This hybrid design holds work any which way you want it to. Good design is little more than selective thievery. This workbench is a good example of that. A combination of features from several historic forms, ranging from the Roubo to the Workmate, becomes a new form, suited to being the center of a modern…

Super-Accurate Tablesaw Tilt Tablesaw tilt gauges are inherently inaccurate. After all, the degree lines are usually at least 1/16″ wide. I use a digital angle gauge instead, which is accurate to 1/10 of 1°, and mount it on a bracket in front of the saw. You could attach this gauge directly to a saw blade…

Woodworker and designer Cristiane Martins has a thing for puzzles, and her journey to fine marquetry is a culmination of the pieces she has picked up along her path. Born in Belém do Pará, in the Brazilian Amazônia, Martins has created her own unique contribution to the world of woodworking in just a few short…

Tool: Ergo-Foam Anti-Fatigue Floor Mat Manufacturer: GelPro MSRP: $80+ If your shop has a concrete floor, you know how uncomfortable it is to stand on a hard surface all day. Your feet are sore and tired. Your back and knees ache. Well, here’s an answer: the New-Life anti-fatigue mat from GelPro.  I’ve been using one of these…

Make see-through doors in 6 easy steps. Here’s a nifty way to make frame-and-panel door frames with built-in rabbets for glass. The offset shoulders on the stiles and rails make the joinery look complicated, but it’s actually just a clever variation on ordinary tongue-and-groove joinery. If you plan to make a kitchen-full of doors, this…

Have you ever clamped a part in one side of a vise, only to find that the piece slips? If you had looked at the vise’s front jaw, you probably would have noticed that it was skewed,  pinching just one corner of the workpiece. That condition is called “racking,” and virtually every vise suffers from…

Vladimir Krasnogorov was born and raised in Central Asia and overcame his humble beginnings to become one of the most sophisticated and avant-garde furniture designer-makers of our time. He is a man who can use a pencil, a rasp, and a hand plane with the same level of dexterity as he exercises command over CAD…

b Tool: Beadlock Pro Manufacturer: Rockler MSRP: $149.99 I looked to the Beadlock Pro recently when I found myself needing four loose-tenon joints for a project – I wanted an economic but quick solution, and didn’t want to make a router jig. The Beadlock system, which cuts mortises up to 3 1⁄2” wide, uses a standard drill…

Attractive lines, a comfortable seat and some lathe work provide the foundation for for this Shinto-inspired bar stools.

When I turn hollow vessels, I have to remove my lathe’s tailstock to install a support for the hollowing tool. When I’m done hollowing, I have to re-mount the tailstock to finish the turning. It’s a pain—literally. My tailstock is quite heavy; removing it is hard on my back, and getting it re-aligned on the…

Build a modern workspace with just a single sheet of plywood. Project #2012 • Skill Level: Beginner • Time: 1 day • Cost: $150 Creating your own space seems to be a rite of passage for most first-time homebuyers. Albeit, its often easy to become disillusioned, overzealous and even unrealistic about the amount of work…

Tool: Steam Bending Kit Manufacturer: Rockler MSRP: $79.99 The first hurdle in steam bending is just getting set up. How are you going to boil the water? How are you going to get the steam to the steam box? A new kit from Rockler makes this all very easy. It includes everything you need except the box…

What makes this wood so special? Fungus. If there’s one wood that can really challenge your sense of design—and your woodworking skills—it’s spalted maple. Those inky black lines can both delight the eye and drive you crazy. Spalted maple is just ordinary maple that’s partly rotten. After the wood is cut, different colonies of stain,…

To protect the edges of small carving tools, stick a wine bottle cork on them. Synthetic corks work best because they don’t break apart as easily as natural cork. Allow the cork to dry for a couple weeks before using it. If the cork is still damp inside, it can rust the tool. To make…

Restrained elegance in an American classic. Someday in your woodworking career, you’ll want to reach for the sky. Maybe you’ll have an urge to make an ambitious piece of your own design, or perhaps you’ll prefer to walk in the shoes of cabinetmakers who have gone before and build an American classic. If you love…