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Pressure washers and small, 100-year-old thin wooden mouldings are not a great combination. Unfortunately, the 1/4"-thick cross bars on my screen door did not survive the painter’s prep (I told them not to go near the cast-plaster capitals of my porch columns with the pressure washer, and they did not. But I did not think to warn them away from the screen doors.1 ).

Yes, we keep our machine beds clean and we wipe them down with a woobie after heavy use, but we still use a spritz or two of dry lube on them, just to keep wood running across and through them easily and smoothly. That’s particularly true for the 20" planer, which, if I’m being honest, could use a wee bit of adjustment on the rollers. But a goodly application of Blaster Dry Lube to the bed every 10th pass or so, and we’re able to keep putting off that maintenance1.

GRK R4 #8 x 1-3/4" screws – look at that sharp “Zip-Tip!” For fine (and fine-ish) furniture work, when a screw is called for, I prefer to use slot-heads.1 But when it comes to kitchen cabinets, shop furniture, rot strips on the underside of tool chests, crates and the like, I much prefer self-drilling screws (who wants to drill clearance and pilot holes on a crate?!), ideally ones with a star-drive (Torx) recess, to reduce the chance of cam-out…assuming I’ve chosen the proper driver, of course.

One of the unexpected benefits of teaching in other people’s shops is picking up their clever workshop ideas and bringing them back to Kentucky. If I were a jerk, I’d submit these three ideas to the woodworking magazines and win tens and tens of dollars. Instead, I’m bringing them here to you, with full credit given. Sadly, all three of these products came from Amazon originally. So that’s where my links go. Feel free to search out alternative sources.

Editor’s note: Reviewing saws is difficult work, especially when you examine saws at the top end. For many years, Lie-Nielsen saws were the most expensive Western saws on the market. Today, they seem a bargain in comparison to some of the available custom (and production) saws. The company has kept the price down. But what about the quality? We asked Matt Cianci, a saw sharpener, sawmaker, woodworker and author to review a recent purchase. This is his report.

Though I rail against the plastic in our lives, I think polymers have two good uses: medical equipment and transparent circle templates. I bought these inexpensive transparent templates years ago when I got frustrated trying to draw small-radius arcs when designing chair parts and mouldings. I bought a set that has two templates (the set now has three), and they have become essential bench equipment. Never Sponsored is a reader-supported publication.

Recently Layout Computer (the best chair-designing site ever), began offering a paid version that offers some additional features. I already support Layout Computer financially by sending donations directly to Nick Stanchenko, the developer. So upgrading to a PRO account was an easy decision for me. But what about you? For the last couple weeks, I’ve been using the PRO features to design a new three-legged comb-back1 that has been in my sketchbook for years. Here are some notes on the PRO account.

I am convinced that bandages don’t stick well to my skin. It doesn’t matter which brand I use, I’m lucky if a bandage stays on for half a work day. Never mind my dream of making it through a shower with a bandage intact. In fact, I think the best bandage I ever used was one I made myself. A thin layer of sterile cotton gauze wrapped in about 24”\" of blue tape (someone locked the room that had the first aid kit inside). Never Sponsored is a reader-supported publication.

Traveling with delicate joinery saws is difficult, and a bit daft and dumb. No matter how carefully you pack, it doesn’t take much to kink a sawplate or break the horn off a handle. Even if you pack the saw like NASA would, there’s always a chance the saw will get kinked by the student/friend/brother-in-law who asks to borrow it for a moment. I’ve lost a few expensive saws at the hands of students during the last 20 years. And I don’t want to lose any more.

This is my machine room (and Olivia’s butt), photographed at around 4 p.m. with the lights out. There is some light coming in from a window, but it doesn’t hit the table saw – so even during the day, I need shop lighting. My home shop is in my basement, and while there are some above-grade windows, my urban home is pretty close to my neighbors on both sides, so not a lot of light gets through them.