Here's a simple way to check and help adjust your drill press table. Using an ordinary peg as shown, spin the drill by hand and adjust your table until the tip of the peg just grazes the table all the way around a complete circle.
This is a jig I make that makes grinding a "fingernail" or "Ellsworth" profile on a bowl gouge nearly an automatic process. The small ball on the end of the jig is places an a "V" shaped holder in front of the grinder (as illustrated in the picture below) and rotated right and left to grind the sides of the bowl gouge, producing the "wings" that work so well for a shearing slice when bowl turning.
Here's the Bowl Gouge grinding jig in action!
Need to cut a 60 degree miter on your Compound Miter Saw? Make a jig like the one on the right. First cut the block of wood at 15 degrees, then hinge the auxiliary fence as shown.
Need to find the center of a large circle? Put a Carpenters Square against the circle, and run a Combination Square against that and draw 2 intersecting lines... Where they meet is the center!
To check a Carpenters Square: You'll need a long straight edge to place your Carpenters Square against... like the edge of a sheet of plywood or MDF works well. Draw a line as shown, then flip the square and draw a second line as close as you can to the first line but still leaving a gap between the lines. Any deviation from Square will be immediately visible. To adjust - Use a pointed punch on the inside corner of the square to expand the legs of the square, and on the outside corner to bring the legs close together. Use a light touch, and recheck after every "punch"
This jig makes it easy to get your jointer knives "right" A 3/8" piece of glass and 4 "Rare Earth" magnets and some Super Glue or epoxy are all that's needed. Glue the 4 magnets as shown, and set the jig on the outfeed table as shown. The magnets hold the jig to the table and hold the knives in the correct position for you to tighten the knive holding screws.
This is my version of the Lynn's Jig... I've added a bottom to help it and the stock being milled to slide better, plastic bushings where the threaded rod goes through the wood sides to avoid wear and to make it turn easier, a removable backing plate that slides on and out easily so you always have a clean backer to prevent chipout.
Rear View of "Lynn's Jig"
Learn how to tame those loooong nylon straps that are on most band clamps. (click on photo)
Drill Press chuck won't come off? Make a couple of simple wood wedges and tap them from both sides at the same time. Clean the chuck and morse taper with Mineral Spirits and reinstall by (1) retracting the jaws and (2) "Seating" the chuck home with a good firm rap with a wood mallet or wood block.
Need to check if your CMS, miter gauge, etc. is cutting correctly? This technique works well for a couple of reasons; (One) - You'll be checking the accuracy of the 45 degree cut with a square, not a triangle... and (Two) - Any error with your saw's setup will be doubled, and will be easier to see and correct. Click on pic for larger pic.
Saw not cutting right? Do this Quick-Check to see if the fence is the problem... The fence needs to be parallel to the blade, and this will show if it is. Put a straight edge between the fence and blade. An aluminum rule, a carpenters square, or even a straight piece of plywood or MDF will work. Slide the fence as close as you can to the straight edge, leaving a tiny gap, and lock the fence down. Look at the gap... is it even all the way along the straight edge?
I find it works better at reducing snipe if the infeed/outfeed tables are slightly higher than the planer bed. Place a metal rule or a couple of nickels on the planer bed, set a straigh edge on top of that, and adjust the infeed/outfeed tables until they just touch the bottom of the straight edge. Click on pic for larger view.
Need to mark the center of a dowel? Drill a hole in a piece of scrap with a forstner bit the same size as the dowel until the tip of the bit just pokes through... then insert the dowel into the hole use an awl through the hole to mark the center
Using a sled in conjunction with your planer can add to the tools usefullness. One sled that I use lets me "Joint" wood wider than my 6" jointer allows. Cupped and/or twisted stock can have one face planed flat because the "rails" on the sled prevent the In/Outfeed rollers from flattening the wood so the blades can make one flat face. Wedges work on twisted stock.
Here's pics of the sled. The wood is placed against one "rail", and the other "rail" is put snugly against the other edge of the wood and secured with brads or screws, ALWAYS placed lower than the blades will reach. Email if you need more information...