Shop Blog

I have to admit it – I’m having a rough time in this relatively new job. Not my actual work duties, but figuring out what new technique or project I...

While putting a new tool through its paces for a future review, I was reminded just how important the basics are and what a fine job a regular bench plane...

Ah, the glamour of being on camera. The trailer with your name on the door…M&Ms separated by color to meet your needs…people hustling around to keep you happy and hydrated....

The following blog entry might seem snarky. I assure you it is not. I’m interested in what impresses people when they view a piece of furniture. In fact, when a...

I had the pleasure of chatting with Daniel Carter and Lance Granum a few weeks ago for a  This Old Workshop podcast; it seems I talk too much, because they’ve...

One of the things I enjoy in life is the experience of the under promise and the over delivery. I bought “Is It Genuine” (1971) while searching for good information...

The shop at Popular Woodworking has been a bit of an embarrassment for the, oh, last year or so. We’ve made a desultory effort now and again to whip things...

If you haven’t figured it out, I’m wary of tool reviews in magazines or online. With rare exception they are uninformed or (worse) misguided. And believe me: I am the...

I found myself reviewing future projects that I want to do and on so many I’ve found some woodturning is. That’s an issue for me, I don’t own a lathe...

There are lots of ways to get around not having a sliding deadman – sometimes called a “board jack” – on your workbench. For the last 15 months I have...

I’ve been in the shop for about two hours this morning and the first task I faced was clearing out a jammed dust-collection pipe above the jointer. A dirty, dusty...

As many of you correctly guessed, Woodworking in America 2015 will be in downtown Kansas City, Mo., Sept 25-27. The main venue is the Crown Center. Stay tuned for more!...