69 - Bench Top Storage System, страница 4

TIPS & TECHNIQUES

Round Stock Clamp

Readers' Tips

■ The machinist's vise in my shop gets a lot of use. Unfortunately, it isn't very good at holding round stock. Its metal jaws tend to gouge wood and soft metals. To solve this problem, I made a set of auxiliary faces for my vise.

The auxiliary faces have three sets of grooves to help the vise get a firm grip on round materials. Two sets of grooves run vertically in the jaw faces, as shown in the photo at right. Another set of grooves runs horizontally (inset photo). The V-shaped grooves allow the jaws to hold a variety of stock sizes without marring the workpiece.

Each face is made by gluing a hardboard cleat to a hardwood jaw. Then the grooves can be cut on a router table with a V-groove bit. The

faces fit over the jaws and are held in place with rubber bands. Now I'm able to clamp round pieces securely without marring them.

Dana Craig Norwood, Massachusetts

Free Tips

WiTTWWTl&iyilT*

Get more woodworking tips free.

Visit us on the Web at

ShopNotes.com

Sign up to receive a free shop tip by email every week.

Rotary Tool Tackle 5ox

■ My rotary tool comes in handy for a variety of jobs around the house. The trouble I have is what to do with all the accessories. They're so small that they can easily get lost or broken in my toolbox.

What I needed was a place to keep the tool, as well as organize all the extra stuff that goes with it I found the answer at a local sporting goods store — a fishing tackle box.

The tackle box I bought comes with small compartments and adjustable dividers that let me customize the space inside. There's one large spot for the rotary tool and power cord and others for bits, extra sanding sleeves, and accessories, as shown in the large photo.

To keep the bits, grinding wheels and other accessories from getting damaged, I stuck them into some Styrofoam that's cut to fit in the

divided sections (inset photo). The bits don't "rattle" around and they're easy to find and pull out of the box.

Eric Coin Ewa Beach, Hawaii

4

ShopNotes

No. 69