I needed a micro-adjuster for my miter gauge but was too impatient to order one, so I came up with this simple but effective shopmade version. All you have to do is drill a slightly angled hole in a wood block, and twist a thumbscrew into it. The hole is slightly smaller than the outside diameter of the screw, so it will make its own threads in the wood. And it’s drilled at an angle to give the thumb end of the screw the clearance it needs. Because the end of the screw contacts the workpiece at an angle, I rounded over its end. To use the micro-adjuster, just clamp it onto any fence in your shop, including your miter gauge or crosscut sled. It works great.
—STEVE FIKAR, Shalimar, Fla.
Illustrations by Dan Thornton From Fine Woodworking issue #297
Fine Woodworking Recommended Products
Makita LS1219L Miter Saw
This is the saw I want in my shop. For one, it’s easy to use. All of the controls are easy to reach and manipulate, and the glide mechanism is both robust and smooth. The handle works well for righties and lefties. Then there are added bonuses that no other saw has. For instance, its hold-down is superb, as it can move to different locations, hinges for a greater range of coverage, and actually holds down the work. In addition, the saw has two points of dust collection, letting it firmly beat the rest of the field. The one downside was the saw’s laser, which was so faint we had to turn off the shop lights to see it. Still, all these pluses in a package that fits tight to the wall? That’s a winner for me.
Regardless of the board’s grain, this jointer produced excellent results. Its fence was totally flat, worked smoothly, and locked well, staying in place even after jointing multiple edges. Getting the fence to 90° was very easy, but the 90° stop was a little tricky to set and the fence did not go back to square when using it. For those who would use it, there is also a digital depth-of-cut scale.
With its graceful curves, cabriole legs, and ornamental back splat, a Queen Anne side chair is a bucket list build for many woodworkers. Dan Faia had a very specific Queen…
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