17 Router Tips
A router can be one of the most versatile tools in your shop. We've brought together a few of our favorite tips and tricks to help you get the most out of your router.
Veritas Small Scraping Plane
Tool: Small Scraping Plane Buy Now Manufacturer: Veritas MSRP: $139 Sometimes a wood’s grain direction is so unruly that planing just gets you in trouble–tearout is [...]
Practical Paraffin
Ordinary paraffin canning wax has dozens of uses in my shop. It’s cheap at a few bucks a pound, available at any grocery store, and easy to cut into small chunks. Unlike candle wax, which often [...]
Framed Top
Transform a plain top into a stylish surface Here’s one technique every budding furnituremaker should know: how to make a framed top. A mitered frame adds a polished, professional look to a [...]
17 Tips for Sharpening
Understanding the Why is just as important as the How. Hand tools are a pleasure to use-if they’re sharp. Once you have a sharp tool in your hands, you’ll begin to realize why some [...]
Routing for Oval Inlay
Get a perfect fit using a shop-made jig. Oval and circular inlays are a time-honored method of adding class to a project, such as the top of a jewelry box. It’s an interesting challenge to [...]
Knockdown Trestle Sawhorses
Simple design. Sturdy construction. Every shop needs a pair of trusty sawhorses. I like ones that are easy to build and easy to store away. These sawhorses definitely fit that bill, and nest [...]
Powermatic Muscle Machine
Tool: Powermatic 15HH Manufacturer: Powermatic MSRP: $3199 A powerful planer gets the job done much faster. Remember the ’65 Ford Thunderbolt? The ’67 Olds Cutlass? The ’69 [...]
Self-Storing Glue Kit
Self-Storing Glue Kit Gluing up a project can turn ugly in a hurry if you don’t have all your supplies on hand. I put together a kit that contains everything I need: a small white-nylon [...]
10 Tips for Working With End Grain
A Backer Board Prevents Chip-Out Chip-out is always an issue when you even up the stiles and rails of a door with a plane. If you plane all the way across the door, from one end to the other, [...]
4-Tier Knife Block
A knife block is one of the most convenient—and safest—devices to store kitchen knives. Most knife blocks are large chunks of wood composed of a dozen or more pieces laminated together. [...]
How to Make a Cabinet Door
When you learn how to make cabinet doors, you will have mastered one of the basic skills in woodworking. Doors come in many variations—some have molded edges, arched tops or raised solid-wood [...]
