![\"IMG_1185_edited-2\"](\"https:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/IMG_1185_edited-2.jpg\")
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Sometimes in woodworking, especially in unusual constructions, there comes a deflating realization<\/strong> that things would be a lot easier now if a different turn was made<\/a> several steps earlier in the process. It’s not an abject mistake<\/a> but it is time for the fix-it crew.<\/strong><\/p>\n Here are several<\/strong> notable tools among the many whose modest bearing belies their performance in the clutch.<\/strong><\/p>\n The pair of left and right-handed crank-neck 3\/8″ skew chisels<\/strong> get into vertically and horizontally restricted areas to remove small amounts of wood that are preventing parts from fitting well. Widely available<\/a> and inexpensive, I find them more useful than straight skew chisels.<\/p>\n For precise paring<\/strong> in more accessible locations, long\u00a0paring chisels<\/strong> allow much finer control than a regular bench chisel. Using the dominant hand at the back end, the tool’s length allows fine control of the attack angle<\/strong> of the edge to produce clean cuts.<\/p>\n The Japanese azebiki saw<\/strong> has short, curved rip and crosscut edges. It’s great for starting cuts on a flat surface, and for getting into restricted areas. I adjust the set to a bare minimum<\/strong> on my saw.<\/p>\n The very flexible .020″ hand scraper<\/a> is easier to use than thicker scrapers to clean up localized surface defects that can arise in the late stages of building from planing tearout or handling dings.<\/p>\n I’m almost embarrassed to say how often I use the little 1″ x 2″ .016″ mini scraper<\/a> for fix-ups. I keep some edges with a hook and some without, and use it pulling, pushing, angled, skewed, or even flat against a surface to solve all sorts of problems.<\/p>\n The low-profile ratcheting driver<\/strong> is another tool that I might be lost without. It accepts 1\/4″ hex-shank bits and can be used for driving and, patiently, for light drilling when necessary. With this tool and with a right-angle attachment for a power drill, it is very handy to have shorty drill bits<\/a> available.<\/p>\n Of course the most important tool in a jam<\/strong> is the one on your shoulders. Pause, step back, collect, think, and be optimistic – there’s probably a solution!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sometimes in woodworking, especially in unusual constructions, there comes a deflating realization that things would be a lot easier now if a different turn was made several steps earlier in the process. It’s not an abject mistake but it is time for the fix-it crew. Here are several notable tools among the many whose modest […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2834","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tools-and-shop"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2834","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2834"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2834\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2838,"href":"https:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2834\/revisions\/2838"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2834"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2834"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2834"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}