Popular Woodworking Magazine » Materials

Working With Small Hinges

Robert W. Lang — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 14:02:16 +0000

In the back panel of the project I made for the upcoming August 2013 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine is a small door. Hanging doors on butt hinges is no big deal if you’ve done it a few times, but this door proved interesting. The picture above makes it look typical, but the piece of … Read more »

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Remove Rust, Zinc and Black Oxide with ‘The Works’

Christopher Schwarz — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 01:03:40 +0000

Three of the enemies in my shop are rust, zinc coating and black oxide. 1. Rust: No explanation needed. Rust is the enemy of steel, and steel is what allows us to tame wood. 2. Zinc coating: Many steel fasteners are coated with an ugly layer of zinc to protect them from rust in the … Read more »

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How to Calculate Wood Shrinkage and Expansion

Article Index — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 13:49:01 +0000

Wood movement can ruin a seemingly well-constructed project. Luckily getting ahead of the material and calculating wood shrinkage and expansion is fairly easy – all you need to do is multiply three numbers together. Here’s how to find them. Step 1: Measure the board’s width. ● Know that wider boards expand and contract more than … Read more »

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Install a Ring Pull – Against my Better Judgment

Christopher Schwarz — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 21:38:04 +0000

One of my first orders from the Lee Valley Tools catalog was for a big supply of these traditional ring pulls. I love this fastener for so many reasons. It is inexpensive. It looks great. It is made in Italy. It works with a wide variety of furniture styles, from Japanese tansu to contemporary. But … Read more »

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How I Buy Wood & Why I’m Weird

Christopher Schwarz — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 19:50:18 +0000

Compared to many of my woodworking friends, I buy wood and treat it a little differently than most. Many of my friends have a significant stock of lumber on hand, from a garage-full to a few barn-fulls. When they find good lumber, they buy it. In many ways, this is an excellent strategy because every … Read more »

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Highly Recommended: Grace USA Screwdrivers

Christopher Schwarz — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 14:46:21 +0000

It’s sad to say, but all of the so-called “lifetime” screwdrivers I’ve tried over the years are sorely lacking in one way or another. On many of them, the tips are soft or poorly shaped. Soft tips are, of course, worthless and soon become useless (unless you need a shank in prison). The shape of … Read more »

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Campaign Chests on a Budget

Christopher Schwarz — Tue, 01 May 2012 13:04:08 +0000

When I had a bunch of woodworkers over to my house recently, they spent some time looking over the Campaign chest I finished recently for an upcoming issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine. Their first question: “How much did all this hardware cost?” The answer: About $700. They gasped, but after examining the hardware on the … Read more »

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How to Drive Brass Screws with Care

Christopher Schwarz — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 22:12:30 +0000

There is some good advice out there on how to drive brass screws when installing furniture hardware. To recap: 1. Use the right-size pilot holes. The bit should be the diameter of the un-threaded portion of the screw. 2. Use good screws. If your brass screws are soft, you should first cut the threads in … Read more »

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Make Wooden Chest Handles, the Woodwright’s Way

Christopher Schwarz — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 20:33:53 +0000

I have intended for 14 months to add handles to the chest I built for “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest.” And in fact, I had a pair of cool iron chest lifts that a kind reader sent me. But life and other projects kept getting in the way of making the gaping mortises for these cool … Read more »

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More Great Campaign Hardware from Londonderry

Christopher Schwarz — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 20:58:32 +0000

I’m building cubbyholes for the gallery in the Campaign Secretary I’m constructing for Popular Woodworking Magazine. I’m now down to the seven little interior drawers and installing the hardware. Though I am deep into this secretary, my mind is already racing ahead to the next Campaign-style projects I’ll be building this year. The reason for … Read more »

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