The PWM Shop Blog (formerly called the Editors’ Blog) is your reliable source of woodworking information, videos and advice from seasoned woodworkers, and the best place to learn the latest happenings in the woodworking industry and the woodworking online community.
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Every year I recommend one tool that is a bit spendier than the rest, and this year it is the Lie-Nielsen Honing Guide. Thomas Lie-Nielsen first showed me the prototypes...
During the last few years as I have turned my back on finishes with lots of volatile organic compounds, I’ve begun looking for traditional high-quality finishes that won’t shorten my...
Good nails have been used in fine furniture for centuries. But during the last 100 years, nails have earned a bad reputation among furniture makers. That’s because good nails (cut...
This year I have experimented a lot with using a soap finish on chairs and tables. Soap is a traditional Danish finish used on furniture and floors. It’s easy to...
After 20 years, I finally wore out my grandfather’s Japanese-made trammel points. They were things of beauty, but the micro-adjustable friction mechanism began to slip and nothing could be done...
If you use only hand tools, this isn’t going to interest you much. If you use machines, read carefully. Lubrication makes a huge difference when you work alone. Moving heavy...
I promise this is not an all-Starrett Christmas. Truth is (I hate to say) the last few things I’ve bought new from Starrett have been disappointing (especially a small pair...
When I started seriously into building campaign furniture, I found that I was driving hundreds (no lie) of screws each week when building a typical piece with all the brass...
Every woodworker needs an oily rag to wipe down tools after sharpening or use. For years I used a bit of an old sweatshirt until it fell apart. Now I...
Earlier this afternoon, Christopher Schwarz (contributing editor to Popular Woodworking Magazine and editor at Lost Art Press), Andy Brownell (Brownell Furniture) and I were on WVXU’s [...]
I don’t think that there is a more reputable furniture artist, teacher and designer who is still actively producing masterpieces than Wendell Castle. Castle, who is now in his 80s,...