I am sure those of us that garden a little have, from time to time, had the need for a couple of plant pots for starting a few seeds or some  special little seedling. This handy little tool is perfect for that. It is not only quick and easy to use, but it makes the biodegradable seed starter pots totally from recycled newspaper. They are molded to shape with a turned handpress easily made from recycled building materials. This is recycling at its best, because it really works!

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Turn a Pot

Woodturning requires many unique tools with each having a chisel end that is shaped and sharpened for a specific purpose. The chisel ends  have a distinct difference and can be differentiated from each other; however, the most visible part of each tool is the wooden handle, and they often match or look very similar. A turner frequently has to switch back and forth between five or six different tools, and it often takes more  time to find the correct tool than it does to use it. The need for the organization of tools soon becomes quite apparent.

I am sure all  woodturners have seen, or may even have, tool racks mounted on the wall or fitted to the lathe. These racks work well and display tools safely  in an organized manner, but unfortunately, are limited to a single location. Your problems begin if you have more than one lathe and they are  not situated close together. These problems then multiply when you take a workshop or do demonstrations at a remote location. It is then that you realize portability, as well as organization, are absolute necessities.

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Traveling Tool Tote

There are many times when I need to thread a block of wood: to make a waste block or jam chuck, to devise an adapter of some sort to drive a  turning, or to make an object to hold a uniquely shaped turning while it is on the lathe.

Tapping wood is distinctly different from working with metal. Considerations are many: the species of wood and its hardness, the type of  grain, the orientation of the object to be made, and the realization that there is an assortment of tap sizes. One thing is certain: Tapping  endgrain does not work at all.

Getting the tap started straight without losing the first half of the threads in the hole can also be a problem, especially if you have to start the tap by hand.

I finally came up with a solution that is low cost, easy to make, and more important, works every time.

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Tapping Tool

Recently I have become less dependent on making measurements and marking cut lines on boards. They are time-consuming, inaccurate and almost impossible to duplicate. The following three tips are easy to do and inexpensive to make. In fact, for the most part, scrap blocks of  hardwood and a little thought yield fantastic results. Note: manufacturers make a variety of configurations of tablesaws so some adaptation  may be required.

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Table Saw Tips

The sanding of small wooden objects can be very difficult and time consuming. Not fun at all. This is especially true if the pieces are of an  irregular shape which is not able to be clamped and if there are multiple sides of many pieces to be done. Holding the piece in one hand and the sander in the other works for a short period of time, but for continual use the sander gets heavy to hold it vibrates your hand until it is  almost numb, you can not see exactly where you are sanding so precision is lost, and bumping the sander into your finger tips enough times  can lead to thin skin or even an open wound.

So, I designed a holder that will support a random orbital sander. With the sander mounted securely, the piece being sanded can be held with both hands, right in front of your face so you can see exactly what is happening. Adding to this, sanding ease is the ability of the holder to be quickly and easily indexed to any of four positions putting the sanding surface upward, downward, left or right. It even makes changing the abrasive easier, allowing you to hold the paper in both hands.

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Sander Holder