Techniques

If you’ve been following Popular Woodworking’s Facebook page over the past week, you’ve probably seen some of my posts and wondered who this Nick guy is. I joined the company in November of 2014, [...]

Q: Argh! I broke off a brass screw while installing a small hinge. Can I get it out? A: Join the club! Every woodworker has faced this problem. The best answer is to drill around the screw with a [...]

Q: What’s the right fit between a mortise and a tenon? I’m going crazy trying to measure them with a dial caliper! A: You’re not alone. This question has bugged just about every woodworker, but [...]

Q: Can I cut aluminum with my chop saw? A: Yes. Most carbide blades work fine for occasionally cutting aluminum, but we recommend using a special, non-ferrous metal-cutting blade if you cut a lot [...]

Q: My set of Norton waterstones has recently developed two problems. First, a brownish stain appears when I sharpen my chisels and plane irons. Could this be rust? My second problem is mold, [...]

Q: Help! The junk drawer in our kitchen is out of control! I have trouble finding anything in there. Is there a simple way to add dividers to my kitchen drawers without taking them apart? A: You [...]

Q: I have to match an old stain. I’ve come pretty close with a new stain I bought at the hardware store, but it’s not good enough. Is there a way I can tint the stain? A: There are several …

Many shop-made workholding devices for hand tools can be fairly crude, made quickly from scraps. Shooting boards aren’t like that. They’re precision instruments, and need to be made [...]

Q: What can I do to see sanding scratches before I apply stain? I always miss some of them until it’s too late. A: Doesn’t that drive you crazy? Just when you should be home free, wham! Now [...]

Building on the firm base of skills and techniques in Working Wood 1&2, Simon James guides woodworkers in this book and the accompanying DVDs through a feast of new methods, a myriad of jigs [...]

When you decide to clean out a workshop cabinet, clear the underside of your workbench, or rearrange a tool cabinet, things can get quite a bit messier before they get better. It can be [...]

At the end of the workday, what you do with your partially-assembled projects, parts and pieces will determine how quickly and accurately you can get started the next time you get back to the [...]