Sponsored by Shaper Tools. Cutting dovetails with Shaper Origin and Workstation is a very precise and adaptable process you can use on all kinds of casework, drawers, boxes and more. See how we built an Adventure Chest in the video below. You can learn more about Shaper Origin and Workstation at shapertools.com. You can download…

Tool: Carbide Birdcage Awl Shop Now  Manufacturer: Czeck Edge MSRP: $74 The first thing you notice when you grasp a Czeck Edge Hand Tool birdcage awl is how well it fits in the hand. The cocobolo handle is beautifully turned with a shellac finish that is silky smooth. And the blade is balanced, polished, and sharp….

SUPER GLUED After making a small repair with super glue, I put the tube in my pocket and forgot about it. Later, when I saw the tube’s cap sitting on my workbench, I instinctively reached into my pocket— and discovered that my pants were securely glued to my thigh. I headed to the bathroom, and…

  A bench hook is an indispensable workholding device for crosscutting. The traditional bench hook is made of a base, a stop or rest and a cleat. It is usually used against the apron or front edge of a workbench, or clamped in the vise. To crosscut a long piece, I used to place a…

Two years ago I wrote about the ordeal of finding spare parts for the popular (but now discontinued) US-made Jorgensen rapid action vises. Unfortunately, after many years of smooth operation, the vise’s steel acme screw will eventually erode the threaded bronze insert and lose its grip on it. Until a few years ago, when Jorgensen…

Tool: Magnetic-Mount LED Work Light Shop Now  Manufacturer: Lee Valley MSRP: $36.50 I have a perfectly good light for my workbench, on an attachment that slips into the dog holes. And, it has a magnifier, which is becoming increasingly useful. However: My bench is against a wall, so the articulating arm of the light limits how…

This reproduction is a fun build and a great gift for a budding woodworker. Project #1922 • Skill Level: Intermediate • Time: 3 days • Cost: $200 “Hand and heart lead to life.” was an early motto of the North Bennet Street Industrial School (NBIS), now called the North Bennet Street School (NBSS). Founded in…

I have to admit that I’m not very fond of dowel joinery. I’ve repaired too many old dowel joints over the years to trust them. Part of the problem is that a dowel hole in face grain offers only about 50 percent long-grain-to-long-grain contact, which a strong joint requires. The remaining long-grain-to-end-grain contact provides only…

Even in wood finishing. One of my favorite songs back in the 1960s was Bob Dylan’s, The Times, They are A-Changin’. This theme applies today to what’s happening in wood finishing. It’s natural for us to believe that the way things ought to be are the way they were in our youth or young adulthood….

Glue Cleanup in Tight Spots Glue squeeze-out can be difficult to clean up in tight spaces such as beads and grooves because you can’t wipe the area very effectively with a damp rag nor insert a chisel to slice away the hardened glue afterward. I’ve found that a good approach is to clean up the…

Recreated from a photograph and measurements, this design feels both modern and timeless. One of the things I have come to admire as a furniture designer-maker is the timelessness of works created long before us. I am continually impressed by the works’ latent ability to establish a perpetual necessity within the lives its users. It’s…

Trying to bore with a Forstner bit using a hand brace is a nearly impossible task. I’ve come up with a solution that works fast and effortlessly. Drill a pilot hole to whatever depth you desire, then place the point of the Forstner bit into the hole. The cutting edges of the bit itself will…

A global pandemic derailed William Brown’s 2020 plans for his new woodworking school, but he’s not giving up. When I last spoke with William Brown, it was January 2020 and he was getting ready to launch a brand new woodworking school in Camden, Maine. He had a workshop, a great set of instructors, and a…

Tool: Pro Grade Precision Sanding Sheets Shop Now  Manufacturer: 3M MSRP: $4.79/pack Everyone knows using the right tool for the job is the way to go, and that rule definitely applies to sandpaper. 3M has been one of the top choices for sandpaper for a while now. When Jonathan Katz-Moses ran his sandpaper showdown last summer…

Adapt a furniture plan with your eye. I think of plans as sort of a roadmap. They were a big part of my early work as a machinist and later as a woodworker. We had an unwritten rule in the machine shop. Never touch a job if it didn’t come with a drawing. Admittedly, what…