Unlock the Secrets of the 1830s

The 1830s marked one of the pivotal moments in the history of American furniture. As the country took its first steps toward industrializing, tastes in everything , from architecture to...

The Golden Meaningless?

When I first learned about the so-called Golden Mean or Golden Section I was enthralled by the concept. I actually remember the moment. I was in the National Building Museum...

Complete, Utter and Total Fail

Do you like stories about gladiators? How about stories about idiot woodworking editors? This week I was finishing up work on the joined Chinese stool for the cover of the...

Make a Mongrel – In a Weekend!

“The two great truths in the world are the Bible and Grecian architecture.”– Nicholas Biddle (1786 , 1844), president of the Second Bank of the United States Among some historians...

Chris Vesper and the Drop Test

With every project there is always some tool that deserves an Academy Award-style acceptance speech. “In building this chest of drawers I’d like to thank my mom for birthing me,...

Fixing a Naughty Nail

Traditional cut nails can be made from pretty soft steel, especially the useful cut headless brads. As a result, you have to be careful when installing them. Here are some...

How I Fix Blown-out Grain

When making through-mortises by hand, one of the occasional problems is that you get a little mallet happy, you drive the mortise chisel a little too deep and you blow...