Bit By Bit
If it were up to me, I’d be able to divide myself into two parts. Editor’s note: this article appeared in the April 2020 issue of Popular Woodworking One would focus on my family, health, [...]
GUSTAV STICKLEY: AMERICAN CRAFTSMAN – a Delightful Documentary by Herb Stratford
Gustav Stickley is perhaps the most nationally and internationally-recognized name among American furniture designers and manufacturers. His seminal contribution to the rise of the American Arts [...]
Sowing the Seeds of Woodworking, Part 2: How to Create Fast and Efficient Multiples.
Read part 1 here. While thinking about ways to manufacture the butter knives fast and efficiently, and also to maximize the use of wood and avoid waste as much as possible, I came up with a [...]
Sowing the Seeds of Woodworking
My first time teaching woodworking to a group of toddlers took place almost two years ago. This opportunity to introduce the craft of wood to what is by far the youngest crowd I have ever taught [...]
Planting Trees
This piece originally appeared in the November 2020 issue of Popular Woodworking As I write this, I’m sitting in my basement (“home office”) in Minneapolis, a few days after my 35th birthday. [...]
Joyners vs. Carpenters, 1631
Period woodworking trades in London were strictly regulated. I’ve temporarily put down my 5⁄16” joiner’s mortising chisel in favor of a 2″ chisel for chopping carpenter’s mortises. [...]
Carpenters’ Work
Early modern records show guild regulations in London. Early 17th-century London tradesmen were protective about their work, carefully keeping an eye on any interlopers to their craft. A dispute [...]
Our Top 10 Articles of 2020
Well, it’s certainly been a year, that’s for sure. As we close the door on a tumultuous 2020, let’s look back and see the woodworking projects and stories that inspired you in [...]
The Great Lumber Purge of 2020
I’ve always aspired to be one of those handymen who has every tool for every job, enough knowledge to handle any repair, and just the right piece of scrap lumber on hand for every single [...]
Working on Woodworking in America
One of our goals for this year is reviving Woodworking in America. We’re working on what Popular Woodworking’s flagship event (Woodworking in America) is going to look like going [...]
What Happens Next is Everything
Three weeks ago, Minneapolis police officers killed George Floyd. Outrage over his death sparked protests around Minneapolis and throughout the world. As a resident of Minneapolis, it feels like [...]
Lighting Matters
Raking light through windows is the clear winner in a hand-tool shop. In 2007, I was a speaker at Colonial Williamsburg’s Furniture Forum, and there I met Adam Cherubini. He was in costume in the [...]
