A Shaker’s Life
Research gives names to unknown artisans. David Rowley, Freegift Wells, Amos Stewart, Orren Haskens, Eli Kidder…ever hear of these guys? They were Shaker cabinetmakers, the names behind one [...]
Improved Counter-Racking for Vises
A few years ago I wrote about Ha-Khoret’s wooden bench vise and its embedded feature which prevents the notorious jaw racking syndrome. Vise racking happens when clamping a workpiece...
Make a Strop for Sharpening
For the ultimate edge, use a leather strop. I have a special set of chisels that I only use for paring. To do a good job, they have to be...
Office Cabinet
Store office necessities in style. This handsome little cabinet just might solve the universal problem of never having enough drawer space. Small enough to tuck under a desk, it’s...
The Magic of Masking Tape
Find magic in the mundane using this humble problem solver. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned as a woodworker is to never underestimate the seemingly mundane. I have...
Stopped Cuts Made Easy
This extra-long mortising fence helps you cut “blind” joints in your work. Cabinets and furniture often have “blind” joints − dados, grooves or rabbets that are stopped at one end...
Wood Books
They’re so easy and fun to make that you’ll want a dozen! If you can’t stand to throw away good wood, you’ve probably got a stack of short boards that...
Repair Water Damaged Wood
Work miracles on wood with oxalic acid. Watering a potted plant can be disastrous if the plant lives on top of something made out of wood. We’ve all seen the...
Wood Type Test
Wood Encyclopedia Type: Pine Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud...
Small Bench
This simple seat is ideal for a hallway or porch. This project is inspired by a period choir bench in my mom’s dining room – but I modernized the Gothic...
See Like a Designer
Look for the ‘bones’ to observe how form defines design. It happens during almost every furniture design workshop. At the start of day two, a carload of students shows up...
