We’re interviewing makers from all 50 states. Today we’re featuring Astrid Beatriz, an artist and woodcarver from Oregon. How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? My husband, Brent, is a trained luthier (he builds guitars) and graduated from Minnesota Technical University. I initially used chalk pastels as my artistic medium. My husband…

Tool: Edge-Sanding Guide Shop Now  Manufacturer: Festool MSRP: $99 Sanding the edge of a table or interior of a face frame with a power sander can be a fraught affair. There is huge potential for tipping or losing control. Festool’s edge-sanding guide pairs with their 5“ random orbit sanders to make edge sanding more precise….

A proven design that will last a lifetime. I have many fine tools in my shop, but the most important one is my bench. It has a classic design, favored by cabinetmakers for generations.    I’ve spent a long time refining the details of this bench. I’ve built 15 of them over the years, simplifying…

Small tools are easier to reach since I added two rare-earth magnets to my apron. I epoxied the 1/2″ dia. magnets to two 1″ square pieces of leather, punched 1/2″ holes in the apron, and then epoxied the leather squares to the apron’s back side. –Mark Thiel

Disc Break Back when I bought my radial arm saw, onboard braking systems didn’t exist. But I’m a gadget freak, so I bought an electronic brake and mounted it on top of the saw. The brake worked by converting the AC input to DC, essentially turning the saw motor into a big magnet to stop…

I don’t know about you, but when I’m working in the shop, I usually try and carve out at least a few hours. Enough time to make some progress on a project at least. Often, this means standing for long periods of time. And, while I do what I can to try and have anti-fatigue…

A dive into the world of non-fungible tokens reveals what’s real in the world. It seemed like a simple enough idea at the time: let’s make an NFT. Thirty seconds of google quickly told me it was never going to be a reality- a real NFT is bound to a piece of cryptocurrency called etherem…

I’m happy to announce a new, online woodturning symposium that’s going to be taking place March 19th & 20th. Tickets for Meet the Woodturner Live are available here. Here’s a little of the backstory: Working in the woodworking media world, I have the pleasure of meeting some of the most talented people in the industry….

Accurately set up for and safely make these versatile curved shapes. It was the 1970s. I was a young, lost woodworker out cruising the West Coast in search of inspiration, mentors, cool old tools and furniture to study. I found legendary furniture maker Art Carpenter at his studio in Bolinas, Calif. He showed me two…

Bullet-Catch Bench Dogs When I built my workbench, I drilled round bench-dog holes in the top so I didn’t have to cut square mortises. Being a thrifty sort, I didn’t want to shell out for store-bought dogs, so I made my own. At first, I thought all I’d need was a couple 3/4″ dowels with…

While preparing to sand some cutting boards for customers, and after noticing how blissful the weather was I decided to do the sanding outside. After all, why have dust in the shop when I can spread the particles in the yard? I could have rolled out one of my long extension cords (or perhaps buy…

Tool: Birdcage Awl Shop Now  Manufacturer: Shenandoah Toolworks MSRP: $59.99 If you’re in the market for a birdcage awl, this Shenandoah Tool Works version offers a stylish twist – that is, the hand-forged 01 steel shaft is actually twisted during manufacturing. While this aesthetic touch has no effect on performance, it looks nice – and…

Your handmade pie deserves more than a generic roller. Handmade pizza is a mainstay at my house, but I never knew how much fun cutting up a freshly cooked pie could be until I made a rocker. This baby doesn’t fool around; the hefty blade cleanly slices the thickest of crusts and layers of toppings….

Specialty hardware can be really annoying. Take the T-bolt—it’s essential for attaching anything to a T-track, but where can you buy one at a moment’s notice? Hardware stores don’t carry T-bolts, but I’ve found that they always have a good substitute in stock: closet bolts. Closet bolts are used to fasten a toilet to the…

Get better woodworking results with these 12 tips. I’ve been teaching now for more than 15 years. And in that time I’ve thought a lot about why students are or are not able to do certain things. Problems arise only rarely as a result of a student not having good information about how something should…