Workshop

Our favorite workshop ideas all in one place and ready for you to conquer.

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14 Ways to Use a Rotary Tool That Will Have People Buzzing

These brilliant ideas may just inspire a renaissance of rotary tool use in your shop and beyond. Honestly, there isn’t...


Double-Duty Vise

Save yourself from buying a new vise with this tip.


Plywood Carrier for Compact Trucks

Turn your compact-pickup bed into a plywood-carrying machine!


Rubber Gloves Rubber Bands

Check out this clever workshop tip!


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10 Easy Ways to Cut Metal Fast

Our best tips for getting your project done right.


The Benefits of Adding a Key-Holed Ruler to Your Workbench

Mount a removable metal ruler on the front edge of your workbench!



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Portable Router Table Base

Just when you thought you’d seen every possible use for your portable workbench (the Workmate bench is shown here), here’s...

Clamp Extenders

Build some clever plywood clamp extenders to use when bar clamps are too short to do the job. It beats...


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How to Double Your Battery Life

Here's a tip for making lithium tool batteries last twice as long. Most kits come with two batteries. Take one...


Planing Warped Boards

A jointer is the best tool for flattening twisted, warped boards. But what if you don't have a jointer or...


How to Make a Flap Sander

Don’t have a power sander to sand curvy rough-sawn edges? You do if you own a 3/8-in. drill. Taper the end...


Sanding-Belt Recycling

Save a “used”sanding-belt to make specialized sanding tools. All you need is the belt, a pair of scissors and a little...


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Cut Beside (Not On) the Marked Cutting Line

Years ago, my son asked for help on an arithmetic story problem: “A 16-ft. long board is sawn into four...


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PVC Hacks for the Workshop

Transform scrap pieces of PVC pipe into storage sites for dowels and fasteners, courtesy of “tipfull” reader Al Miller. 


How to Build a Tool Dolly

Build this mobile tool chest and take all your tools to the job in just one trip!


Jacked-Up Outfeed Roller

Here’s an outfeed roller that you can adjust in seconds to support boards coming off stationary power tools of every...

Right-On Octagons

If you’ve ever cut an octagonal piece for a project, you probably “snuck up on it.” You drew the shape,...


Miter Saw Tuneup

If your miter saw isn’t cutting square, the problem is easy to fix. Unplug the saw, loosen the fence bolts,...


Hanging Caulk Tubes

We finally got the hang of preserving partially used caulk tubes from resourceful reader Stephen Hoke.


How Do You Cut the Lid From a Box?

Here’s a method that’ll give you great results and keep the lid aligned perfectly as you cut each side.


Sheet Metal Bender

Bending sheet metal and flashing into crisp angles is easy with this two-board bending tool. To build one, you need...


Stationary Belt Sander

This jig holds your belt sander upside down for sanding of handheld project parts. Each sander has a different shape,...

Miter Saw Table

This simple miter saw table has some great advantages and takes less than an hour to make.


Circular-Saw Cutting Guide

We’ve used this great tip in our shop for years because you can cut plywood as accurately with a circular...


Scroll Saw Tips: Saw Tighter Curves

Saw tight corners with less binding by lightly rounding over the back edges of the blade.


Best Way to Cut Threaded Rod to Your Desired Length

When you’re shortening a bolt or threaded rod with a hacksaw, you always mangle the threads at the sawn end,...


Hardware Cloth Tool Roost

Store just about every hand tool you need on a strip of vinyl-coated 1/2-in. wire mesh hardware cloth. Make a...


Tapering Jig

Here’s a classic jig for cutting angled parts on your table saw. Build it from two 30-in. long x 2-1/2...