Below you’ll find smart woodworking techniques including quick tips, advice for beginners and more advanced methods to improve your skills and allow you to get the most out of your workshop and tools. Whether you’re looking for traditional woodworking techniques using hand tools or power tools, finishing or sharpening advice, or just want to hone your woodworking basics, the advice below is from seasoned and trusted woodworkers and furniture makers working at the top of their field.
Easier Resawing I'm stuck with a wimpy 1/2 hp bandsaw that stalled whenever I tried to resaw anything tall. Then my neighbor turned me on to a technique that solved my problem. I pre-cut a [...]
I have long awaited this first major release of SketchUp from Trimble. SketchUp 8 was a major release under Trimble, but very shortly after they acquired SketchUp, so I can…
Q & A: Clean Up Squeeze Out Q: I saw one of those woodworking wizards on television the other day. As I watched the guy build a three-day project in 30 minutes, I noticed he washed off glue [...]
A Bead in any Board Click any image to view a larger version. I wanted an antique beadboard look for my cabinet doors, but stock beadboard didn’t work out with my door size. Here’s what I came up [...]
Bevel Gauge For years I ground a way-too-shallow edge on my favorite chisel. It wouldn't hold up worth beans, so I dug through the junk drawer for something I could make a bevel gauge out of. [...]
Bob Lang goes over the details of the new release of Sketch 2013, shows the new features and explains the difference between the free SketchUp Make and SketchUp Pro
In this fourth and final part of The Dough Box, I add the lid and lid trim to complete the model. Than I discuss some of the strange issues surrounding compound angles. Along the way I introduce [...]
Q & A: Sanding Scratches Revealed 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? [...]
Rubber Band Veneer Clamp I had tried everything to successfully glue veneer on curved surfaces: cauls, three-way clamps, string and tape, you name it. Nothing ever worked as well as this homespun [...]
Q: I’ve got an old plane that my grandfather left me. I’d like to use it, but its cutting iron is really rusty. Do I need to buy a new one? A: Don’t throw away that iron yet. Flattening the …
Are you a tails or pins first kind of woodworker? If you want to start the woodworker’s equivalent of a bar fight, simply blurt out in a crowd of woodworkers that the best way to cut [...]
When it comes time to make mouldings with SketchUp, many woodworkers struggle. They get the hang of making each piece a component, and figure out that a moulding is simply an extruded face. Where [...]