Scrollsaw bowl press
I make bowls by scrollsawing pieces from thinner stock and then laminating the layers together. To facilitate gluing up the stack, I made a press from two plywood disks connected with 1/2" bolts, washers, and wingnuts. The bottom disk is solid, but the top disk has an opening big enough for my hand to slip through. This opening allows me to clean up any glue squeeze-out before it has a chance to harden.
Linda Fitzgerald
Westport, Massachusetts
Sander extension table
I frequently use my stationary belt/disc sander for truing curves and other shaping operations. When used with a light touch, it can produce excellent results. Supporting larger workpieces, however, can be a challenge. To help with this, I made a plywood extension that I can fasten to the machine’s existing tables. Adjustable legs attached with hinges keep the larger table from tilting away from the desired angle under load while flathead machine screws thread into holes drilled and tapped in the cast iron to hold the table in place.
Duncan McAllister
Bozeman, Montana
Restoring throat plates
Over time, the opening in my stock table saw throat plate became ragged. To restore it to true zero-clearance (ZC) performance I packed the underside with auto body filler, clamping a scrap of plywood covered with packing tape to seal the opening. After the filler dried, I placed the insert into my saw’s throat opening and clamped it with my rip fence, being sure the fence was clear of the blade. Then, I slowly raised the spinning blade through the filler to create a new ZC opening. A call to SawStop ahead of time confirmed that Bondo brand filler contains no metal and will not interfere with the saw’s electronic safety features.
Charles Mak
Calgary, Alberta, CA
Through-the-table end boring
I recently upgraded my drill press to a “woodworkers” model with a larger table, offering extra support for bigger workpieces. But it also features a removable center insert, which gave me an idea. Removing the insert makes it possible to feed a long workpiece through the hole for end boring without having to pivot the table to the side (and potentially throw it out of alignment). To aid in this, I made the fixture shown. It features a broad base with a notch sized to match the opening in the table. Four T-bolts with plastic knobs slip through lateral adjustment notches and engage the T-slots in the machine’s table to hold the base in place. Two vertical fences provide plenty of clamping support for workpieces. And atop these fences are two brass strips. The diagonal one provides a positive stop for loading pieces into the fixture, while the shorter one provides registration for a removable steel rule—helpful for setting the drilling depth. Magnets embedded in the side of the fence hold the rule securely when needed.
Dwayne Smyth
West Springfield, Massachusetts
"Free" finish supports
My local pizza place includes little, three-legged, plastic “tables” in their boxes to keep the lids from sticking to the top of the pies. I wash and save these, using them in the shop to support pieces as I finish them.
Larry Koch
North Adams, Massachusetts
