Techniques

  Turned Lidded Box A Precision Fit Lid that Snaps Shut By Alan Lacer Of all the different forms of woodturning, I find the most delight in creating lidded boxes. The satisfying snap of a [...]

Dovetailed Bookcase No screws, no nails—tapered sliding dovetails hold it all together. By Luke Hartle Simple, beautiful, strong. This bookcase is just six boards held together using one [...]

Soup Up Your Shop The right accessories for maximizing your performance and safety. By Dave Munkittrick Here at American Woodworker we see a lot of tools and accessories.We’ve been impressed by [...]

Tune Up an Old Chisel Turn a beater into a razor-sharp tool. By Tom Caspar One of my favorite tools is a legendary Stanley No. 50 chisel. Made in the 1920s, it had seen hard times. Restoring it [...]

Perfect Edge Joints A 6-step tune-up sets your jointer straight. By Dave Munkittrick Purchase the complete version of this woodworking technique story from AWBookstore.com. Jointers are simple [...]

Swedish Wall Shelf By Dave Munkittrick Here’s a charming shelf that’s small enough to fit on any wall and can be built in an afternoon. It makes a great gift and it’s easy to make a bunch all at [...]

When I build a reproduction, I try to remain as faithful as I can to the construction of the original – even if my modern brain says it’s not ideal. The original builder of this early [...]

Lumber Library These books are so easy and fun to make that you’ll want a dozen! By Jock Holmen If you can't stand throwing away good wood, you’ve probably got a stack of short [...]

Simple All-Purpose Shop Cabinets Organize your shop in a weekend, for less than $20 per cabinet! By Jean Bartholome Walk into a typical small cabinet shop, and you’re likely to find simple, [...]

There is a lot of nutty, stupid boasting in our craft. Examples: I can build that highboy in a weekend. I can rip faster than a table saw. I can eat more pies than you. But one of the boasts …

This year’s Woodworking in America was a landmark event for me. After seriously considering getting a set of astronaut diapers last year, this year I got to go to the bathroom twice – twice! – [...]

When I reorganized my shop last Spring, I sold a lot of stuff. I sold so much stuff that I was afraid that I was cutting into the bone. I sold my routers. My router table. My sliding compound [...]