How to make a simple cross cut sled for your table saw - DIY

Tools and materials I propose:

Table saw

Cordless drill

Countersink bits

Air compressor, nail and staple gun kit

Block plane

Chisel set

Flush trim saw

Heat gun

Precision Square / 90 degree angle

I just got a new table saw and I had to make a new cross cut sled. To me this the first thing one must make with the a table saw. It is really useful in so many woodworking projects.

First of all I made the rails using pine. I kept moving the fence slightly until the wood fit nicely in my table saw’s grooves. I then made the two rails.

Next I used washers as spacers. I placed them inside the grooves of the table saw. Then I added the rails. Now the rails were just above the surface of the saw. 

I glued the rails with the sled’s base and added a few nails to keep things in place. Then I secured the rails with screws. I first predrilled pilot holes and then I counter sinked them. I trimmed the rails flush with a flush trim saw. 

The base of my sled is made out of 12mm plywood. The top pieces were made out of 25mm plywood.

I cut the top pieces to size. Then I did the first cut on the sled. This gave me a reference line. I then glued the back piece perpendicular to that line. It is important that this was exactly 90 degrees. Otherwise the sled won’t be accurate.

I then screwed the top pieces in place. The front piece doesn’t need to be accurate, it’s there just for support. 

At this point I used the sled itself to cut a small piece. This small piece will help me keep my thumb out of the blade’s way. I glued and nailed it in place.

I then cut a pine piece and glued it on top of the front piece. I then rounded over it’s edges with a hand plane and a chisel. This makes it nicer to the touch.

To make the sled run smoother, I finished the bottom with three coats of clear water based varnish. I applied three coats in total while lightly sanding between coats. I also used the heat gun to speed up the drying process between coats. 

Lastly I lubricated the rails with my homemade beeswax and mineral oil finish. 

My sled came out great and it is really useful.

I hope you liked this one, because that was it. See you soon with a new project video. 

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, that at no cost to you, I get a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.

How to make a DIY woodturning tool rack

Tools and materials I propose:

Bandsaw

Table saw

Cordless drill

Random orbit sander

Circular saw

Speed square

Miter box

Hand saw

Countersink bits

Belt sander

No4 hand plane

Dowel center pin

Countersink bits

Air compressor, nail and staple gun kit

Rotary tool

I have made another turning tool rack in the past but over the years I have accumulated many more tools. So it was time to make a new rack to fit them all.

I made this new rack, using entirely reclaimed free lumber I had in the shop. 

First of all I cut some boards to size, using my circular saw and a speed square. I then cleaned their edges using a hand plane. 

I glued the boards to make a panel. I used dowels to keep the boards from moving around while glue up. I first drilled the holes and then used the center pins to locate the locations of the matching holes.

I didn’t have so long clamps, so I I used band clamps to glue the panel. 

Next I planed the board perpendicular to the grain to remove material fast. I then planed parallel to the grain to smooth the panel. But this pine had to many knots. This caused a lot of tear out throughout the planing process. So I moved on to sanding. I also filled the gaps using a mixture of epoxy and sawdust.

I then used my circular saw and a guide rail to trim my panel to size. 

On the bottom of my rack, I glued and screwed two boards in order to make a shelve. I predrilled pilot holes, counter sunked them and then added the screws. 

I then created tools rests for all my turning gouges. I had to make individual rests for each one. This is because turning tools are really different with each other. Some are smaller, some longer and they also vary in shapes. To make the rests, I used the bandsaw, my belt sander, my rotary tool and forstner bits. I glued and nailed these rests in place. 

I then created a smaller shelve for some chisel type tools. I glued this on the board with dowels. 

For the tool rest I created earlier, I also made a small front bar to keep the tools from falling forward. I used the belt sander to round over the bars so they work nicely.

To prevent the long gouges from moving left or right, I used the bandsaw to create some blocks. The blocks are square pieces with a triangular cut out piece. I secured them in place with a couple of nails. 

Next I made a small shelve for my thread chasers and the knife parting tool. I glued and screwed it in place. 

The rest of the tools were pretty easy to hang using hangers and nails. 

Then I used my table saw to cut two support pieces for the back. I then glued and screwed them in place. 

Finally I secured the tool board on my wall Using two upat and two screws.

At this point the project was done.

Having your tools nicely organized, saves you time and effort. So for me this tool board was worth the trouble.

Anyway, I hope you liked this one, because that was it.

See you soon with a new project video. 

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, that at no cost to you, I get a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.

How to make a wooden first aid cabinet - DIY

Tools and materials I propose:

Cordless drill

Random orbit sander

Circular saw

Speed square

Miter box

Hand saw

Countersink bits

No4 hand plane

Block plane

Chisel set

Masking tape

Picture frame clamp

Corner clamps

Flush trim saw

6mm dowels

Dowel center pin

I have a lot of pine boards from an old bed. They were perfect for this project.

I cut them to size with my circular saw and a speed square. 

I then used my table saw to cut them to width. But my table saw broke down and I had to do all my cuts with my circular saw from this point on.

Using my thickness planer I planed my material. You can avoid all that trouble by purchasing precut lumber to size.

The side boards were cut at 30cm while the side boards were 25cm. 

I joined the pieces with butt joints. I first did a series of cuts with the circular saw and then used a chisel to clean the areas. After doing a few tests, this procedure worked out great.

I then glued the carcass of the cabinet together. As a back panel I used a piece of thin MDF. The back panel falls into grooves which I created with the circular saw. To clamp the box I used my corner clamps and a picture frame clamp.

Once the glue dried, I reinforced the joints with 6mm dowels. I like to use a piece of tape on my drill bit, as a depth mark. I trimmed the dowels flush with a flush trim saw. 

Then I cut some boards to make the front panel. I used dowels to keep the boards from sliding around while glue up. I drilled the holes on one side first. Then I used my dowel marking guides to create the matching holes. 

While the panel was drying, I used double sided tape to glue some sandpaper on a piece of plexiglass. This created a huge flat sanding block. I used it to flatten the front side of the cabinet.

Time to flatten the front panel. I first did some cross grain planing to remove material fast. Then I did some parallel to the grain planing as finishing passes. You can avoid all that trouble just by buying a ready made panel.

The front door is just a piece of the carcass cut to size. I used my circular saw to cut the door. Before the final cut, I planed a couple of pieces of wood to size to clamp the door in place. Then I did the final cut with ease.

I then used a hand plane and my sanding block, to clean the saw marks and flatten the door and the cabinet.

I then used a handsaw to cut the front panel to size. I didn’t want to glue the panel, so that it can expand and contract freely. I just added some trim in the front and glued a few blocks on the back. I cut the trim to size using my miter box. I then glued and nailed it in place.

At this point I filled all the imperfections of the wood and sanded everything with my random orbit sander. I also glued a small piece on the back of the door. I glued and nailed two stop blocks on the inside of the cabinet, to hold a small shelve.

Since I didn’t have an operating table saw, I hand cut the French cleat that would hold the cabinet on the wall. To make that long miter cut, I kept changing sides in order to keep my cut straight. I then cleaned my cut with my block plane. 

Then I added three hangers on the door. I also added a door handle. I clamped the door in place and then installed the hinges. I epoxied a rare earth magnet in place and a screw on the matching side. This mechanism will keep the door closed. 

I used masking tape to create a mask of a cross. I painted the cross red with latex paint. 

I finished the cabinet with three coats of clear water based satin varnish. I sanded between coats with 220grit. Usually two coats are enough, but this was really old and dry wood, so it absorbed the varnish really easily. 

My cabinet was ready at this point and I am really happy with the way it came out!

Having first aid materials around, is really essential, especially in a woodworking shop.

Anyway, I hope you’ve enjoyed this one, because that was it, see you soon with a new project video!

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, that at no cost to you, I get a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.

How to make a super simple wooden stool - DIY

Tools and materials I propose:

Bandsaw

Jointer planer

Table saw

Cordless drill

Random orbit sander

Jigsaw

Circular saw

Speed square

Miter box

Hand saw

Countersink bits

Belt sander

Spoke shave

Flat file

Block plane

Chisel set

Masking tape

This type of small stool, is pretty common in Greece. It used to fulfill many needs in everyday life. And it still does so to this day. I made mine out of reclaimed pine wood. 

I cut my boards roughly to size on the table saw. I then cleaned them up a little bit on my jointer planer. You can use precut lumber from your local lumber yard. 

To make your cross cuts, you can use a handsaw, a jigsaw or a circular saw. After all, this project doesn’t require extreme accuracy. If you use the circular saw, a speed square can prove really handy.

Cutting thin stripes was a bit tricky. But I created a fence using an scrap piece and using the jigsaw it came out just fine. You can use a cheap block plane to clean the saw marks if you like. 

I wanted the top to have curved edges, so I used a spray can as a guide. To cut the thin pieces to size I used my miter box and a saw.

Pine has too many nuts. I secured them in place with some thin super glue. I then designed the side pieces.

I made all my cuts with the jigsaw. But if you have access to a small bandsaw you can do the same work much easier. I cleaned the saw marks with files, chisels and sandpaper.

It’s better to make your cuts leaving some excess material. Then you can fine tune them and achieve better joints. 

When you cut with the jigsaw or the bandsaw, sometimes you have to make a few repeated cuts to create some room, so the blade can take the turn.

Once all the parts were cut to size and shape, I assembled my stool. I glued and screwed everything in place. Before adding the screws, I predrilled pilot holes and counter sunken them.

I rounded over all the edges using a block plane, a spokeshave and a sharp chisel. But you can achieve the same effect just by sanding. This made the piece nicer to the touch and also made it look a bit more organic. 

I filled some imperfections with wood filler and then sanded everything with my random orbit sander. 

I masked the legs of the stool and painted them green with latex paint. This is not only a design element but also prevents moisture from penetrating into the end grain of the legs. I like latex paint, because it dries easily without smelling bad. Remember to brush from the tape to the wood. This way you’ll have a much sharper edge, once you remove the masking tape. I applied two coats of paint while lightly sanding between coats. I also painted the screws and then sanded over them flush. This way you kind of incorporate an ugly element into your design.

Finally I applied two coats of clear water based satin varnish. A heat gun speeds up the drying process.

At this point my stool was ready. It is really steardy and I love the way it looks.

I hope you like this project, because that was it. See you soon with a new project video!

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, that at no cost to you, I get a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Epoxy resin, CNC machine and woodturning experiments

3D carver links:

Project templates and CNC file

Easel

X-Carve

Inventables

Tools and materials I propose:

Lathe

Wood turning tools set

Silicon molds

Vacuum chamber kit

Bandsaw

Jointer planer

Table saw

Cordless drill

Pen turning mandrel

Pen kit

Resin

Resin colors

In this video I used my x-carve 3d carver and epoxy resin, to create blanks for woodturning. I made a pen, a cap and a bowl! I hope these projects will inspire you to experiment and create interesting and creative projects!

The wood I used for these projects, was basswood. I used my jointer to flatten one side. Then I used the thickness planer to flatten the other parallel to the first. I jointed one edge on the jointer and then used the table saw to make the other one parallel. At this point my piece was square. 

I created my vector designs and then imported them into Easel. The online software my CNC machine uses. My designs were 3.5mm ribbons. So I used a 3mm straight bit to carve everything.

After the 3D carving was over, I mixed some clear resin and coated the inside of my carvings. This procedure should prevent the colored resin from penetrating deep into the wood fibers. I let the resin cure for a day.

I then mixed more resin and added a drop of blue dye. I degassed the resin in the vacuum chamber and casted it into the mold. I then degassed it again. A piece of tape in the perimeter of the mold prevents the resin from overflowing and ruining the chamber.

I let the resin cure for a week. Meantime I repeated the process to make pen blanks and cap blanks.

I begun turning the bowl blank first. I secured it between centers on the lathe and created a mortise underneath to secured it on my chuck’s jaws. Bowl turning is pretty satisfying and you can easily get carried away. And that’s what I did. As a result I went too deep with the bowl gouge and had to remake the blank from the beginning!

Anyway, I proceeded on pen turning. I prepared my blanks for turning. I drilled a hole and glued the metal tubes in place. Then I used the trimming bit to trim the wood flush with the tubes. Then I secured the blanks on my pen mandrel and used a roughing gouge to turn them. I sanded them and polished them with abrasive paste. The pens turned out nice, although next time I would use more dye so the resin won’t be transparent. 

Next I made a cap for an IKEA night light. First I mounted the blank on my machinist’s chuck. Then I used the bowl gouge to hollow it out. I also used the parting tool and my recess tool to create a mortise for my chuck. I then reversed the blank and turned it with the bowl gouge. Again sanding and polishing! It turned out nicely!

Finally the bowl blank was ready. This time I kept things simple. I just mounted it on the lathe with a face plate. I did most of the turning with a bowl gouge. Occasionally I used a spindle gouge and a round scraper. This bowl was more like an abstract form based on a bowl shape. Despite the fact that I had added that first coat of clear resin, the colored resin still managed to penetrate deeply into the wood. As a result I had some resign showing off in some spots. Some might find this visual effect kind of interesting. 

Anyway, I really enjoyed this project and learned a ton of stuff making it. I hope you’ll find it inspiring! At this point I want to thank Inventables for sponsoring this experimental project.

See you soon with a new project video!

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, that at no cost to you, I get a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.