Beadlock Pro Joinery Kit
b Tool: Beadlock Pro Manufacturer: Rockler MSRP: $149.99 I looked to the Beadlock Pro recently when I found myself needing four loose-tenon joints for a project – I wanted an economic but quick [...]
Tool Test: Bosch Cordless Palm Edge Router
Tool: 12V Max EC Brushless Palm Edge Router Manufacturer: Bosch MSRP: $149 (bare tool) There’s something to be said about the form of a tool that impacts your desire to pick it up and use it – [...]
Our Favorite Router Tips and Tricks
Rarely a day goes by when we aren’t using a router for some aspect of a project. We’ve been building all kinds of jigs and trying new ideas (and ideas recently unearthed from our archives). A …
Perfect Pilot Hole Trick
Too many times we look for complex solutions when the answer is right in front of our eyes. This is an old trick, but a good one – drilling pilot holes for nails using the nail itself. It works [...]
Using Milk Paint in Woodworking
Apply layers of milk paint to add depth and contrast to your work. A visitor asked, “Paint over wood? Aren’t you obscuring wood’s natural beauty?” There are two assumptions behind these [...]
Shop Organization For Fasteners
Here is a handy, inexpensive way to organize your shop screws and other small bits of hardware. I cut an old section of black PVC pipe lengthwise down the middle, then into sections to fit my [...]
Protect Your Hands From Chisel Lands
Many new chisels, especially most premium-quality chisels, have sharp lands (the beveled side edges). Some people wear cotton gloves to protect their hands when using these, but I don’t like the [...]
A Father’s Legacy
Christmas, 1956. I was a little fella, and my seeing the Tonka Hi-Way series display in the W.T. Grant store months earlier had captured my entire attention. In my letter to Santa, I asked for [...]
Elegant Tabletop Fasteners
On my best work, I want the bottom of my project to look as good as the top. That’s when I make an old-fashioned set of wooden tabletop fasteners, or “buttons,” rather than use the modern [...]
Dust Collection for Ports of All Sizes
I made this adapter to hook up dust collection to the odd-size fitting (2″) on my oscillating sander. Start with a hardwood block that is (in my case) is 3″ x 4″ x 1 1⁄4” [...]
Arbortech Contour Random Sander
Tool: Contour Sander Manufacturer: Arbortech MSRP: $79 I’ve been building a stacked-lamination piece with plenty of concave and convex curves that require a good deal of sanding. Arbortech’s new [...]
Why I Love Ikea
Lessons from a big box guide my approach to woodworking. I love Ikea. Yes, I said it. This store has provided me with an understanding of furniture design and with products I use on many of my [...]
