Router Table spline slot cutting and micro adjustment ideas

| September 26, 2023

Here’s another idea for the router table that might work better than the table saw for cutting splines in the corners of small frames, simple drawers and boxes. I usually struggle with lining up and clamping framed boxes multiple times using my table saw and a tendon jig (with box that cuts splines) and thought something […]

Tinkering with my Router Table jigs and an OLD new idea

| September 10, 2023

A couple of my short “cheap” T-tracks arrived last week that I’m planning to use for either a router table or table saw jig … or both? I’m not sure exactly how I’m planning to integrate them yet, but I have been collecting a few idea. Initially I was going to use them for featherboard […]

Wintertime workshop tinkering: Screw plugs and a coping sled

| February 1, 2022

For a soon to tackle project in the woodworking workshop, I tinkered with my older plug cutter in order to hide the heads of a few drywall screws. For a test, I used contrasting wood just to see how much gap there was going to be – it looks as if it will work. To […]

Workshop Wednesday: Frame-making and a crown molding jig

| January 19, 2022

For the lack of a better subject line, this will be called a Workshop Wednesday post … even though I’m rarely in the workshop on Wednesdays (it was last weekend). Anyway, I was busy making a jig to help cut the “cheap” (and I mean “cheaply made”) crown molding that I purchased from Wayfair for […]

Woodworking Idea: A homemade Router Table Multi-Sled

| February 24, 2021

After setting up my router for better, cleaner and easier woodworking dados last week, I started thinking about something better than using my table saw’s stock miter gauge for making “coping” style end cuts on the router table. Beside a $220 commercial Coping-Jig (left), there are hundreds of homemade plans on the Internet to do […]

Carpenter bee traps, a box joint finger jig and birdhouse ideas

| July 5, 2020

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Woodworking idea to better clamp a table saw featherboard

| June 27, 2020

I’ve used the same combination of featherboards on my table saw for years (photo left). I also have a Shopsmith commercial featherboard which fits the smaller table perfectly, but it only works to hold larger sized pieces against the fence on my cabinet saw. Then there is the temporary one that I made 40 years […]

A new lightweight MicroJig better crosscut miter sled idea

| April 23, 2020

After cutting a few miter joints earlier this month with a 45 degree jig on my table saw crosscut sled, I started to contemplate the best way to cut clean tendons and dadoes. In the past I’ve used an added fence to the stock miter gauge, but it really doesn’t do a great job. Of […]

A miter jig for cutting door frames and a #TBT feather board

| April 9, 2020

Last week while continuing to s-l-o-w-l-y work on the bookshelves and painting project, in-between outdoor yard cleanup and cutting the lawn for the first time in 2020, I also used the frame cutting miter jib previously mentioned. It is amazing just how much more accurate this set-up for my table saw crosscut sled is over […]

Woodworking crosscut sled discussion and bookshelves update

| March 29, 2020

This is a two-purpose post: A woodworking (sort of) bookshelves project archive update and shared information on a jig I made. First, the bookshelves and music room/ library painting coming along slowly. I’m bogged down with putty, sanding and painting after adding a strip light shield (wood to hide the LEDs that I’m planning to […]

Woodworking: Making a couple new clamping jigs for frames

| November 17, 2019

When it comes to clamping, I ascribe to the rule of thumb that you can never have too many clamps when woodworking. That said, I often don’t have enough when I’m working on a project … and lately it has been even worse since a few of my tools are in Florida (Condo1718 projects). Currently […]

How-To: A workshop tidbit for accurately drilling shelf pins

| September 21, 2019

While talking with my good friend Mark Jones about accurately drilling pin holes to mount a few glass shelves in a tight space, he gave me a great idea to use a piece of peg board to align all the holes accurately. Thanks Mark, a great tip! But in my case, I didn’t have a […]

Practiced my first hand-cut dovetail #woodworking

| October 9, 2018

One would think that will all the years that I’ve been tinkering with tools and woodworking that surely I would have made a few "hand-cut" dovetails? Nope, I’ve always used a simpler joint for hand made projects or for bigger "repeat" projects opted for a router and dovetail jig — which was handmade by me […]

Finally added the corner desk area to my workbench

| November 24, 2015

After cleaning out the garage workshop to prepare for my woodstove addition, I removed the drawing table/desk area that I added when I was building the Sonex airplane (no longer needed since selling my project). The desktop was almost a perfect fit for the corner area in my basement workshop so I put it in […]

Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee

  1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
  2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.
My Desultory Blog