Shopsmith Forums

Nick Engler's Workshop Companion

Watch it here: https://youtu.be/XoCnZpK_gys

#Shorts -
This simple jig lets you to rout a perfect oval of any size without having lay it out or draw it on the wood. Two pivots determine the major and minor axes. These slide back and forth in dovetail slots at right angles to one another as you guide the router around the cut. For best results, rout the oval in several passes, cutting just 1/8” ( 3mm) deeper with each pass. After making a pass, reverse direction and bring the router back to where you started – this cleans out the cut and keeps the power cord from becoming twisted.

Pick up one of Nick's books FREE just for visiting: https://workshopcompanion.selz.com/categories/books

And if you want clear, concise information on any woodworking topic, visit the Workshop Companion web site: http://workshopcompanion.com

Nick Engler's Workshop Companion

Watch it here: https://youtu.be/8XnCBdPTbhY

If you own a table saw, you need a tall fence now and then to cut boards on edge. Add a horizontal fence to the set-up and suddenly the usefulness increases exponentially. You can use the combination to straighten warped or bowed edges, saw long tapers, duplicate complex parts, cut odd miters, even shave a whisker off an edge or an end for a precise fit. Together, these jigs vastly simplify complex operations without sacrificing precision. You can't buy either jig; you'll have to make them --

and you can find the plans in our store at https://workshopcompanion.selz.com/item ... tal-fences

Pick up one of Nick's books FREE just for visiting: https://workshopcompanion.selz.com/categories/books

And if you want clear, concise information on any woodworking topic, visit the Workshop Companion web site: http://workshopcompanion.com

Nick Engler's Workshop Companion

Watch it here: https://youtu.be/7PRkoM-eVdY

We’ve been steam-bending 1-inch wooden dowels to make wooden handlebars for a replica of a Wright “Van Cleve” bicycle. In the 1890s, just as bicycles became popular, cyclists had to put up with constant shocks when riding over unimproved roads. Some bicycle manufacturers, like the Wright brothers, used wooden handle bars to help smooth out the bumps – the wood gave slightly with each impact, just like the wooden handle on a hammer gives each time you strike a nail. The National Park Service has asked us to duplicate a bicycle the Wrights made at their shop on Williams Street in Dayton, Ohio, which is now an historical museum. These handlebars will grace a replica 1897 “Van Cleve,” a racing bicycle the Wrights made just before they began to experiment with gliders and airplanes.

Pick up one of Nick's books FREE just for visiting: https://workshopcompanion.selz.com/categories/books

And if you want clear, concise information on any woodworking topic, visit the Workshop Companion web site: http://workshopcompanion.com

Yeah, I saw the handlebar video from Nick yesterday. I just wanted to comment and say how cool this restoration is and I wish him well on finishing it. I really enjoyed watching this.

Nick Engler's Workshop Companion

Watch it here: https://youtu.be/EbeS91X3xYo

This is the nicest drill press table ever! I mean it -- a drill press is an absolute necessity in any shop, but they can be frustrating for a woodworker. The table is too small, it tilts the wrong way, and there are no fences or stops to help align the work – it’s designed for metalworking! This quick-to-make fixture changes all that. There’s plenty of real estate to support large work pieces; the surface tilts front-to-back for angled holes; and it has and easy-to-mount fence and stop. It turns a standard drill press into a true woodworking tool.

Pick up one of Nick's books FREE just for visiting: https://workshopcompanion.selz.com/categories/books

And if you want clear, concise information on any woodworking topic, visit the Workshop Companion web site: http://workshopcompanion.com

Nick Engler's Workshop Companion

Watch it here: https://youtu.be/xYy-U2_ylAA

This is one of the least expensive and most effective sharpening jigs I've ever designed -- I use it for all my plane irons and most of my chisels. Unless the tool has been massively abused, you can usually sharpen it in under 10 minutes. The secret is using ordinary wet-dry sandpaper on a hard, flat surface. You have a broad choice of grits and you can replace a grit when it wears out for just pennies. And if you use the trick I show you with honing compound, you can get an edge sharp enough to shave with. Really! -- although that's one of those "don't try this at home" remarks...

Find the sharpening jigs used in the video in this book: https://workshopcompanion.selz.com/item/sharpening

Pick up one of Nick's books FREE just for visiting: https://workshopcompanion.selz.com/categories/books

And if you want clear, concise information on any woodworking topic, visit the Workshop Companion web site: http://workshopcompanion.com

Nick Engler's Workshop Companion

Watch it here: https://youtu.be/39Udyj9GJSQ

Pick up one of Nick's books FREE just for visiting: https://workshopcompanion.selz.com/categories/books

And if you want clear, concise information on any woodworking topic, visit the Workshop Companion web site: http://workshopcompanion.com

Nick Engler's Workshop Companion

Watch it here: https://youtu.be/6DdNMrRn_jk

Paste wax is an important element in every phase of woodworking. We use it to maintain our tools, polish our finishes, and keep our projects looking beautiful long after we've completed them. Nick shares recipes for two versions of a paste wax that combine the characteristics of four waxes, one a "standard" paste wax that will serve most woodworking purposes and the other completely food safe for kitchen utensils, children's toys, and other projects where toxicity is a concern.

You can download his recipes and a chart of common waxes FREE from our store at https://workshopcompanion.selz.com/item ... ax-recipes

Pick up one of Nick's books FREE just for visiting: https://workshopcompanion.selz.com/categories/books

And if you want clear, concise information on any woodworking topic, visit the Workshop Companion web site: http://workshopcompanion.com

The knowledge and ability to convey that knowledge just blows me away. I'll probably not make my own wax anytime soon, but what a fantastic video!

I have been experimenting with wax mixtures for some time now. The video and the download were much appreciated.

I had never heard of microcrystalline wax. Now I have something else to add to my tool kit.