Our shop has a lot of things in common with our readers’ shops, especially those who work in basements or abandoned coal mines. The overhead lighting leaves a lot to be desired. I’ve recently been working on a project with ridiculously small details and decided I needed a dedicated workbench light. I found a great … Read more
In the April issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine, we test the plunge base for the Bosch Colt router. In this video, I show some of the features of this long-awaited base, and give some tips for using a router to make mortises. With a good fence on the router and a few clamps, you can … 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
Way back in 2005, I wrote an article for issue #4 of Woodworking Magazine about holdfasts. At the time, very few woodworkers knew what a holdfast was, and the article reviewed available manufactured holdfasts, as well as a few blacksmith made ones. We recently put the original holdfast article online, and included a link to … Read more
Dave Coleman is one of our readers, and one of the dedicated craftsmen putting the White Water Shaker Village back together. He’s been building Shaker furniture and boxes for a number of years, and recently he dropped by our office to show us a new veneer press that he is making. If you’re serious about … Read more
Last week I was at the North American headquarters of Bosch Tools, part of a group of woodworking journalists taking a look at new offerings of the company’s products. The first woodworking tools we were shown were a pair of new jigsaws, the top-handle model JS572EL and the barrel-grip model JS572EBL. My first thoughts were … Read more
Executive editor Robert W. Lang takes a Makita Compact Router kit for a test drive with both the standard and plunge bases. Complete review is in the August 2012 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine. – Robert Lang
