Techniques

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...

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...

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...

To join veneer edges together, they need to be straight and true – just like when gluing up solid lumber. Gaps are not allowed. Granted, veneer edges are not glued...

Extending Dining Table Storing the leaves is a snap–they tuck away under the top. By Joe Gohman Have you ever seen wood glow? That’s what happened when I finished this...

Two-Part Bookcase Here's a big bookcase that you can build in a small shop. By Tom Caspar Building a tall bookcase can stretch the limits of a small shop. We...

Making woodworking tools doesn’t interest me as much as making furniture, but my recent encounter with Henry O. Studley’s tool chest has me eyeing the metals section of the  McMaster-Carr...

Exotic woods don’t blow my skirt/kilt/skort up much. In small doses they can look beautiful, but for the most part I find them oily, difficult to work and far too...

The Consumer Product Safety Commission will be accepting public comments on a proposed rule to improve table saw safety. Comments will not be accepted by e-mail, but will be accepted...

Precise Hand-Cut Dovetails A new approach to half-blind dovetails guarantees a precision fit. By Tom Caspar Purchase the complete version of this woodworking technique story from AWBookstore.com. [...]

Floating Shelves Torsion-box construction creates sag-proof shelves that "defy" gravity. By Tim Johnson Some time ago, an Ace Hardware ad in American Woodworker sparked a surprising [...]

When I inspect an antique tool – especially one that hasn’t been messed with much – I always take a look at the cutting edge. How was it sharpened? What...