Mackintosh Tea Table
Art Nouveau meets Arts & Crafts in this oval-topped piece. Although he died in poverty, the Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s furniture now sells for tens of thousands of dollars [...]
A Garage Shop Lights Upgrade
Like many North American woodworkers, my shop is located in our two-car garage underneath the house. Most garages include two ceiling-mount bulb fixtures that accept a regular light bulb. While [...]
Carving Spanish Feet
A Delaware Valley foot and a Pennsylvania ring-and-vase turning combine to develop a period-style design. Years ago, when I first began my business as a period furniture maker, a close friend and [...]
Colonial Bench
Splayed legs add stability indoors or out. I demonstrate Windsor chair-making at the Common Ground Country Fair in Unity, Maine, an event that celebrates traditional crafts of all kinds. There’s [...]
A Simple Solution for Marking Leg Length in Stool and Table Making
When I first started teaching the 8th-grade stool-making class, I needed to find an easy method for my students to mark the leg length accurately before trimming them to a parallel surface with [...]
Crazy Susan
Make a Sherpa of a dining table centerpiece that goes the distance. The modest Lazy Susan is a staple on circular dining tables. Everyone can reach out and activate its convenient, if sluggish, [...]
Roubo’s Press Vise
This centuries-old device is effective in use and simple to make. In my early years as a woodworker I was prejudiced against veneer – but experience has mellowed my opinion; I’ve realized [...]
Mini Curio Cabinet
This small-scale curio cabinet is the perfect size to sit on a shelf, or in a bookcase. Project #2222 • Skill Level: Intermediate • Time: 3 Days • Cost: $200 If you’re like me, you spent your [...]
An Exercise in Repurposing and Design, Part 2
After considering various design options, including a grooved-around lid inspired by art deco designs and reminiscent of one of my favorite industrial objects—the high voltage glass and porcelain [...]
Restore a Round Oak Table
Thoughtful finishing and new leaves prepare this classic for the next 100 years. This old table looks like a prime candidate for refinishing. Scrub off the old finish, sand out all the dings and [...]
Limbert Side Chair
Build this timeless chair with modern methods. When I was 17 years old, my family had an old craftsman style armchair that we’d inherited years earlier. It was an antique chair with solid bones [...]
Reading Glasses Case
Protect your “cheaters” in style. Sooner or later everyone’s eyes need a little help—especially for reading or close work. One popular solution is to buy a pair of “cheaters,” those stylish [...]
