Popular Woodworking Magazine » Woodworking Essentials

NEW RELEASE – Getting Started in Hand Tools Value Pack

Deal of the Day — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 22:12:25 +0000

From how to get started with hand tools to mastering (and super-tuning) your handplane, this exclusive value pack has it all. Learn everything from designing and building a proper tool chest to sharpening a saw, to cutting a huge array of joints. Get top-notch instruction in sharpening, chisels, awls, marking knives, spokeshaves, planes and Read more »

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Woodworking Essentials: Measure, Mark & Lay Out

Article Index — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 19:05:12 +0000

Double-check your tools, your technique and your thinking.By Robert W. Lang Pages 58-60One of the most important skills in woodworking is rarely discussed or considered as a thing that needs to be learned or practiced. The basic skills of measuring and its close cousin, layout, are essential to produce quality work. As a bonus, mastery of these basics reduces frustration during the building process.But things aren’t always what they appear to be – measuring is a risky business. To be successful, you need to know what can be trusted and what is likely to lead you astray. Any measurement is only an approximation; no matter how precise you think you are, someone can come along with a better device and a finer unit.Blog: Read the author’s post about techniques for accurate marking and layout. Blog: Read the author’s post about measuring angles precisely. In Our Store: “Measure Twice, Cut Once,” by Jim Tolpin. Read more »

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Woodworking in America – Centuries of Experience

Robert W. Lang — Wed, 23 May 2012 19:51:29 +0000

When it comes time to choose instructors for our Woodworking in America conferences, I feel like a kid set loose in the candy store. We don’t use demographic studies or market research, instead we sit down as a group and each of us presents a list of the woodworkers we really want to meet, shake … Read more »

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Accuracy in Woodworking

Robert W. Lang — Wed, 02 May 2012 18:24:28 +0000

One of the sure signs of getting old is finding out that the kid who works in the next cubicle never heard of the TV show “WKRP in Cincinnati.” Another sign is remembering something that is taken for granted today was at one time brand spanking new. Our web guy wasn’t even born in 1982 … Read more »

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Quick Jigs for Flat and Square Glue-ups

Matthew Teague — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 19:08:01 +0000

Anyone who has glued up a few doors knows how frustrating it can be attempting to build assemblies that turn out both flat and square. As I’m working on a cabinet article for the April issue of the magazine, I’m happy to have a few quick jigs on hand that make the process much less … Read more »

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THURSDAY SHOP SPECIAL – ‘Hand Tool Essentials’ for Only $10

ShopWoodworking.com — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 07:00:47 +0000

Learning to work with hand tools takes a little guts, some basic dexterity and some background information. In today's shop, you supply the guts, anyone can learn the dexterity and the background is best gotten from a crusty German master cabinetmaker.[...] Read more »

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Woodworking Essentials: Edge & Surface Treatments

Article Index — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 21:01:09 +0000

By Nick Engler Pages: 45-52 From the June 2004 issue #141 Buy this issue now Routers were developed to cut moulded shapes in wood. Although their workshop role has expanded (greatly) during the last century to include joinery and other operations, moulding is still what they do best. They remain the chief woodworking tools for … Read more »

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Woodworking Essentials: Use Your Router to Build Boxes & Drawers

Article Index — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 20:17:23 +0000

By Nick Engler Pages: 49-56 From the April 2004 issue #140 Buy this issue now Woodworkers have been building boxes for at least 5,000 years. For much of that period, boxes were made using a single chunk of wood with the insides dug out to create a cavity. That’s because up until about 600 or … Read more »

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Woodworking Essentials: Router Joinery

Article Index — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 16:16:25 +0000

By Nick Engler Pages: 49-56 From the February 2004 issue #139 Buy this issue now Although routers were originally designed to create moulded shapes, they can be excellent joinery tools. In fact, they’re better in some ways than table saws, professional-quality mortisers or dado cutters when it comes to cutting joints. There are several reasons … Read more »

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Woodworking Essentials: Casework Construction – Case Joinery

Article Index — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 14:27:56 +0000

By David Thiel Pages: 45-52 From the December 2005 issue #152 Buy this issue now In chapter three of our continuing look at case construction we’re going to take a look at many of the most practical joinery possibilities for building casework furniture. As you might imagine, this is a huge topic. Casework runs the … Read more »

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