Gain more control over your staining with these techniques. The most popular types of stains are oil stains, also called wiping stains (though most stains are wiped after application). Oil stains are widely available at paint stores and home centers. They are very easy to use because they provide a long working time; water-based stains…

This slender table maximizes minimal space. My family recently left our sprawling farmhouse for a compact ranch. We left our farmhouse-sized stuff too, and now we need new furniture. This little console table, under 4′ wide and just more than 1′ deep, fits nicely below a wall-mounted TV to maximize floor space, and the removable…

Many new chisels, especially most premium-quality chisels, have sharp lands (the beveled side edges). Some people wear cotton gloves to protect their hands when using these, but I don’t like the loss of feel and sensitivity with gloves. So I came up with a simple solution to avoid getting cut by these edges. I cut…

We’re interviewing makers from all 50 states. Today we’re featuring Lauren Matthews, a custom woodworker from Maryland.  How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? I was originally in the market for a live edge entertainment console and everything I found was beautiful but very expensive. I challenged myself to make it on my own…

This much-maligned fastener has a place in the finest furniture. Here’s why. Among furniture makers, the reputation of the simple nail is somewhere south of expired glue and tacos made from weasel knees. The following statement is one you hear all the time: The best furniture is built using wood-to-wood joinery alone – just like…

As part of our Woodworking in America initiative, we’re interviewing makers from all 50 states. Today we’re featuring Alma Villalobos, a woodworker and artist from Illinois.  How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? For as long as I can remember I’ve always been a maker. My grandfather was a professional DIYer. He…

One of our goals for this year is reviving Woodworking in America. We’re working on what Popular Woodworking’s flagship event (Woodworking in America) is going to look like going forward. While we’re not 100% sure how the physical meet-up/event is going to work in the next few years, we did want to do more work…

In late January Narex, the reputable Czech hand tool manufacturer sent me a box that contained three chisels for review. The sturdy but old fashioned stapled together gray cardboard box held three sleek jet black capsules that contained the new Richter line of bench chisels. It took me a few months and now I am…

Tool: Sink Bridge Manufacturer: Naniwa MSRP: $65 The stainless steel sink bridge from Naniwa is not a new product – but it’s a welcome new addition to my shop at home. I don’t (yet) have a dedicated sharpening area set up, so until I get around to that, I’m resorting to the laundry sink. The problem is,…

Christmas, 1956. I was a little fella, and my seeing the Tonka Hi-Way series display in the W.T. Grant store months earlier had captured my entire attention. In my letter to Santa, I asked for the Tonka set. What I didn’t know was that my folks had already put the set in layaway at Grant….

Can a portable, foot-powered lathe make a believer out of you? Wood turning on a spring pole lathe is all about reciprocation, all about back and forth. For example: Q: “Don’t you get tired of standing on one leg?” A: “Sure, but if you try to work the treadle with both legs – you fall…

It won’t solve a tool addiction, but it’ll make finding tools easier. You’ve no doubt seen photos of the H.O. Studley tool cabinet – the Sistine Chapel of tool cabinets. And as far as I’m concerned, Studley got it right. Yes, his tool chest is a work of art and all that, but more importantly,…

On my best work, I want the bottom of my project to look as good as the top. That’s when I make an old-fashioned set of wooden tabletop fasteners, or “buttons,” rather than use the modern stamped-steel type. A button allows a solid-wood top to expand and contract through the seasons. When the top’s grain…

Tool: 36V MultiVolt Wet/Dry Vacuum-Pod Style Manufacturer: Metabo HPT MSRP: $499 (bare tool) As I replace old and worn out tools, I’ve made it my goal to find a cordless equivalent. Their convenience cannot be overstated especially given they often times outperform their corded counterparts. I’d used and seen several cordless vacuums but had never been impressed….

Three weeks ago, Minneapolis police officers killed George Floyd. Outrage over his death sparked protests around Minneapolis and throughout the world. As a resident of Minneapolis, it feels like change is really happening. It’s up to us to make sure change happens, to stay vigilant and to work toward a better, more equitable society. My…