Woodworker's Journal 2010-34-1, страница 26

Rare Earth Magnet

bunch of badge reels and attach them near your work areas, or even to specific tools (always in a safe location, where the pencil won't get into the machine if the reel fails or the pencil falls off).

PROBLEM: Parts get cut to the wrong dimensions because you've added up measurements incorrectly. SOLUTION: Get a fractional calculator — an electronic calculator that lets you work with fractions instead of tenths, hundredths and thousands of an inch. This kind of calculator lets you add up numbers and get the answer as a fraction. You don't have to remember the decimal equivalents for fractional numbers (how many thousandths is 2)4"?) and then convert them back and forth — another source for measurement and calculation errors. Sometimes sold as "builder's calculators," even the most inexpensive models allow you to add, subtract, multiply or divide fractions with mixed denominators (11/16 and 3/4, for example) and display the results as fractions, typically down to 64ths of an inch.

PROBLEM: Your sandpaper sheets and discs keep curling up, and sanding belts don't track evenly.

SOLUTION: To prevent moisture from adversely affecting your sandpaper products, store them in a sealable plastic container. Storage boxes and tubs come in a staggering array of styles and sizes; check the housewares section of your local department store. Keeping all your abrasive products in one of these sealed containers helps keep sandpaper sheets and discs flat and easier to mount

and use. Also, fabric-backed drums stay rounder and sanding belts kept dry will track more evenly. If you live in a really wet climate, choose a container with a tight-fitting lid. To prevent high temperatures from affecting the lubricating coatings found on some sandpapers, store your container in a cool place during the summer.

PROBLEM: The holes you drill are often just a tad too big or too small for dowels and fasteners. SOLUTION: Buy an indexed set of #1-#80 numbered or A-Z lettered drill bits. A common part of a machinist's tool chest, these twist bit sets include many bits that fall between standard fractional sizes. For example, say you want to drill a hole for a hinge pin on a jewelry box. A standard 1/8" bit makes a hole that's too tight for the pin, but a 9/64" hole's just too loose. Both the #29 and #30 size bits in a numbered bit set fall between 1/8" and 9/64", allowing you to drill a hole that's just right for your hinge pin.

PROBLEM: When you want to shut off a benchtop or stationary machine, you end up fumbling around for the Off switch.

SOLUTION: Install a safety switch on the machine. This kind of electrical machine switch has regular push-button-type On and Off buttons, but with an oversized paddle that actuates the Off switch. All you need to do is thump the switch with your palm or fist to shut off the tool. I installed one of these on my router table recently, and I found it most convenient to mount the switch with the Off paddle about 20" above the floor, so I can turn the router off with my knee, thus keeping my hands free and my attention focused on the tool. A safety switch is not only convenient, but could also save your behind if you need to turn a machine off in a hurry in the case that something goes awry.

26 February 2010 Woodworker's Journal