For years now I have been religiously submitting some of my ideas to Fine Woodworking and Woodworking Magazines to have them posted in the Methods of Work or Shortcut sections. This past summer I submitted a Shortcut to Woodworking Magazine. The shortcut was a upgrade to the David Charlesworth Ruler Trick. The shortcut was published in the winter 2009 Woodworking Magazine. The Text read as follows."When polishing the back of a plane iron it is much faster to use David Charlesworth's ruler trick. The ruler raises the iron up on one side of the stone and creates a micro bevel or a thin back bevel on the back of the iron. When I tried to use a ruler it would sometimes move around on the stone. To prevent this I made a "ruler" out of thin steel flashing available at any home center. I took the flashing, removed all the paint and then bent the last 3/8" on either end to create a hook. The new ruler clips over the stone and does not move."
Sharp Tools are a must when working with hand tools. The more I woodwork the more particular I become when it comes to sharpness. What I use to think was sharp 2 years ago I would consider too dull to work with today. To keep my tools sharp I use a series of Norton waterstones. I own a 200, 1000, 1000/4000 combo and an 8000 stone. I have found that I do not use the 220 on tools but really just use it to flatten other stones. I will also flatten stones on 120-grit drywall sanding screen on a granite surface plate to ensure they are as flat as possible. One of the first stones I purchased was the 100/4000 combo stone and it has seen heaps of use to the point it was becoming very thin. I was afraid that under the weight of the sharpening process that the stone might be flexing. To prevent this I Gorilla glued two stones together to make a thicker single stone. I glued a solid 1000 to the 1000 side of the combo stone. The trick works like a charm and it extends the life of both stones significantly. 
Setting the projection of a hand plane iron can be difficult. I use a curved iron in most of my bench planes and I want the curve as centered as possible. Most authors suggest using a white piece of paper as a background to site against as you witness the iron emerging from the sole of the plane. I find this difficult to see. I will use this method to set the gross projection and balance, but will fine tune the setting with shims. First, retract the blade into the body of the plane. Second, slowly advance the iron while sliding the shim back and forth over the mouth. Soon you will see and or hear that the iron is cutting the shim. By noting where the shim is being cut on the width of the blade you can compare it to the opposite side of the iron to see if your iron is balanced in the plane. I use small wooden shims, about 1-1/2” x 2” works the best. I use both long grain and end grain shims. I prefer the end grain shims because you can hear when they are cutting. This makes it easier to set the plane because I can hear it cutting rather that looking on the inside of the mouth to see if it is cutting. Long grain shims will get a fiber mark to illustrate the direction of cut. With the end grain shims this is of no concern. They can be used in any direction. I will try to make these shims from a close grained hardwood like maple. To make the end grain shims just take a piece of timber about 1-1/2 thick and 2” to 3” wide and slice a 1/8” to 3/16” off the end. Long grain shims can be cut out of stock but usually you can find some off cuts lying around. 
Paste wax can help make your next projects parts fit perfectly. When fitting the lid on the Herwiggy humidor I used a thin coat of paste wax on the lid. When the lid was closed, tight areas would show up on the lid slip. I would locate these areas and take gossamer shavings to remove the material for a perfect fit. The same rules apply when fitting drawers in the traditional manner used by Alan Peters. Once the drawer is build, but before the bottom is slide in wax the drawer opening in the carcass. The wax on the inner surfaces of the carcass opening will burnish the high spots and allow the craftsman to achieve a perfect fit. 
Few tools make the cut when it comes to what I carry around in my woodworking apron. You will find in my apron a square, tape line, marking knife, pencils, sharpies, a pen, safety glasses, wooden shims for setting planes and a rectangular block of wax. In my work a block of wax is just as essential as a marking knife or a square. I find myself reaching for wax to ease multiple areas of my work. The usefulness of wax is not just limited to a hand tool workshop it has many uses with power tools as well. You can pick up a block of wax at any grocery store that sells canning supplies. Look for canning wax or paraffin wax. There are other types of waxes available, but they tend to be hard to find and more expensive than paraffin. Under $5.00 will buy you enough wax to last many work years in the shop. Here are just a couple of uses for wax in the shop.
When cutting wood with a hand saw wax can make the saw glide through the cut and slice the wood sweetly. Large panel saws always get a light squiggle a couple inches above the tooth line before they touch the timber. Dovetail saws and other backsaws will also benefit greatly and let you focus on sawing to the line not excessively forcing the saw. If you are tired of always breaking fret saw blades because of them binding in the cut running the block of wax on the back of the blade allowing it to cut into the wax will coat both sides of the blade and will turn your blades into marathon runners. This will work great in coping saws, power jigsaws and scroll saws. 
If you have ever snapped off a brass screw when installing that last piece of hardware in a project you know how frustrating this can be. Second only to drilling a properly sized pilot hole and pre-threading, wax can facilitate a smooth entry for any screw and prevent breaking. Wax is superior to soap in this application because soap can hold moisture and cause the screw to rust.
Recently while working on my bench the round brass bench dogs became very difficult to push up above the bench. A light coat of wax on the spring and far side of the dog solved the problem quickly.
