This video was created by Billy from Newton Makes. It focuses on simple yet highly effective upgrades and modifications that can make a big difference in your woodworking shop.
From tuning your table saw to solving awkward clamping challenges, Billy shares several clever fixes and tool modifications that address common frustrations. These ideas are based on real problems he’s solved in his own shop and are perfect for woodworkers looking to improve both accuracy and workflow.
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Why Shop Upgrades Matter
For many woodworkers, time in the shop is limited and valuable. Small annoyances—like misaligned blades, unstable router bases, or hard-to-clamp shapes—can chip away at that time and lead to less satisfying results.
Billy’s video highlights how simple, low-cost solutions can often outperform store-bought gadgets. The key is identifying repeated frustrations and addressing them with targeted improvements that boost precision and save time.
Fixing Miter Joint Accuracy with a Table Saw Adjustment
One of the most common sources of inaccuracy in woodworking is a misaligned table saw blade. If your 45-degree cuts aren’t truly square, your miter joints will never come together cleanly.
Billy recommends using a combination square to test and fine-tune your blade angle with a test cut and scrap wood. After confirming the angle, he adds a hard stop to his saw—using the built-in adjustment bolts—to guarantee that future angle changes snap back to the correct setting every time.
This quick mod removes the need for constant rechecking and ensures reliable cuts for future builds.
Making a Dedicated Miter Sled
Miter joints are notoriously tricky, especially on smaller or decorative pieces. To help get repeatable results, Billy built a dedicated miter sled with MDF, plywood, and a T-track runner.
The sled is aligned square to the blade, and optional hold-downs can be added to keep workpieces secure during cutting. The benefit of a dedicated sled is that it doesn’t require realignment with each use—just place, clamp, and cut.
This sled is ideal for frames, trim work, or any projects where clean miters make all the difference.
Upgrading Your Router with a Clear Base Plate
Routing on large or awkward shapes—like bowls or plaques—can be difficult with a standard router base. Billy’s solution? Swap the factory base for a larger clear acrylic plate.
The process involves tracing and drilling a matching base, which expands your router’s footprint and improves visibility. With a larger surface area, the router glides more evenly over curves and irregular forms, giving you more control and better results.
It’s a low-cost tweak that improves both safety and precision—especially helpful when routing around the edges of large or unbalanced pieces.
Building Your Own Woodworking Clamps
Store-bought clamps don’t always work for every shape. Billy solves this by making his own clamps using hardwood scrap blocks, kerfs, and wedges.
By cutting blocks to size, drilling holes, and adding slots, he creates a versatile clamping solution that adapts to irregular pieces. When used with a wedge, these DIY clamps apply strong, targeted pressure—great for tricky glue-ups or unconventional parts.
Having a few of these on hand gives you more flexibility in your workflow and makes better use of scrap wood.
Solving Spindle Sander Limitations
Spindle sanders are excellent for curves, but the table can be restrictive when sanding longer parts. Billy addresses this by making a custom removable top out of MDF with different sized holes.
The top is cut to fit over the existing table and can be easily swapped depending on the project. This upgrade offers more surface stability when sanding bigger workpieces and can help prevent accidental tipping or uneven edges.
It’s a quick fix that makes the sander far more useful for large-scale projects.
Shop Efficiency Through Problem Solving
Billy emphasizes that taking time to fix shop frustrations upfront can lead to smoother project builds. Rather than stopping mid-project to work around a problem, he recommends using downtime to design and implement solutions.
Whether it’s a tool mod, a new jig, or a better way to store parts, these small changes accumulate and make your shop run more efficiently. The fewer the roadblocks, the more time you get to focus on actual woodworking.
A Better Shop, One Fix at a Time
Billy’s approach isn’t about expensive upgrades or fancy systems. It’s about paying attention to what slows you down and creating simple, effective ways to solve those problems.
Each idea in this video is practical, low-cost, and rooted in experience—perfect for woodworkers at any level who want to get more from their tools and their time.
Please support Billy by visiting his website here: https://www.newtonmakes.com/shop.