Shop Blog

Roy Underhill looks over the rim of his beer at the City Tap – the bar behind his woodworking school – and asks me the following left-field-what-are-you-doing-inside-my-skull question. “You built...

I believe I’ve mentioned previously my problems with parsimony. Now, my penny-pinching ways have led to an embarrassing predicament. (And that’s quite enough alliteration for one [...]

After my gruesome dovetails of the day before (no, I don’t have any photos), I hoped I was done with disasters for the week in the class at the Marc...

Free-Form Wall Shelves By John Nesset Here are versatile shelves that allow for creative, one-of-a-kind edge treatments. Hung on the wall without any visible means of support, these shelves are...

Giant Shop Cabinet Organize tons and tons of woodworking supplies with room to spare. By Tim Johnson If your workshop seems cluttered and your workbench is always covered with stuff,...

Today my worst nightmare as a teacher came true during a dovetail demonstration. As I knocked together the components of the joint under the watchful eyes of 18 students and...

PEOPLE STILL SEE ME AS MAD….  SOME CAN NOT SEE FURTHER THAN THEIR OWN NOSE….WAS TOLD ITS ONLY GOOD FOR FIRE WOOD??? MAYBE IN THEIR EYES…BUT THROUGH MINE I SEE A...

When I call my students “maggots,” I do it in only the kindest, most loving way possible. After all, most of them are at the very beginning of their journey...

Kitchen Work Table A perfect fit for that small space in your kitchen. Edited by Tim Johnson Here’s a compact work table that you could tuck away in a corner...

Every time I write about a new product (such as the new “Sharpen Your Handsaws” DVD from Ron Herman), a day or two later, I remember something about which I...

When I teach a class on sawing by hand, some students seem bewildered by how much work we do with planes and chisels. When I teach a class on planes,...

Iron Out Those Dents Here’s a classic tip that everyone should know: It’s not hard to make a dent in wood and fortunately, it’s not hard to get one out,...