Through this blog, we've advocated for several DIY woodworking projects. If you're planning on undertaking any of those or other woodworking projects this summer, you have to know these tips. Most people don't have a complete wood shop in their garage, so if you're new to woodworking or have a particularly sorry shop, keep reading to find out ways around common items in the shop.
First, sometimes you get caught without a drill bit for your drill. There's an easy solution that you'll hit yourself for not knowing: use a nail. That's right - you can just cut off the head of any size nail (depending on what size you need), put it in your motor drill, and it'll work just fine!
An even more common missing tool than a drill without a drill bit are clamps. But don't worry - we have a couple ways around making a trip to the hardware store for them. For the first one, drill a couple pieces of scrap wood onto a scrap piece of board. Space them slightly larger than the size you need clamped. Next, put some wax paper down, so whatever you need clamped doesn't get glued to the board in the process of drying. Bonus tip: use a rule or metal straight-edge to cut the wax paper along a perfect straight line, every time. Now, once you have your glue on the wood, place it on the wax paper between the screwed-down scrap wood. All that's left is to take two wedges and tap them into place between the scrap wood. They'll push the wood you need clamped together and give you a steady clamp.
The second method for clamping is to build a C shape out of scrap wood. If you don't have a saw to cut one yourself, you can screw three pieces of wood together. You'll want to make the C slightly larger than the size you need clamped. From there, it's the same process as for the first clamp - tap in some wedges to secure the C-shaped wood.
Our fourth hack for you helps with gluing. When you're gluing wood on, it can be hard to get it flush because it moves around. A simple way around this is to sprinkle a very little bit of salt on the glue to give the wood enough glue not to slip. Make sure you don't put on too much, as that could impact the seal, but a little bit of salt won't hurt it.
The very last trick we have for you is a way to sharpen your knife in an emergency. You can use the bottom of a ceramic mug to do it! Just drag the edge of the blade across it the same you would with a sharpening block and it can give you knife a nice edge. This tip isn't meant to be a replacement for an actual sharpening, but it can help out if you're in a tight spot and need a sharp knife.
That's all the tips we have for now, but be sure to check out the video below for more!
