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Additional reading: Check out Michael Dunbar’s Sharpening Method Here are some general thoughts and advice on sharpening, as well as answers to some frequently asked questions. Every shop [...]

Sometimes it’s fun to build a gadget just because it’s a neat idea. There are many ways to draw a centerline, for example, but this method is very clever. It doesn’t require any measuring or [...]

On this episode of the ShopNotes Podcast, Phil and Logan welcome guest Kevin Scott, Chief Technology Officer at Microsoft by day and long time woodworker in his free time. This episode of the [...]

After roughly shaping the awl’s handle (read the first part of the story here) on the bandsaw, I clamped it inside my Pattern Maker’s Carving Vise and began shaping the neck. This vise is [...]

We’re interviewing makers from across the country. Today we’re featuring Chris Davis, a shop teacher at Henry Ford II high school in Michigan.  How did you get started woodworking?  I got started [...]

Puzzling lubrication. Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the August 2010 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine I ran out of mutton tallow this morning! I searched my tool [...]

Tool: M18 Track Saw Kit 2831-21 Shop Now   Manufacturer: Milwaukee MSRP: $639 (includes saw, 6ah battery, charger, and Packout XL toolbox) Few tools in recent memory have been as hotly [...]

Hardware-store parts do the trick. This simple leg vise is based on a traditional design still favored by many woodworkers. My version is built with inexpensive parts you can buy from any [...]

Basements aren’t recommended in this part of North Carolina, and our lot was too small for a detached shop. That meant my woodworking was either going to have to dodge cars in the garage—or I [...]

It is fun to make a tool for your own use. When that tool becomes one of the handiest tools in the shop, you’ll be delighted that you took up that challenge. On the many occasions you hold it in [...]

We’re interviewing makers from across the country. Today we’re featuring Lee Scheffey, a spoon carver from New Hampshire.  How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? I came to [...]

Even though my shop is well-lit, sometimes I need more light right on my work area. Instead of rigging up additional lights, I attach a small clip-on LED light to my cap’s brim. It’s great for [...]