Follow our Facebook page for free woodworking goodness! - Stumpy Nubs Woodworking Journal is a multi-media publication designed for weekend woodworkers of all skill levels. Each issue contains a selection of articles and videos about woodworking techniques (hand and power tools), jigs and shop improvements, unique projects, skill building tutorials, tool reviews and quick tips.
Building box/finger joint jigs has become a bit of a hobby among some woodworkers, like marble machines or complex mouse traps. They are admittedly complicated, but fun to build and really useful tools. I’ve designed several, but this one is my favorite. It will cut any joint configuration you can imagine, without any complicated setup or attachments to swap around. You don’t need a dado set to use it, though using one will speed up the process. It will cut a joint up to 18″ wide, and is compatible with any 10-inch table saw.
The way the jig works is simple: The sliding carriage moves your work piece from position to position, utilizing a lead screw positioner with positive stops every 1/8″. Those stops align with a paper template (included in the plans) with various joint configurations already laid out for you. This, along with the dual cursors, lets you actually see where BOTH sides of your blade will be cutting, eliminating mistakes that come with losing track of which side of a line your kerf will fall on. The cam-activated positioner auto-corrects the carriage’s position, should you attempt to lock it down out of place. You only have to get your cursor CLOSE to the line, and the jig will zero it in for you.
Our deluxe project plans are more than just a set of dimensions. They include a comprehensive set of step-by-step instructions with dozens of photos and illustrations to walk you thorough the build.
You will NOT receive a paper plan. You will be sent a link to download a digital PDF document that is compatible with most computers and digital devices. You may print it yourself or take it to a printing service. We do not provide 3D Sketchup models or CNC G-code.
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This may be the only clamp rack you ever need. It will hold between 20-40 clamps, depending on the type, including F-clamps, parallel clamps, pipe clamps, bar clamps or pistol grip clamps. Set up the rack according to the types you own now. If you get more of a different type later, the rack adjusts to always efficiently use the valuable wall space. And it only requires a half sheet of plywood!
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This is a great machine for cutting curves and large holes without having to cut from the edge of the work piece like with a band saw. In fact, it can replace a band saw in a budget-minded shop. PLUS, it can cut plastic, metal, even tile! Rockwell calls theirs a Blade-runner, but this one has features that even theirs doesn't have. For one thing, it makes beveled cuts. It has a storage drawer at the bottom, and it can be made from scraps and a cheap saw.
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Router planes are amazing tools, but they are also largely misunderstood. And that's a shame, because they are extremely useful in both a hand-tool and a power-tool workshop. Rather than cutting profiles, as a modern router does, a router plane is for cutting to depth with precise accuracy. They can be used to make the bottom of a table saw dado perfectly flat. They can fine tune a rabbet or a tenon. They are the perfect companion to many power tools with nearly unlimited uses.
My version of the router plane is easy to make from a scrap of wood and some easy to find hardware. And unlike other homemade versions, this has a micro-adjuster to set the depth and shaving thickness.
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This tenon jig is yet another example of how you can use a homemade incremental positioner in amazing ways! It provides a positive stop every 1/6" (which can be micro-adjusted to the tiniest amount), making it impossible to set up the jig wrong, and making it easy to make many tenons that are all exactly the same size without laying them out individually. The accuracy and repeatability of this jig is unique in any homemade or even store-bought version- just check out the video below to see! But the best part is, it's inexpensive and easy to make using our detailed plans, complete with lots of photos and step-by-step instructions!
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These two jigs are easy to make, and simple to use. One is for the router table, the other is used with a hand-held router. Both will cut through-dovetail pins (the tails are cut with a band saw, scroll saw or jig saw). The hand-held router jig will also enable you to cut half-blind dovetails as well. Both jigs are demonstrated in the videos below, and there's another video about laying out your joints.
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This is a tool Stumpy has wanted for a long time, but just couldn't justify the $1,000 price tag for the commercial version! It's a hand held mortising machine designed for loose tenon joinery- which is a lot like traditional mortise and tenon joinery- but WAY faster and easier! Inspired by the Festool Domino, this homemade version is a lot easier to make than you'd think, and it has more uses than you'd imagine!
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Traditional workbenches are great! The problem is that planning and project assembly tasks are best done at a low bench, but cutting joinery such as dovetails is more comfortable at a higher bench. Most shops don’t have multiple benches for multiple uses, so we bend down for our dovetailing.
This workstation seeks to solve that problem! When placed on a standard bench top it raises your work up so you can stand erect and work more comfortably. It includes work-holding clamps so it may be used on any work-surface, no vice required. And other clever features, such as a drawer to hold all your dovetailing tools and a replaceable chopping surface, make it very versatile.
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Andre Roubo was among the oldest of the old-timey woodworkers, and the unique drawings found in his eighteenth century book have inspired woodworkers for over 200 years. Stumpy has designed a version of this bench which is by far the easiest, least expensive version to make. You can build one without difficult joinery, and without compromises in strength and features, all from cheap construction lumber! It's big, beefy and full of all the features a hand tool woodworker, or even a power tool woodworker, would appreciate.
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This horizontal router has a few unique twists that make all the difference, like a tilting table, a micro adjustable router lift, a sliding table and much more. The machine is great for making raised panel doors, cutting miters and bevels, making splined miter joints for boxes, locking miter joints, half lap joints, rabbets, tenons... the list goes on and on. Plus it has excellent dust collection, and the tilting table makes it possible to cut unique, one of a kind profiles with ordinary router bits!
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This drum sander design is unlike anything you've ever seen before! It is a "dual stage" machine, meaning both the top and the bottom of the sanding drum may be used. This enables you to sand any flat work piece to thickness by feeding it through the machine via a hand-cranked feed belt, OR you can pass your work pieces over the top of the machine for fast sanding of flat surfaces and even edges! There isn't another drum sander with this capability ANYWHERE! It's also designed to use inexpensive, easy to find 6" sanding belts, and rather than peeling off the paper to change grits, you swap out the whole drum via a quick-release system!
A truly unique digital publication for the everyday woodworker
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