A Sled for Small Parts
When crosscutting, it is hard to beat the precision and efficiency of a table saw. But when cutting small parts such as pen blanks, drawer pulls and such, I don’t like getting my fingers so close to the blade. To make the process safer, I built a dedicated sled. It is comprised of an MDF base with screwed-on hardwood runners that engage the slots in my saw’s table. The fence and rear rail bridge the center saw kerf and help to hold the two sides together. I dadoed the fence to accept a length of T-track and screwed the track in place before screwing in the fence and adjusting it for square. Then I made the hold-down from two pieces of plywood glued together in an L shape. After drilling a hole in the longer piece, I added a T-bolt and star knob to fasten the hold-down to the track. I sized the hold-down to secure 1" stock when tightened. For thinner stock, I add appropriately sized shims as needed.
Robert Godwin
Tyrone, Georgia
Mitered Stop Block
The seemingly simple process of making a mitered picture frame can be fussy. There are several things you have to get just right for the final result to be square with tight joints. First, the miter cuts have to be cut cleanly at precisely 45˚. Second, the opposing sides of the frame have to be exactly the same length(s). To make this second part easier, I like to clamp a mitered stop block to my saw. I find the angled end of the block is easier to register the mitered end of a frame piece against and is less likely to damage the fragile tip than a square stop. For more on framing, see Picture Framing Basics.
Dan Martin
Galena, Ohio
Turner's Sandpaper Holder
I do a lot of production turning making multiple bottle stoppers, pens, and such at a time. Sanding a batch means frequently swapping out one grit of paper for the next. To keep the various grits from getting mixed up, I use hook-and-loop abrasives and hang them in order from a strip of adhesive-backed Velcro adhered to the front of my lathe. I prefer to start with my coarser grits toward the headstock, but do what makes sense to you.
Richard Entwistle
Highland Lakes, New Jersey
Sizing Sandpaper
I purchase sandpaper in 100 sheet sleeves. This saves some money, and allows me to size it as needed. To facilitate this, I made a cutter from a piece of scrap plywood and a hacksaw blade. I drew lines on the plywood corresponding to the sizes of paper I frequently need. The 4-1/2" and 5-1/2" lines allow me to quarter the sheets for a palm sander, and the 2-3/4" line gives me 1/ 8 sheets—a size I like to use when sanding on the lathe. To use the cutter, slide the paper under the blade and align it with the appropriate line. Then pull up to tear the paper neatly along the blade; no measuring required.
Jim Kelly
Trappe, Pennsylvania
