I spent much of Friday in the shop, tuning up machines in preparation for an upcoming magazine project. The thing I will be building is rather small, but with some involved details. I wanted the table saw and router table to be as precise as possible, and I also wanted to get some practice in … Read more
One way to tell that you’re getting old is when technology marches forward, providing a replacement for something you think of as new. Non-woven abrasive pads (Scotch-Brite is one brand name) were a great alternative to steel wool, much like cassettes were way better than 8-track tapes. Steel wool leaves behind little bits of metal. … Read more
Tool snobs beware: This post is about an inexpensive tool that is useful for woodworking and without an ounce of style or charm. In the cabinet industry, plastic laminate files are used for filing the edges of plastic laminate after trimming with a router. In that world, they are a consumable item and are purchased … Read more
Traditional approaches in woodworking are generally reliable and efficient. If you know something has worked well for other woodworkers for a few hundreds years, you can likely assume that adopting it will be a good way to accomplish what you want to do. But the traditional approach isn’t always the best method forever, and when … Read more
Over the holidays, I saw the same question asked on both an American and British woodworking forum. The poster had received a new table saw for Christmas, had no experience and wanted to learn how to use the saw safely. One of the responses on the British forum was this: Whilst the risk of kickback … Read more
Our first west coast Woodworking in America Conference is off to a great start in Pasadena, Calif. If you’re in the Los Angeles area, you can still join us for the event which runs through Sunday at the Pasadena Convention Center. The event consists of two parts: the Marketplace, where you will find an unmatched … Read more
SketchUp, the free 3D modeling software is one of my favorite woodworking tools. It doesn’t cut joints or finish projects, but it helps me make sure the joints I cut are in the right places, and the experience building a project on the computer screen first makes valuable shop time more efficient and error free. … Read more
