Page 8 - Cutting and Shaping Wood

Whether it's a tight curve or a closed opening, you can cut it on your band saw with a couple of easy tricks.

Learn how to make and attach tapered legs for a mid-century modern console cabinet.

The table saw is the heart of most woodworking shops. When looking at stationary table saw, the choice most often is between a contractor saw or cabinet saw. Take a closer look at the differences and similarities you'll find on a cabinet table saw and a contractor table saw. In this case, we use the SawStop Contractor Saw and SawStop Pro Cabinet Saw as our examples of each category of table saw. The saw you choose will depend on the work you need to do with your table saw.

If the area inside the base of your router table is empty, you’re missing an opportunity for better storage. After all, there are accessories that go along with table routing — bits, wrenches, bit insert rings and featherboards, to name a few. You might also have a box joint jig, other boxed sets of specialized bits or guide collars, push pads and various odds and ends that could really use a drawer.

Benchtop planers are an extremely useful tool for any workshop. The perform one of the most important tasks in woodworking — smoothing lumber and machining stock to a specific thickness. The Jet JWP-13BT Benchtop Planer with Helical Style Head is featured in this video.

All you need to make dowels in any species you like is a half-round router bit.

Learn how to make and use router templates when you are building your woodworking projects. Router templates can help you do three main things: First, they can help you trace complex shapes onto your project parts quickly and easily. Once you’ve got the template, you don’t have to lay all of this out again manually. Second, you can use your templates to actually make your project parts with a router and the right bits. And finally, you can keep your templates for possible re-use. That can save a lot of layout time down the road, if should you decide to make the project again.

Scrapers come in a variety of forms and have a variety of uses. Part of the author's collection is shown here: it includes, from left to right, a scraper for scraping interiors of hollow forms through a small opening; a large dome scraper; a straight or "boat-tailed" scraper; a diamond or "V" scraper; a form scraper for the interior of boxes; and one of a set of form scrapers for making captive rings.

In this Rockler demonstration we'll show you the features that make the new Rockler Precision Miter Gauge and Miter Gauge Fence stand out from other woodworking miter gauges and fences.Rockler's Precision Miter Gauge features accurately machined positive stops at the most commonly used locations, plus a miter bar with adjustable nylon set screws so it fits your slot to a T, while retaining silky smooth sliding. You'll enjoy all the essential features of a good solid miter gauge—accuracy, solidity and ease-of-use—in an affordable package.

There are a few things to keep in mind if you are just starting out with letter carving.Good quality carving tools are the way to go; cheap tools will only lead to frustration. And keeping

If you can learn the tendency of how certain grain patterns react to being cut, you can avoid tearout. Looking for those predictable patterns is called "reading the grain."