The Tips and Tricks Thread

[Bill Carey]

Pet peeve: waiting to put down the orbital sander. Can't stand it. Why the hell don't they have bakes??? So this am I'm sanding a maple top and got so aggravated I came up with this. It's hinged to my bench. I'll eventually put a locking pin on it so I can get rid of the clamp. So now I just slip the sander into the slot and it can orbit on to it's little orbiting heart's desire.
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[Mike Trent]

I found the following tip on YouTube, and it works for me:

Once you’ve taken your finger off the trigger, simply hold the sander down on a flat surface. The more force you use, the quicker the sander stops. About a second or two for me. I keep a piece of non-slip mesh next to the piece I’m sanding, and when I’m ready to stop, switch hands, whatever, I push the sander down on the mat and it stops very quickly.


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[Yonak Hawkins]

I have a piece of carpet padding nearby that I set it on.

[Ole Anderson]

Ole,

At the top of most Forums is a special thread for Sticky threads. Check it out, you will find a link to this thread.

We did this so we don't end up with 25 sticky threads in each forum which causes people to complain.
I read every thread and post in the Support Forum.

Not complaining about 4 other stickies now, but quicker access to this popular Tips and Tricks thread still makes sense.

[Lee Schierer]

OK, let's see if this gets legs. Some time ago I asked (in the Forum Tech Support forum which apparently almost no one reads) if we could have a separate forum dedicated to workshop tips and tricks. Well that didn't go anywhere, so why not just have a thread dedicated to your ideas around the shop that you would like to share?

Actually the Tips & Tricks is a sticky at the top of this forum called General Woodworking Forum Sticky Threads --- Tips & Tricks

[Keith Outten]

I haven't had time lately to move sticky threads into the master thread in many of our Forums. I will get to is soon.

[Nick Shattuck]

I haven't seen this so it may be a common thing to do, but to save space in my shop I mounted my dust collector to the ceiling. All I did was remove the casters on the stand and flip the filter/bag. It works great and I have enough room underneath to park my router table.
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[Lee Schierer]

They used to sell little round turn tables with a lazy susan bearing under it that would let you sit down your ROS while it was still turning. These were at nearly every woodworking show you went to.

[David Falkner]

When I do my glue-ups for cutting boards I leave a 'stick' or two a bit long on either end to prevent snipe in not only the planer but also the drum sander. This has the same effect as feeding a sacrificial board before and after your target board for surfacing. I don't always get snipe on my DW735 planer but it's often enough that doing this eliminates the snipe. The little board that's protruding may get some snipe but the target board doesn't. Hope this works for you like it does for me -

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David

[glenn bradley]

French's mustard lid fits Titebond bottles.

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[glenn bradley]

Old gift cards turn spring clamps into edge clamps.

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[glenn bradley]

Odd things from household supplies have a use in the shop. These little plastic 'caps' are on top of the product and under the cap of the brand of antiperspirant I use. They make great 'painter's pyramids' for long thin items.

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[glenn bradley]

Magnet/blocks cure clamping ills. This works on various tools around the shop but, my saw horses benefit as shown.

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Other tools . . .

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[Ole Anderson]

When the Tips and Tricks thread gets buried in a sticky within a sticky, there is little activity, but when someone posts to it, allowing it to be seen, activity picks up. 8 recent tips and tricks added, even if many were by one member (Glenn Bradley). If any thread should be a regular sticky, this is is. Tips and tricks spans all of woodworking. (Disclaimer, I created this thread so I may be biased).

Glenn (and others), what a great bunch of recent tips, thanks. Keep them coming, we all benefit.

[Charlie Jones]

Those plastic cards I get in the mail hoping you will join various organizations. I use them and old debit/credit cards for glue spreaders.