Workshop Miscellaneous

Build a vertical sheet good cutting stand with this detailed tutorial. Everyone should build one.

The roller stand I have in my shop really comes in handy. It is quick to set up and adjust and provides the extra support I need at the table saw, drill press, etc. But it does have one minor flaw. The folding design of the legs can make it a little unstable. If a workpiece hits the roller wrong, it can fold right up and flop over. But rather than put up with this annoyance, I tried to come up with a good solution.

The problem is holding the chisel at a consistent angle as you sharpen. To do this, I clamp the chisel to a simple sharpening guide.

At the link you can watch the video of how this marking gauge was made.

Here is a look at a few simple homemade tools and jigs that can prove useful on all sorts of DIY projects. A jig is an accessory used in woodworking or metalworking that controls the movement or location of a tool.

I never seem to have enough storage space in my shop....So, to store these and other small items, I built a pull-out storage case, like you see in the photo. The case is large enough to hold a couple of small plastic storage cabinets with lots of drawers (the kind you find at hardware stores and home centers). I also added a few shelves to store other items.

With a few sheets of plywood, MDF, some 2x4s, and common hardware, you can build this complete storage system and workcenter. It is designed for maximum utility in a minimum amount of space. Plus, you can customize it to suit your needs and shop layout.

Quick to build and makes for a handy helper in the workshop.

Besides holding a number of hand tools, the bar swings out from the wall. This provides easy access to additional tools mounted behind the tool bar.

Here are instruction for an easy-to-build steam bending system.

The caul press costs little to build and can easily be stored out of your way when you are not using it.

Here is a fun project that will help you customize your tape measure.

Inexpensive scraps of hardware cloth are ideal for making tool holders in a variety of shapes. These easily made racks are for use on a bench or as a wall mounted tool holder.

Without my small collection of extension cords, I think work in the shop would slowly grind to halt. But trying to keep these cords untangled and easily accessible was always a major challenge. The answer to this housekeeping problem was this storage rack.

Since my workbench is in the middle of the shop, there is not an electrical outlet nearby to plug my power tools into. And trailing an extension cord across the floor is a safety hazard. So I decided to hang a strip of outlets above the bench.

This extension cord holder can be make from scrap wood and then hung on the wall. Simple.

I move my jointer around the shop thanks to its mobile base, but it seemed like wherever the jointer was, my pushpads were not. So, I came up with this solution.

With the cost of lumber, I am not crazy about throwing out short scrap pieces of wood. But planing short pieces (less than 12 inches long) in not recommended by most manufacturers. That is because the pieces can get caught between the feed rollers and chewed up by the blades.

Build your own roller stand for the workshop with this easy-to-follow woodworking plan.

It seemed like whenever I needed waxed paper to protect my benchtop from glue squeeze-out, the waxed paper was buried in a drawer. This wall-hung project puts waxed paper within easy reach.

I have built a lot of storage cabinets for my tools and hardware, so I always know right where to find them. Unfortunately, that was not the case for my cleaning supplies. To solve this problem I built the heavy-duty cleanup center you see above. The cutting diagrams and materials list are available to download in this Online Extra.

Slotted holder keeps your blades in sight and ready.

Use the free downloadable templates available at the link to make your own extension cord holder or reel.

...I made a smooth-sliding auxiliary top out of a piece of Plexiglass...The Plexiglas is the same size as the saw table and has a hole only a bit larger than the blade to provide more workpiece support. I attached it with spray adhesive.

This wall-mounted glue-up rack saves space, stores pipe clamps, and makes it easy to glue up panels.

I discovered a simple way to make use of the space underneath my workbench top and behind the skirt without re-engineering the base for drawer boxes.

In this article, I will show you a collapsible benchtop booth based on a simple box fan. A well-designed spray booth will capture the over-spray and direct it out of the building, away from you and your work.

So I bought one of these... (benchtop planer) ...But my shop is not very big... So I decided I needed to build a fliptop stand (I read about these on various forums and other places.) to do this...

This simple wall storage rack keeps the saws out of the way but still easily accessible.

Build this handy wall mounted charging station for cordless tools using 3/4 inch plywood. Here is how.