Tips and Tricks

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I don't see a "Tips and Tricks" category anywhere but I'd like to see one.
So I've place this under skills and techniques.

Ever need to draw a straight line on round stock or a dowel most likely to drill holes?

Here's how:

You tape together two pieces of the same size round stock or dowel.

You then make sure they are laying flat. (In the photo mine are larger at the ends so I elevated on a roll of tape.)

Next you take some lead or something that will leave a mark. It must be a straight marking edge.

Then you drag it across and it will leave a perfect straight line.



Cheers!
MrRick

81 Replies

👍

working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.

Good tip!

Ryan/// ~sigh~ I blew up another bowl. Moke told me "I made the inside bigger than the outside".

Nice tip MrRick. I agree with you, a Tips & Tricks category should gather a lot of input tips and comments.
Oldtool... who do we put the request to for setting it added?
that would be martin rick. but good luck. weve been waiting a couple years for a shop forum. this isn't martins only job so when he has time he does what he can. all depends a lot on how much code needs to be written i think. wont hurt to suggest it though ?

working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.

Pottz...I just sent a message to you about this. I sent him a message to no avail. Never mind then. No point beating a dead horse. 
No point beating a dead horse. 
Tenderizing?

Did you search the forum names, seems a common enough topic to have been already posted a time or two?
I like that trick MrRick 👍

Never thought about using a stick of drafting pencil lead.

I've always laid a dowel into my miter slot to keep it from rolling and swiped it with a drafting compass, Drag the pin against the edge and have the marking end roughly on center. Gets a nice crisp line. 

SplinterGroup
No point beating a dead horse. 
Tenderizing?

Did you search the forum names, seems a common enough topic to have been already posted a time or two?

Yes I did. I couldn't find a category for it. But hey... sometimes it's like I'm blind.
SplinterGroup.... you can drag a knife across it too and get a line. Many things will work. Heck...a crayon will work. 
I sort of started one along the same lines... Might be worth while you grouping these under one of your "series".

If your first cut is too short... Take the second cut from the longer end... LBD

Wouldn't have even known how to find this LBD without you posting it. Nice tips. I sent a message to Martin but I think it went into a black hole. Would be nice to have an actual category.... but again it's "beating a dead horse"
no ive had no response from my question either . been a week !

working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.

Hey Pottz.....I even sent a message to him in his Slovak language and still nada!
I'm not impressed. 
he's hit and miss rick. when we all migrated here from lj's he was on fire helping and working on the forum. then he went kinda cold ! i guess this forum is just a hobby for him basically. but he gives us total freedom and for me that is gold ! did i mention i was banned 3 times and reprimanded  more times than i can count 🤣😬 so basically martin is the only one that will give me a home i can live in !

ps- i gotta say and give credit, cricket actually sent me a pm "one" time thanking me for helping someone !!!!! yeah i guess she missed the hundreds of other times 🙄

working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.

she was lord and mistress of all that was lj's my friend. head moderator and chief castrator of all men that dared defy her supremacy !!! she didn't like me i because neutered her first 🤣🤣🤣  in a nut shell.............she was queen bitch !!!!

working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.

I've been leaving reminders to myself with blue tape. 

If I see it on my Incra sled fine tuner that means it's not calibrated, because I used it . Same same with the TS-LS fence.

Blue tape over the blade slot on my TS means something, usually change the blade.

I need a different color tape to remind me about the blue tape. CRS has it's advantages, but not this time.

You can have my girl but don't touch my hat! Lyle Lovett

Easy Dowel Alignment: (works for magnets and other small things that need to be aligned between two work pieces)

I use super small ball bearings (like 1/32” or 1/64”). If I know about where I want the dowel or magnet to be inserted on the work piece, I’ll put a small divot there with an awl, then tape the ball bearing into the divot with blue tape. Then I align the other work piece in its finished position and press the two together. This leaves a divot on each piece. I then use a brad point drill bit to drill the hole (or at least start it with a brad point and then finish with a twist bit if it’s a thin workpiece and I don’t want the brad head to poke through the other side or something). The end result is pretty much perfect alignment in almost any orientation. I use this for aligning magnets on project pretty regularly and it works great!

Ryan/// ~sigh~ I blew up another bowl. Moke told me "I made the inside bigger than the outside".

That's way easier that what I usually do Ryan 👍
I'll place one magnet in one side, place the second opposing magnet over the first with some tape in between to reduce the grip, then place a piece of DS tape on the to-drill surface. Close it up and press, 80% of the time the magnet will stick while letting go of the other magnet and I can trace it and continue 🙄
With a laser cut template, no worries, but more work.