Shop Blog

Water causes wood to swell, so most people think that wetting one side and not the other will cause the wetted side to bow – that is, increase in width...

I cut my first dovetail in 1993 and that was also the first day I learned to use a marking gauge. The instructor didn’t tell me how to use it,...

A smooth feel is critical when judging the quality of a finish. It’s natural for people to run their hand over a finish, feel dust nibs and say, “This is...

There’s a lot going on in the photo above that’s important when making casework. I have two case sides for a chest clamped together before dovetailing them. Here is a...

David Marks wrote the step-by-step photo feature below detailing the build process of his bentwood laminated lamp. His “Woodworks” Seasons 4-6 Collection has just been released on [...]

More than five years ago I built myself a full-size 18th-century style tool chest to replace the beat up blue one I’d been using since 1997 or so. That new...

When I first began teaching at our school, I noticed that many of the rasps and files our students were using had a gooey buildup of masking tape around their tips....

In my introductory blog post, I mentioned that there are a lot of fascinating advances being made in the coatings industry. This one may top the list. Most of us...

When I was offered the job at Popular Woodworking Magazine, the first thing my friends asked me was, “Do you get to meet Roy Underhill from “‘The Woodwright’s Shop’?” There...

Tool storage – is it the most controversial subject in the craft? People have debated it. Great books have been dedicated to it. Philosophies have developed and wars fought over...

  My workbench project is now underway, but I’m going to avoid showing any detail or videos on the build process until it’s finished. However, I will be posting some...

There’s more than one way to make backs for frameless cabinets. Here’s how to choose the method that’s right for your project. Think about how many materials you want to use for...