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Clamps, Jigs and Other Things!

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As the title implies, this article is all about clamps, jigs and other items to make your woodcrafting easier to do. Also, as an added bonus, the cost to you will be minimal at best.

When doing woodcrafting, clamps are a vital part of the crafting process. It would be nice to have various types at your disposal but for those who don't, this is about improvising your own. Around your house and workshop you'll find many small handy little items that can be used. Here are just a few to get your thinking cap on.

• Elastic bands
• Clothspins
• Paper clip holder
• Booster cable connectors
• Vise Grips

For the last three on the list, use thin pieces of wood or cardboard to protect your project from damaging it.

In every woodworkers workshop, the one thing you'll always find are jigs. Store-bought or hand-made, they're the woodworkers' helper with just about every project. With jigs, you can cut circles, rip tapers, cut tenon joints, rout recesses, and so much more. A jig can be simple or as complex as needed. You may not even know you'll need a jig, until the situation arises. Some jigs are used on a regular basis while others can be a one-time usage. In this case, rather than spending most of your day running around to the hardware stores looking for something similar, you'll be better of custom making your own. Plus, you'll join the many woodworkers who pride themselves on making their own jigs as it's considered one of the most satisfying challenges in the workshop. In an upcoming article, we'll look at how to make a few simple jigs as a solution to some basic problems in woodworking.

Now onto other things. It's a good idea to keep a magnet strip on hand. This item is very useful in picking up those small nails used for picture framing and screws or nails that have spilled onto your work area. Using a magnet strip, you can add your diagrams, materials list, etc. to the side of your tablesaw where it's easy to find. You can even 'stick it' to your screwdriver to help hold small screws.

Keep an old iron along with some paper towels nearby. No matter how careful you are with your projects, there'll be times when you'll see a noticable scratch or dent. To remove it, wet a paper towel, let it sit for a few minutes then apply the hot iron to raise the damaged area.

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