Shop Blog

Learning to make your own hand tools can be intimidating. There’s a whole body of knowledge associated with making various tools, from smoothing planes to travishers to bowsaws. Each requires...

I need to cover a few CNC basics so, bear with me. There’s a big payoff coming. Most current CNCs have a startup routine where the machine goes to the...

Last week the woodworking community lost one of its giants. Jennie Alexander (1930-2018) passed away in Baltimore, where she lived and worked as a jazz musician, attorney and revolutionary [...]

This is not a movie review site, but I wanted to share a short take on Nick Offerman’s new movie, Hearts Beat Loud. As many of you know, Nick is...

July 4, 2018 Instead of planning a day off today, I filled my schedule with business-related meetings. I’m facing too many deadlines over the coming weeks, trying to slot myself...

Four guys, three dogs and 10,000 sq. ft of entrepreneurial spirit. The Urbn Timber crew in Columbus, Ohio, has a lot going on. They recently moved into a new workshop,...

Once the boat’s hull was completed (read part 1), Thano turned to work on lowering the surface of the deck. First, and with the help of our dent-inhibiting Homasote liners,...

I am fond of using acid brushes – sometimes called “flux brushes” – for spreading glue. And I have used the same acid brush for more than five years of...

Sharp tools are essential to doing good work, but when I was getting into woodworking, I didn’t really know where to start. And I was scared of ruining chisels and...

My girlfriend and I closed on our first house at the beginning of July, so we’ve been busy packing up our worldly possessions, moving and planning. While the house is...

Like pocket screws, traditional pinch dogs are a great way to join odd assemblies or to use them in conjunction with clamps. A typical use is to drive them into...

Thanks to Popular Woodworking and Lost Art Press, many people are familiar with my last book, Making Things Work. In fact, Popular Woodworking’s store was the first business that ordered...