One of the more dreaded occurrences for any woodworker is when a tool collides with a metal object in recycled wood. Before you start to cut, plane, or sand, be sure to thoroughly inspect the wood for metal objects such as nails or screws, especially if you are using power tools
A 4-ft. T-square for drywalling can come in handy for other projects. Besides being helpful in drywalling, it can be useful when laying out patterns or cutting on full sheets of plywood or particle board. The square is accurate, stable and will give you a full 48-in. straight line. Some newer versions come with a head that can be adjusted to various angles, then clamped in place.
You can buy depth stops to attach to drill bits to make blind holes at a certain depth. But for occasional jobs you can gauge depth by using masking tape around the bit at the right depth. Or, as shown, drill through the center of a dowel section, using the bit you need for the hole. Cut the dowel so the exposed bit will be the depth needed for the hole.
One way to fix a loose screw in wood is to remove it and then insert toothpicks or burned wooden matches with a coating of wood glue into the hole. Allow the glue to cure, then cut flush and re-drive the screw. You can also insert a plastic wall anchor into the screw hole. When you put the screw back in, it will expand the anchor and will hold solidly.
When removing the grade stamp from lumber, apply paint thinner before using your sander. This will help take out the ink from the wood.
The plastic containers used for push-up deodorants can be recycled into excellent holders for items like nailsets, small drill bits or saw blades. The containers have easy-to-remove caps, and you can push up the bottoms to expose smaller items. Use a felt-tipped pen to mark what’s stored inside.
Glue will soak more into the end grain of wood and potentially result in starved glue joints. To help prevent this, you can “size” any end grain to be glued with a mixture of glue diluted with water. Dilute just so that when it is applied, glue drops don’t form at the lower edges of the wood. Another method, somewhat less effective, is to coat the end grain with full strength glue, allow it to dry 5 to 10 minutes, then re-coat with glue and assemble.
There’s a solution for dealing with wood screws which have broken off below the surface of the wood. If you don’t want to risk damaging the wood by digging it out, try driving the screw deeper into the wood with a nail set. Then just fill the hole with a wood filler, and drive a new screw next to the broken one.
Fingerjointing is a process in which short pieces of high grade wood are end glued together to make long lengths of stock. The advantages to this process are cost and availability of long lengths. Fingerjointed wood is used in a variety of applications including interior and exterior trim, moldings, and siding materials. In exterior applications, its one drawback is the way in which the different grains of the various pieces react to weather exposure. The individual pieces may telegraph their differences through the finish coat of paint giving a somewhat uneven or checkerboard appearance over time. Fingerjointing is a wonderful recycler of wood products if you give thought to where it can work best for you.
When a smooth, finished appearance is necessary, stop hammering the finishing nail approximately 1/8 of an inch above the surface. Then place a nailset onto the tip of the nail head and set it into the surface with a couple of sharp taps.
