Techniques

A thickness tester makes plywood joinery easy, accurate and predictable. Digital woodworker Tim Celeski shows you how to make your own.

French polish adds extraordinary depth to gorgeous wood. This finish is perfect for bowls, vessels, lamps and other turnings that aren’t handled often or are exposed to moisture, alcohol or heat.

Like Kleenex, which is just one brand in the tissue category, some finishing products are known just by their brand name, not by what they are. This leaves room for misunderstanding. Watco, [...]

In the course of a recent kitchen job, Nancy Hiller is faced with a challenge: refacing tilt-out storage drawers, with the sink still in place.

Milk paint has a long history and it continues to be used and enjoyed by woodworkers to this day. However, what you see is not always what you get.

Hand tools are a pleasure to use–if they’re sharp. Brush up on your sharpening knowledge and get the most out of your tools.

Though it’s more work, the advantage of dissolving flakes is to ensure the shellac you use is fresh. The fresher the dissolved shellac, the quicker it hardens and the more water-resistant the [...]

If you want to refinish your kitchen cabinets with milk paint, you should take heed of this advice.

We have all seen them: those chisel handles that have crumbled from years of use. Here's how to easily restore those handles to their former glory.

Benchtop mortising machines aren’t the only option when it comes to cutting square-shouldered mortises. A drill-press mortising attachment can be just as effective and it costs a lot less.

A trip to a professional upholstery shop yields valuable lessons in prototyping furniture and more.

Sometimes it's impossible to find the right hardware for a piece. That's when I turn to metalsmith Adam Nahas, who fabricates custom hardware.