Victorian Side Table
Pattern routing makes quick and easy work of these urn-shaped sides. Click here for the SketchUp model of this project. While vacuuming a few weeks back, I was thinking about...
Tool Test: A Better Brad-point Bit
Tool: Five Star Drill Set Manufacturer: Colt Price: $56 When I grab a brad-point bit to drill a hole, I don’t give much thought to the design of the bit and...
Why Furniture Stores Make Me Ill
In December I built a large traditional tool chest for my shop at home, and I couldn’t stop staring at the end grain of the wide pine planks I’d selected...
Shaker Wall Cupboard
A classic form from the New Lebanon Shaker community is easy to build in a few hours. If you don’t like nails, then perhaps you should turn the page. This...
Crosscut Sled Stop & Hold Down
I had to crosscut narrow strips to make a cutting board. The boards were too wide for my miter saw, so I decided to use my tablesaw’s crosscut sled. I...
Accurate Inside Measurement
An accurate inside measurement is sometimes difficult to obtain. For example, I needed to take a measurement behind a cabinet’s face frame to fit a new shelf. Typically, most people...
Versatile Pen Drilling Jaws
Tool: Pen Plus Jaws Manufacturer: Nova Price: $40 Drilling pen blanks often involves a drill press and a vise. Doing this operation on your lathe offers a finer degree of control and...
These Pesky MDF and Chipboard
After a recent visit to our relative’s home in Cincinnati, I noticed that a lovely centerpiece was decorating the family breakfast table. I did not remember seeing a centerpiece on...
Jointer Push Plate
Face jointing boards requires some safety precautions to keep your fingers out of the danger zone. I made this simple push plate with a cleat on the back end. Two handles...
No-Router Through-slots
Making through-slots without a router may sound tricky, but it couldn’t be easier. In the days before I could afford a router, I made through-slots by gluing up scraps instead....
Tool Talk: Festool CMS Router Table
Tool: CMS Router Table Manufacturer: Festool Price: $1720 On one end of the spectrum, there’s the router screwed to the underside of a piece of plywood, supported on sawhorses, with a...
