All you do is take it out of its pouch and expand the 15 steel tube struts as shown. This is a simple project that requires only a few hours, spread over a project days. How to Get Started in Rock Climbing. Our test was simple but thorough. This stout and sturdy—and beautiful—workbench is the perfect popular mechanics wood projects review companion for building projects of all sizes.

This is a simple project that requires only a few hours, spread over a couple days. You might even have everything you need right in your shop. How to Build a Chess and Checkers Board. This stout and sturdy—and beautiful—workbench is the perfect workshop companion for building Popular Mechanics Woodworking Projects Quiz projects of all sizes. When Popular Mechanics asked me to Popular Mechanics Woodworking Plans Review design and build a workbench as a project and as a centerpiece of its New York workshop and studio, I knew the bench had to reflect the brand and its no-nonsense heritage.

I wanted it to have crisp lines and pleasing proportions, but most importantly it had to be functional. The bench is built out of construction lumber: clear Douglas fir, LVL laminated veneer lumber joists sawed into narrow strips then glued into a slab, and MDO medium density overlay , a form of plywood with a laminate surface.

This is an ambitious project, no doubt. But, any experienced woodworker who owns a table saw and planer can build it. Here's how to build one for yourself. How to Build a Workbench. Traditional A-frame toolboxes have been used by generations of tradespeople, including carpenters, plumbers, electricians and mechanics.

So, we decided to show you how to build, not one, but five different versions of A-frame toolboxes, each customized for a particular type of work and worker. The open-top designs of A-frame toolboxes are preferred to boxes with hinged lids because they provide quick access to the tools. Sure they may look a little rough and ready, but these boxes are workhorses, not works of art. Make an A-Frame Toolbox. Box making is an essential skill for woodworkers of all skill levels. Once you hone your skills for making wooden boxes with tight joints Popular Mechanics Woodworking Projects Guide and perfect proportions, you can create far greater things.

We asked three expert woodworkers to build a simple box to see how each would approach the task. Very differently, it turns out—despite giving them similar design guidelines. The outside dimensions had to be 8 inches high x 12 inches wide x 16 inches long, and they could only use tools and materials found at their local home center.

We ended up with three boxes with three distinctive joints—all equally awesome. How to Make a Box. Every workshop needs a pair of sturdy sawhorses. And this thoroughbred pair is built from a few 2x4s. And these sawhorses strong, easy to build, and they conveniently stack for easy storage and transportation.

The DR exhibited decent pull-through and about as much resistance to stalling as you can expect from a machine this size. Dislikes: The oil fill is difficult to access. Likes: This is an extremely durable machine. It feels solid as it gobbles up any debris dumped into its hopper or rammed down its chute. The most jam-resistant chipper we tested, even with wet leaves. Dislikes: None. Likes : An aggressive option that handled everything we stuffed down the chute or fed into the hopper, with the exception of wet leaves.

You can use the peel-and-stick kind, buy the pre-cut 5. The RSG is a simple and solid sander, but its dust-control bag is not nearly as efficient as the airtight canisters on the Bosch or the Milwaukee. This Ryobi sands with good speed and power and completed sanding its test areas in about the same amount of time as its competitors. The Milwaukee was the smoothest-running corded sander of the bunch, with a distinct lack of gyroscopic wobble and a pleasant vibration-free motion.

Its dust control was good, but removing the dust lid from the canister was ridiculously difficult. You sand for a few minutes and find that the sander is a dusty mess, as is the surface.

Then you have to clean up the sander, the surface, and maybe yourself, too. If you need something heavier duty, maybe purchase a pneumatic model instead.

That aside, this tool gives you smooth, vibration-free sanding, decent dust pickup, adequate power, and a dust-sealed switch. Having noticed the similarities, we did some superficial disassembly of them both, removing their bases and the top housing covers. Putting aside cosmetics of color and slightly different rubberized surfaces, these appear to be identical in sanding performance, start and stop speed, weight, and tool configuration.

The best thing you can do for it is to blow the dust out of it using compressed air or a can of compressed air purchased at an office supply store or use a shop vacuum and work over its exterior, especially its air vents.

Now protect yourself, especially your lungs: Wear a dust mask when sanding. Better models have a foam strip to help the mask make a better seal to your face; they may also have a vent that reduces moisture buildup under the mask. Clean up as you work to prevent large piles of talc-like dust from accumulating.

Having a floor mat outside the shop is great, too. Remember what your mom said: Wipe your feet or take your work shoes off!

This cuts down on tracked dirt, which is more than just a nuisance. Remnants of sanding grit on you shoe soles can scratch finished floors, and tracked-in dust can form an eye-watering or throat-scratching irritant as it spreads throughout the house. Type keyword s to search. Today's Top Stories. How to Get Started in Rock Climbing. The Differences in Motion Most of the sanders in this test are random-orbit types with a round pad measuring five or six inches across.

How We Tested Our test was simple but thorough. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below. Trevor Raab. Buy Now. Weight: 3.

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