Five Persimmons #12

After cutting my 86th carcase dovetail in two days I was pretty much on auto-pilot and oblivious to external stimuli. How oblivious? Apparently I busted a knuckle and left this nice smear on my [...]

Thanks, Mr. Dead Guy

I don’t get to read much fiction anymore, but I do read old woodworking books almost every night (last night I finished the potboiler “Cabinet Construction” (1937) edited by the great J.C.S. [...]

Stanley’s New 750 Chisels Have Landed

After a number of delays and revisions, Stanley has released its long-awaited line of 750 series of chisels for woodworking. One of the first sets arrived on my desk on Monday, and I’ve [...]

Knew Concepts Fretsaws Approach Perfection

I’m just about the last hand-tool blogger/forum gadfly to write about the Knew Concepts fretsaws, which have recently made the evolutionary leap from the world of jewelers to that of woodworkers. [...]

Get Started in Hand Tool Woodworking

Every week I get asked where to begin when trying to become a hand-tool woodworker. The snarky answer is, “I have no idea because I did it the wrong way.” There are as many different paths to [...]

I Judge Your Grammar to be…

… pitiable, wanting, shoddy and shabby. Well I guess she got the job. — Christopher Schwarz P.S. Paybacks stink. And thanks to Kari Hultman for the excellent pixel massage.…

Is Megan a Supreme Woodworker?

This week Megan Fitzpatrick, our managing editor, is in Washington, D.C., to allegedly visit her mother and fix stuff around her mom’s house. But this morning my boss, Steve Shanesy, may have [...]

Darwin, Roubo and a Sickening Sound

When I first started working here at the magazine we actually had time to go out for lunch each week (we now eat at our desks), and one day after eating at a Thai restaurant we wandered into a [...]

3 Spaces Left in the Sawing Class

There are three spots still open in the “precision sawing” class I’m teaching at Roy Underhill’s school this summer – July 18-20. The classes I teach at The Woodwright’s School are a lot of fun [...]