Sharpen While You Work

Category Archives: Tricks of the Trade

Sharpen While You Work

American Woodworker Editors AW158, Chisels, Lee Valley, MDF, Sharpening, Shop Blog, Techniques, Tricks of the Trade, Workshop Tips

Chisels don’t wait to get dull until you’ve finished a job—do they? The trick is to keep them sharp while you’re working. Rather than pull out my stones to renew an edge, I keep a piece of MDF charged with …
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The Sandpaper Files

Tom Caspar AW153, Sanding, Sandpaper, Storage, Techniques, Tool Storage, Tricks of the Trade, Workshop Tips

This sandpaper storage system is about as simple as it gets. It’s just a stack of folded envelopes bound with a big rubber band. Each envelope is marked with a grit number. A thin piece of wood on the bottom …
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Goof-Proof Center Finder

John English AW153, Marking and Measuring, measuring tools, Precision, Techniques, Tricks of the Trade, Workshop Tips

To mark the exact center of a board, I measure an equal distance from both ends and make two marks. This distance is just an approximation—it doesn’t matter if it’s longer or shorter than exactly half the length of the …
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Picture Frame Glue-up

American Woodworker Editors AW147, Glue, Picture Frames, Techniques, Tricks of the Trade, Workshop Tips

Here’s a quick way to glue up a mitered frame of any size using only two clamps, with no worry that the frame will shift out of alignment. You’ll need two 1″ x 1″ hardwood bars (make them whatever length …
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