I think one of the most rewarding parts of being a woodworker is the creative process. You start with an idea, either a request from someone or just something you want to build. It begins as an image in your head; a table, cabinet or in this case a candle holder. Now that “concept” can…

In the battle against fine dust, Powermatic has delivered an intriguing new option–the PM 1250 Micro Dust AFS–for portable dust filtration.

I am venturing into the world of VFDs for the first time and I think I’m nearly caught up to speed, but would love some input. If you’re not familiar with the term, it stands for variable-frequency drive and it allows you to run 3 phase equipment from a single phase power source. It’s a solution that many enthusiasts of old machinery have adopted to get industrial equipment running in their home shop.

Even if you have a gold-plated fancy-pants laser-guided dovetail saw, you should also own the $15 Zona dovetail saw because it’s so dang cheap and so dang handy for small-scale work. I’ve written a lot about this saw (check this entry for the background and copious links). Bottom line: It’s served me well for years…

Handscrews don’t get enough credit in the shop. This ancient clamp is often neglected in favor of modern clamps. But the handscrew is often the simplest solution to a tricky workholding problem. One of the handscrew’s many charms is that it will clamp to almost anything and keep the piece stable on the floor or…

It’s no secret that I love Benchcrafted products. I recommend their bench vises without any reservations and have them installed on almost all of our workbenches in our workshop. When Benchcrafted released its Hi Vise, I immediately bought the hardware and almost immediately got insanely busy with something else and stashed the hardware away. This…

The Dremel 3D45 is a particularly easy-to-use 3D printer. Read Tim Celeski’s review of the Dremel printer and it’s applications for woodworkers.

Digital woodworkers who use CNCs may not be aware that there are other digital tools they can use. Maybe even some you haven’t considered before. This is because digital tools all need CAD drawings. It’s another bonus you get for learning CAD. Often, these are the same or similar to the CAD drawings you create…

https://youtu.be/evkW6Hqei-0 Video: How I use a grid system to make digital woodworking easier CNCs are wonderful machines. For woodworkers who want to combine traditional woodworking with digital techniques, they can do all kinds of useful tasks. But, they can be challenging tools to master. Certainly, the technology is intimidating for some, but even if it’s…

  The Marc Adams School of Woodworking, located just outside of Indianapolis, IN. celebrates its 25th year. Popular Woodworking video producer David Thiel took the opportunity to sit down with founder Marc Adams to chat about his decision to open a woodworking school. Hear Marc’s eye-opening story on why he became a teacher, rather than…

  Popular Woodworking’s editor Andrew Zoellner talks with Austin, TX arborist Jesse Neumann about the life of urban trees and what Austin is doing to care for them during their lives and afterlives. Tune in and learn more about the urban forest.     The Afterlife of Trees is Popular Woodworking’s podcast for woodworkers, artists…

Skateboarding is a childhood obsession of a few members of the PW team. In this episode of Afterlife of Trees, we talk to a Cincinnati-based custom longboard builders, Jeff Risinger and Val Woodham, whose stunning skateboards are also works of art. We then speak to Martinus Pool of Adrian Martinus Custom Woodworking – artists who…

There are a few drawing tools I find myself using no matter what I’m working on in SketchUp. One of those is the Move tool. It lets me position objects exactly where I want them, but it’s also great for making copies. There are a few ways to copy objects with the Move tool, and…

A student wrote and asked me this paraphrased question: “Can you give me some suggestions for drawing these irregular tenons into the legs? If the mortises were rectangular I would simply use the Rectangle tool to trace one onto the face of the leg and Push/Pull it to depth.” I exaggerated his tenon in the…

Whenever I take on a new cabinet or built-in project, I like to model it in SketchUp. I sometimes have trouble visualizing how things are going to fit together, and an accurate 3D model helps me think through a project thoroughly before I start. Often, I like to go even further with a model, using it to…