How the radial-arm saw lost its groove
The kerfs cut into a radial-arm saw's tabletop provide a ready reference for aligning a workpiece to be cut. And, the tabletop itself acts as a sort of zero-clearance insert to reduce tear-out.
Over the years, the kerfs in my saw's tabletop have become less effective forboth purposes as they have worn wider from realignments and using different blades. Rather than replace the top, which is time-consuming and costly, I filled the too-wide kerfs with two-part epoxy, and then sanded them smooth.
—Jim Overton, East Hampton, N. Y.
 

Gauge blocks for faster rail-and-stile setup
When routing rails and stiles on the router table, it takes time to reset the fence flush with the guide bearing and parallel to the miter slot every time I swap bits. The jig shown below, however, allows me to instantly repeat the setup.
After perfecting the fence location and locking it in place, I loosen the wing nuts on the jig, set it in the miter slot, slide the blocks up to the fence as shown, and tighten the wing nuts. Finally, I remove the jig, and begin routing.
If you don't have a miter slot in your router table, you can still use the jig. Just make the gauge blocks longer and guide the hardwood runner against the front edge of the tabletop.
—John Passamonte, Merritt Island, Fla
 
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