Woodworking 101: Basic Sharpening
Sharpen a Plane Blade There are many ways to sharpen plane blades, and woodworkers have strong opinions on the best technique. Here is a simple, reliable method to achieve a sharp edge. It takes [...]
Campaign Chests on a Budget
When I had a bunch of woodworkers over to my house recently, they spent some time looking over the Campaign chest I finished recently for an upcoming issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine. Their [...]
Exploit the Weakness of the Tree
In hand-tool woodworking, brains almost always trump brawn. For example, when I need to remove a lot of material from a localized area, I need to think like a tree assassin and exploit its [...]
Cut Rabbets by Hand
Even if I have an entire shop filled with power equipment, I like to cut my rabbets by hand. Why? It’s fast and fun. Once you master a rabbet plane or a moving fillister plane, your router table [...]
Favorite Table Saw Push Stick
The push stick you use with your table saw is an integral part of the safety system that helps keep you out of harm’s way. As such, don’t take the lowly push stick for granted. There [...]
Correct the Skew on a Plane Blade or Chisel
Some woodworkers would rather stick their hand into a running disposal while naked than turn on a dry grinder. So when they need to correct the skew angle on a skewed plane iron or skewed chisel [...]
Tune up a Hand Drill in 30 Minutes
Vintage hand drills – sometimes called “eggbeater drills” – are common, useful and easy to fix up using stuff you already own. You can buy hand drills all day long on eBay and never deplete the [...]
Repair a Shattered Sharpening Stone
A couple weekends ago I did a clumsy thing in front of an audience: I dropped my expensive 5,000-grit waterstone on the floor where it broke into three jagged chunks. Someone in the audience [...]
Spalted Wood
Spalted Wood By Alan Lacer When wood is captured somewhere between the extremes of being completely sound and fully rotten, it can display magnificent beauty. The discoloration, prominent black [...]
Cutting Tenons on a Table Saw
I’ve long been a fan of cutting tenons on the table saw. I’ve found it can be done quickly, with repeatable accuracy and safely. Recently, I discovered a new saw blade with a thick, [...]
Get Lubed Up in 19th-century Style
Ever since Roy Underhill wrote about the joys of mutton tallow as a tool lubricant in Popular Woodworking Magazine in the August 2010 issue, readers have been asking where to purchase the stuff. [...]
New: ‘Mastering Hand Tools: Basic Skills for Balanced Woodworking’
If you read this blog, you are probably interested in hand tools. And if you are at the beginning of your journey, this blog entry is for you. Popular Woodworking Magazine commissioned me to make [...]