max_brown•1mo agoMost Upvoted

Learn from my mistake at the Pittsburgh woodworking expo last month

I was watching a guy demo a new joinery jig and he clamped it down on a cheap particle board table. The whole thing shifted and he ruined $300 worth of walnut. Now I always bring my own 3/4 inch ply top to any demo or shared workbench setup. Has anyone else had a setup fail on them in a public shop?

3 comments

3 Comments

emery2901mo ago

Particle board tables are fine if you know how to clamp properly.

aaron_mitchell1mo ago

Have you tried using a backer board underneath when you're drilling into particle board @emery290? That little trick saves me from blowout every time. I learned the hard way after ruining a couple of table tops, but now I just clamp a scrap piece of plywood right behind where I'm going to put the hole.

blair_nguyen1mo ago

Whoa, wait, hold on. Did you say you ruined "a couple" of table tops? Like, full on table tops, not just some cheap shelf board or something? I mean, I get it, we all mess up a project now and then but that's a rough one (and an expensive mistake, I bet). It's good you figured out the backer board trick though, that's a lifesaver for sure. Man, I would have been so mad if I did that to a nice piece of furniture.