As the leaves turn and the nights get cooler, I know woodworking season is approaching. Yes, I do spend as much time in the shop as I can, but the warmer summer months mean mowing, trips to the cabin and preparing my house for the onslaught of Minnesota winter. But once those leaves are raked,…

I recently was struck by a thought while spending some time in Andrew’s workshop: this is genuinely fun. It wasn’t until I was driving home a few hours later that the significance of that thought really hit me in full force. Since becoming a homeowner, my tool purchases have revolved around the home renovation medium,…

Earlier this week, Lee Valley rolled out their new website, and it’s a beauty. They’ve always been a go-to for me for hand tools and hardware. While the previous version of the site functioned well enough, Lee Valley’s new design feels borderline luxurious in comparison. Browsing and search results are driven by images. That’s especially…

Years ago when I was editor at Popular Woodworking, I was interviewed for a job at one of our competitors. During the interview, I experienced one of those fork-in-the-road moments where a single decision will change everything you do for the rest of your life. To set the stage a bit, this happened about 2008….

It’s the easiest question in the world: Who is your favorite woodworker? A fellow craftsman asked me this question earlier this month, and I still don’t have a good answer. I have one easy answer: Dead woodworkers. Charles H. Hayward is my No. 1 hero. He was everything I have ever wanted to be: A…

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…

  A Brief Introduction to Using a CNC for Inlays As a woodworker, my work focuses on two areas: fine art and furniture. In fine art, the emphasis is on sculpture, primarily made from wood. As a designer and furniture maker, rather than designing and building pieces around a client’s ideas and desires, I offer…

Digital woodworking is a bit different than traditional and hybrid woodworking even if the ultimate results are often the same. For one thing, the tools are different. CAD software takes some effort and a commitment to learn. And, then there’s the very different machinery. Though digital woodworkers have some excellent machinery available at various price…

Using digital tools, you can make this handy tool tote in less than an hour. Learn how to build and customize your own tote.