Techniques

With a couple simple techniques you’ll augment your design skills and flexibility. What woodworker hasn’t dreamed of wielding sharp gouges and chisels, effortlessly transforming a giant, lifeless [...]

When you slide open a small drawer that fits nice and tight, it’s a pleasure to see well-crafted joints.  Small, handcut dovetails answer well, but sawing and chopping them requires a lot [...]

For many woodturning operations, a chuck performs the essential job of holding the work securely and safely. These operations often present unique requirements, so a dizzying array of [...]

When I was a kid, the first saw I bought was a Craftsman coping saw with a chrome frame and red-stained handle. For years I did everything with that saw – crosscuts, rips, curves and even joints. [...]

Tips and techniques for beautiful bowties Furniture made from thick wood slabs, with gorgeous grain and natural edges, at once rustic and refined, has remained popular ever since George Nakashima [...]

With a router, straight bit and plywood scrap, turn a weak joint into a superhero of strength. One of the strongest joints in woodworking is a properly fit mortise-and-tenon and the opposite in [...]

Universal Drawer Holder When I make dovetailed drawers, I usually plane the sides to even up the joints and fine-tune the drawer’s fit. Years ago, I found that you can’t accurately [...]

A Backer Board Prevents Chip-Out Chip-out is always an issue when you even up the stiles and rails of a door with a plane. If you plane all the way across the door, from one end to the other, [...]

A trip to the hardware store yields clamps that put the bend in inlay. Inlaid bandings are a time-honored technique to embellish furniture, as are curves. Combining the two is surely a way to [...]

  Discover how and why this age-old hide glue technique works – and works best. One of the great hurdles for many woodworkers new to traditional craftsmanship is applying veneers to a wooden [...]

Choosing and using this must-have measuring and layout tool. In 1878, Laroy S. Starrett designed and patented the combination square. His invention was a multi-purpose layout and measuring tool [...]

Everything you always wanted to know about screws, but were afraid to ask. Many of the tools and fasteners we use in woodworking have been around for thousands of years. The concept of the screw [...]