you please provide the pros and cons of each? Is there a brand you prefer? Submitted by Garyw Answer: There…
Question: How can I flatten plywood? I am making some panels out of 1/2″ oak plywood. The panels are not completely flat and will not fit the grooves in the frame. Submitted by Mackym Answer: This may not be a fixable problem, but you can try. One downside to plywood is its tendency to cup.…
Question: I have a pattern for a library ladder but the wood they suggest is red oak. I want to paint the ladder to match the book shelves (white enamel). Is there a wood that is as strong as red oak that I wouldn’t have to waste money on since I’m going to paint it?…
“I recently built my daughter a book case with maple plywood. I made a homemade pegboard jig for drilling the shelf support hole. On this jig, I used blue chalk to mark the holes for drilling. Some of the chalk got on the maple. I brushed it away. Most of the chalk was brushed off.…
“What is the best way to line up a barrel hinge from the lid to the body of the project?” Submitted by: lvshilling WWGOA Editor Response: Try using dowel centers. These handy devices have a barrel that fits into a hole and a point that projects above the hole. Drill the barrel hinge holes in…