For Accurate & Heavy Sawing, Try a ‘Shangie’
One of the great joys of reading old woodworking magazines is that they includes lots of tidbits that aren’t in old woodworking books – such as the one I found last night about the “Shangie.” [...]
Rethinking the Traditional Tool Chest
When it comes to most things in woodworking, I’m an easy-going guy. But not with tool chests. I’m OK if you make your sliding dovetails with a router. I’m just Jim Dandy if you sand, scrape or [...]
Doesn’t that Interfere With Finishing?
The answer is “no.” What’s the question? “Doesn’t (oil, tallow, paraffin, beeswax, snake squeezins, earwax, monkey fat) interfere with finishing?” Still, the answer is “no” – unless you are using [...]
My Benchcrafted Moxon Vise
Perhaps I should be the last person to buy a Moxon-style vise kit from Benchcrafted. After all, I’ve built six of these highly functional vises for myself and friends – not to mention all the [...]
Beware the Oilcan Gussiers
Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to alert you to a new threat to the craft of woodworking we love so well. They are not as canvas- and perspective-deprived as the dreaded saw painters. Nor are [...]
Psst, Hey Troublemaker. Wanna Buy a Book?
I am pleased to announce that ShopWoodworking.com now sells “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest,” a book that took me two years to write. And the process of writing this book so changed my perspective on [...]
Tool Chests for Ladies & Gentlemen
Though I like to work out of a full-size tool chest (38” x 24” x 24”), it’s obvious that a chest like that would be too big for a job-site carpenter or for someone who needs to do only household [...]
Losing my Neanderthal Union Card
Grab your torch and pitchfork, people. Though I am a big fan of handwork, traditional construction methods and old stuff in general, I am a slave to modern spray finishing methods. I first [...]
Video: Pegging for Destruction
When I build a reproduction, I try to remain as faithful as I can to the construction of the original – even if my modern brain says it’s not ideal. The original builder of this early [...]
Mouldings in Real Time
There is a lot of nutty, stupid boasting in our craft. Examples: I can build that highboy in a weekend. I can rip faster than a table saw. I can eat more pies than you. But one of the boasts …
Je m’excuse, Monsieur Auriou
This year’s Woodworking in America was a landmark event for me. After seriously considering getting a set of astronaut diapers last year, this year I got to go to the bathroom twice – twice! – [...]
Time to Grow Up
“Now,” said John, “we will put the work away for today.” “Why, I am not tired,” said Benny. “Neither am I,” said John; “but uncle Edward said, that, if we meant to make a good job of it, we must [...]
