Thick-Skinned varnish

One thing you can count on when you save a half-used can of varnish is that the contents will be skinned-over the next time you open the can. When this happens, don't gnash your teeth; the [...]

Tidy Stripping

When stripping a chair or table, place each leg in a coffee can. Any excess stripper drips right in, and when you take off the finish, you can simply push your scraper down the length of the leg. [...]

Authentic Arts & Crafts Finish

Editor’s note: In the Summer 2008 issue we promised to reprint our article on an “Authentic Arts & Crafts Finish” from 2007. We just noticed that we neglected to post the [...]

Why We Hate Paint

Yesterday I finished up work on the dry sink that is the cover project for the Spring 2009 issue of Woodworking Magazine (Issue 13). As always, the finishing part of the project was as much an [...]

Nothing Magic About My Rag

Sometime back in 1996 I took a piece of cloth that was cast off from my wardrobe. I cannot remember what the garment was. A sweatshirt perhaps? Long underwear? It’s a bit stretchy. And I [...]

Pumpkin Pine, Like Ted Turner Would Love

Reader Greg Peel writes: I’m glad to see that the latest issue of Woodworking Magazine is a great one like the others. I was wondering if there is color picture of the pumpkin pine samples [...]

Like Making Sausage

Someone once told me that woodworkers cannot talk to other woodworkers without using their hands to explain things. And that’s true. But I’d like to amend that aphorism to say that [...]

Spraying Finishing and Bad Habits

It’s lunchtime, but as I gaze into the fridge the only thing that looks good to me is a beer. I reach for the yogurt, but I almost change direction and grab the bottle of Fat Tire on the [...]