Deadbolt Bench Stop

Category Archives: AW144

Deadbolt Bench Stop

American Woodworker Editors AW144, Bench, December 2024 #281, Techniques, Tricks of the Trade, Workbench, Workshop Tips

For a quick and simple bench stop, I mounted a sliding bolt taken from an old door to the end of my workbench. In the locked position, the bolt stays put, and in the unlocked position it’s completely out of …
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Drill Bits for Pennies

American Woodworker Editors AW144, Drill Bits, Drills, Techniques, Tricks of the Trade, Workshop Tips

I’ve always had bad luck with really small drill bits–if I don’t break them, I lose them. I’ve stopped buying new ones, and now clip the heads off finish nails and use the nails as bits. Smooth nails–not galvanized- work …
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New Road for Old Drivers

American Woodworker Editors AW144, Grinding, Screws, Techniques, Tricks of the Trade, Workshop Tips

I use lots of Phillips-head sheetrock screws, which are made of hardened steel. They’re tough on bits. A worn-out bit can’t be re-sharpened, so I reshape it to fit a slotted screw using a small diameter sanding drum. I place …
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Bargain Screw Lube

American Woodworker Editors AW144, Screws, Techniques, Tricks of the Trade, Workshop Tips

A toilet bowl floor gasket is an excellent lubricant for screws–much better than paraffin, soap, or all of the other materials I’ve tried. It’s very soft, so all you have to do to coat a screw is to push the …
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Contoured Sanding Block

American Woodworker Editors AW144, Sanding, Sanding Block, Sandpaper, Techniques, Tricks of the Trade, Workshop Tips

To sand a lot of molding, glue 80-grit sandpaper to several inches of the molding. Rub a block of Styrofoam on the sandpaper until the block conforms to the molding’s contour. Glue sandpaper to the block, then sand the molding.…
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