Woodworking Tips:

Don't quit your day job.  You won't be able to afford the good toys.

Throw away the miter gage that came with your (insert power tool name here) and buy a precision aftermarket one.  You'll never screw up a miter joint again.  Be sure to file off (or ignore) the degree marks on it, they'll never be worth a darn.  Also, roughen the face or ahdere sandpaper to the face of the gage.   Most miters get ruined when the wood slips during the cut.

Buy tools one at a time, when you have a project that you need it for.

Don't work over a concrete floor. You'll get cold feet, messed up tools (you'll drop one!) and dented wood. 

Put down 1/4 Luann plywood if it is all you can aford. It's dirt cheap and feels so much better to work on.  I had a shop in an apartment once. I took up the carpet and used the padding as a floor. It worked great, was easy to sweep up (surprised?) and felt great on bare feet.

Save money and buy the best tool you can find.   Price=Quality in tools, typically.

Buy a 6" machinist suqare (or two) and use it to square off your miter gage against the saw blade.  Also use it to check that your sawblade is perpendicular to your table. Use it to set your jointer fence, too.

The better you draw what you're trying to do onto the wood, the more likely it is you'll actually do it.  Use a fine pencil point or marking knife. Cut to (& leave) the line.  Leaving the line lets you know exactly how close you came to where you wanted to cut.

I got a million of 'em. But that's enough for now!

Take me back to Chris McDowell's Home Page!.