Tools
Read about woodworking hand tools and power tools in the articles from Popular Woodworking Magazine.
My Favorite Band Saw Blade
While I do most of my work by hand, there are two machines that I refuse to do without: a thickness planer and an old Delta 14” band saw. These two machines remove the drudgery from reducing boards in thickness and long rips. So I baby these two machines. When it comes to band saw Continue reading»
Accuracy in Woodworking
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 Continue reading»
Exploit the Weakness of the Tree
In hand-tool woodworking, brains almost always trump brawn. For example, when I need to remove a lot of material from a localized area, I need to think like a tree assassin and exploit its weaknesses. Think about it for a minute: Trees are much stronger in the vertical axis than they are in the horizontal. Continue reading»
Cut Rabbets by Hand
Even if I have an entire shop filled with power equipment, I like to cut my rabbets by hand. Why? It’s fast and fun. Once you master a rabbet plane or a moving fillister plane, your router table and table saw will get a lot less use. To push you along this path, I wrote Continue reading»
Meet my ‘Mongo’
Among the many tools of Christopher Schwarz’s that I covet is his vintage English brass mallet with wood inserts, a tool he calls “Mongo.” Now, I can cross one venial sin off my very long list of things for which I should atone; I have a Mongo (Mingo?) to call my own. Glen D. Huey’s Continue reading»
Correct the Skew on a Plane Blade or Chisel
Some woodworkers would rather stick their hand into a running disposal while naked than turn on a dry grinder. So when they need to correct the skew angle on a skewed plane iron or skewed chisel they are at a loss. I even met a guy who would just buy a new blade rather than Continue reading»
Single Purpose Tools – What’s Your Favorite?
One of my favorite finishes is Watco Danish Oil. I love the product, but hate the container. In addition to being a pretty good wood finish, Watco Oil is also a very effective metal-to-metal adhesive. After you use it, the little bit of finish that drips around the threads of the opening gets spread around Continue reading»
