Here’s a situation you may have experienced if you do much French polishing. A woodworker friend emailed me with this problem. He had been French polishing a tabletop, and no matter what he did, he could still see sanding scratches when he viewed the surface from certain angles. Logically, he thought, fresh coats should fill…

Adjusting Non-Adjustable Butt Hinges Working with these traditional hinges takes a bit of old-fashioned ingenuity. High-quality butt hinges are handsome and durable for furniture and built-in cabinet doors. If you’re in the business of built-in cabinetry and sometimes work in houses constructed between the late 1800s and the 1930s, you’re almost certainly familiar with butt…

Historic North Carolina Candle Stand A tapered (not turned) post sets this stand apart from contemporaries. By Will Myers PROJECT #1912 • Skill Level:Intermediate • Time: 2 Days • Cost: $250 I have a thing for candle stands. These small tables are quick to make, don’t require a lot of material to build, and are…

Have you ever closed an inset door in a cabinet you were building and found that you couldn’t open it, because you hadn’t added the knob yet? Well, I have. Here’s an easy effective solution: Make a little hook from a plastic lid. Cut the opener as shown below, with a raised tab that’s cut…

A woodworker friend emailed me with a problem. He had turned a face-grained bowl from what he described as “grainy” walnut. To finish it he was using Watco Danish Oil, and his problem was that the oil continued to soak in to the two end-grain sides even after 6 or 7 coats. What should he…

I recently was struck by a thought while spending some time in Andrew’s workshop: this is genuinely fun. It wasn’t until I was driving home a few hours later that the significance of that thought really hit me in full force. Since becoming a homeowner, my tool purchases have revolved around the home renovation medium,…

Tool: Bench Dog Tools No. 5 Jack Plane Manufacturer: Bench Dog Tools Price: $169.99 I was pleasantly surprised by the performance of the No.5 plane from Bench Dog straight out of the box. After wiping the protective oil off all the surfaces and setting the blade depth, I was able to make de-cent shavings within minutes….

When a family friend recently visited my new cabinet shop, he commented, “Your dad and grandpa would’ve loved this place. It wasn’t always like this!” He meant that although both men were pro wood-workers at various times in their lives, neither ever experienced the pleasant working conditions, robust tools, or the wide variety of materials,…