Shop Blog

Yesterday, I was finishing up the milling of my workbench legs. The stock was originally 8″in diameter by 8′ long. I had salvaged four posts from an old mill in...

BANDSAW MAGIC ,WHAT DID YOU DO WITH YOUR 4X4 INCH PINE CUBES. ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE IF YOU PUT YOUR MIND TO IT..??? REMEMBER THE TRADE??  PLUMBERS /PLASTERERS/DRY LINERS/ELECTRICIANS [...]

It’s time to reveal a dirty little secret of teaching woodworking classes. Are you ready? I don’t care. Here we go. You have to whip the students mercilessly in the...

It’s been years (actually more like two decades) since I last used a vacuum press during my days in a commercial shop. My recollection is that it was a cumbersome...

I’ve told this story to many woodworkers, but I have yet to post it in a blog. One day before Dad passed, he called me to complain that he was...

Cherry Pie Safe This versatile classic goes together fast with biscuits. By Dave Munkittrick and Bruce Kieffer Pie safes like this one were once commonplace. The pierced-tin panels kept insects...

Aged Cherry Finish Wipe on years of age in a few easy steps. By Tim Johnson If you want to make a woodworker gnash his teeth, ask him to make...

Sometimes a piece of paper or computer won’t do when it comes to fleshing out a design idea. I was revisiting a design sketch from years ago and I was...

Figured Cherry Spectacular wood and where to get it. By Dave Munkittrick Nature truly is the greatest artist and figured cherry is living proof. If you’ve ever admired the fluid...

A few years ago, after my grandfather’s death, I inherited a couple boxes of his tools (he’d trained in high school as a cabinetmaker). His jointer plane is in my...

My diligent student Canaan, AKA Shibo, finished his boat. We added a cannon (or a water gun for my pacifist friends) and installed a water jet engine. The water jets...

I don’t know if there were ever guinea pigs in Europe, but now there are 11 of them. This week I am teaching a class in building the traditional tool...