For The Birds

Every woodworker has made at least a few birdhouses, but probably nothing like these. When you think of a birdhouse, you think of a square wooden box with a hole...

Don’t buy, build!

If you can build it yourself, why would you want to buy it? I’ve always gotten “in a mood” whenever my wife would buy something online – whether wooden, or...

On the Fence

The key to good rip cuts is a good rip fence. The Biesemeyer table saw fence is so much a part of the modern shop that the name is almost...

One size fits all?

I’ve been getting into laser engraving and cutting in a big (and small) way. I continue to be impressed by what today’s laser engravers/cutters can do. Chief among them is...

Wood ’n’ nails

As everyone knows, nails are made of metal… except when they aren’t. I enjoy learning about new woodworking technologies, especially when they change my conception of something really basic. For...

Of Myths and Machines

Which is more mythical – a unicorn or a DeWalt band saw? I’ve been asked over the years why some tool manufacturers don’t make certain tools. Mostly, tool companies restrict...

Fashion Statement

Work clothes for men are easy to find. For women? Not so much. Heavy-duty work clothes for men have been around for probably the last century. You can wear any...

Hands-on Heroes

The best way to get kids interested in woodworking? Help them build something. Ask a kid what they want to do when they grow up and you’ll get a hundred...

Fire Proof

Can Lithium-ion batteries really catch fire? A friend of mine proved it beyond a doubt. I’ve never liked the idea of knock-off, counterfeit or no-name tool batteries. Inexpensive, but underpowered...

Beaming with Delight

I love mysteries that involve really old wood. There’s an old farm in Mannheim, Pa., that – like so many farms today – saw its last farming days years ago....

Totally Adorable

What do you look for when buying a tool? I’m guessing the same that I do (along with thousands of other woodworkers). At the top of the list are excellent...

What Goes Around

Ever make something for one purpose, then find a new use for it later? Back in 2018, I did a doll cradle project with 1/2″ oak that I’d milled. The...