A couple of small shop accessories can save a surprising amount of frustration. Whether you're trying to clamp a narrow board in your woodworking vise or figure out why your brad nailer isn't driving nails, a simple trick may be all you need.
In this collection of Woodsmith Quick Tips, two readers share practical solutions using materials you may already have around the shop: laminate samples and a small magnet.
1. Prevent Woodworking Vise Racking with Laminate Samples
When you clamp a workpiece near one end of a woodworking vise, the jaws can become uneven. The unsupported end closes farther than the end holding the workpiece, causing the movable jaw to twist or rack.
This can make it harder to get a secure grip on the board.
Bill Ding of Birmingham, Alabama, came up with a handy adjustable spacer using laminate chip samples. These small samples are available from home improvement stores, and their thin, consistent thickness makes them useful for matching the thickness of a workpiece.
Bill stacks several samples and connects them with a bolt and nut, creating a simple fan-shaped spacer.
When he needs to clamp a board near one end of the vise, he swings out enough laminate samples to match the board's thickness. He then places the spacer at the opposite end of the jaws.
With both ends of the vise supported, the jaws can close more evenly around the workpiece.
Woodsmith Tip: Keep the spacer near your vise so it's always available when clamping narrow stock. Use enough samples to closely match the workpiece thickness without forcing the jaws out of alignment.
Shop tip submitted by Bill Ding, Birmingham, Alabama.
2. Check for Brad Nailer Misfires with a Small Magnet
A pneumatic or cordless brad nailer makes fastening trim and small woodworking parts quick and convenient. But occasionally, a nailer misfires or runs out of brads without you noticing.
The resulting mark in the wood can look similar to a hole where a brad was successfully driven. That makes it difficult to tell which locations actually contain a fastener.
Rob Mahan of Chelsea, Michigan, uses a small magnet to check his work.
He holds the magnet over each brad hole to see whether it detects a steel nail beneath the surface. If the magnet doesn't respond where he expected a brad, he knows that location may need another look.
It's a quick way to identify potential missed fasteners before moving on to filling the holes or finishing the project.
Woodsmith Tip: This method works with magnetic steel brads, but it may not reliably detect every nail, particularly when a fastener is deeply countersunk. If you're unsure whether a joint is properly fastened, inspect it before proceeding. Keep your hands clear of the nailer's firing area when correcting a misfire.
Shop tip submitted by Rob Mahan, Chelsea, Michigan.
Simple Solutions for Everyday Shop Problems
These two reader-submitted woodworking tips don't require elaborate jigs or expensive accessories. A stack of laminate samples helps keep vise jaws parallel, while a small magnet can help you spot missed brads.
They're good examples of how a little ingenuity can make everyday shop work easier.
