No matter what your style of woodworking, you need a basic set of hand tools. Here’s where to begin. When I came to America, I had a lovely wife, two suitcases and 50 bucks. Oh man, where do I start? Everybody needs a basic tool kit, especially if you want to do woodworking. I had…

Building Your Canteen Read part 1 here Materials 1⁄2″ thick lumber – 48″ long 1⁄4″ thick plywood – 10″ x 20″ 1 each, 2″ wide cotton/linen carrying strap 1 each, 2″ strap buckle (optional f/ carrying strap) 2 each, 3 1/2″ long x 1⁄2″ wide leather pieces or steel strap 1⁄2″ leather banding or steel…

Occasionally, I like to veneer my own cabinet doors. Like many small-shop woodworkers, I do the job by covering the veneered face with a platen, then applying clamping pressure onto the work via hardwood cauls that extend across the platen. The cauls are slightly crowned on their bearing edges to better transfer clamping pressure to…

A well-equipped shop will have a variety of clamps for different situations. Here’s our favorites. I think that you’ve probably heard the saying that “a woodworker can never have too many clamps.” Heck, you may have even used that as an excuse (or affirmation) about buying additional clamps. I won’t tell. However, I feel as…

Designing Your Canteen Read part 2 here I initially started my search of how to make a wooden soldier’s canteen of the revolutionary war period, as most folks do nowadays, with a Google search. You will get everything that you probably don’t want and little on the subject except for the sutlers who advertise and…

Making long, perfectly straight cuts with handheld power saws, such as jigsaws and circular saws, can be a real challenge. They aren’t difficult when a straightedge is used as a guide, but putting that straightedge in the right place can be. With kerf jigs, you can set up long cuts in seconds. Here’s how to…

Egg-oh! My fiancé and I planned an April wedding. To celebrate our marriage, I decided to turn a very special Easter egg. In addition to segmented rings of maple and ebony, this egg would have a laminated band that matched our wedding colors. Tiny bells placed inside the egg’s hollow center would mimic wedding bells…

The last two repair remedies this chair needed before its inauguration into productive service life were reinstalling it with the old leg brackets and creating and installing a set of new corner blocks. The old quarter-circle leg brackets were originally connected with the same kind of inferior screws that I talked about before. So I…

  Every now and then, a new tool hits the marketplace that changes the way we work. In the last decade or so, CNC routers have been one of those tools. Love them, hate them … want one, don’t want one. Whatever your viewpoint is, you can’t deny that they truly open up a lot…

The beauty of utility: coarse and fine combined. Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the April 2018 issue of Popular Woodworking. One of my favorite pieces of furniture is a chest of drawers I bought at an antiques store in Reading (the English town, not its Pennsylvanian equivalent) circa 1984. At least a century…

I needed an easy-access storage unit that wouldn’t take up a lot of room but would hold a large number of tools. My solution was a wall-hung tool cabinet with slide-out vertical pegboard drawers. I used 2′ x 4′ sheets of pegboard and a sheet of 3⁄4” oriented strand board (OSB). The outside dimensions of…

An easy interlocking joint begets great strength and style.

A furniture maker visits the Pleasant Hill, Ky., community and unearths a fair number of surprises (nails!) about Shaker joinery. Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the December 2005 issue of Popular Woodworking. If you’re planning to stay at the restored Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill, Ky., I have some advice: At dawn, after…

This simple jig enables you to cut accurate tenons and slice very thin pieces. I use a flush-cut saw because it has no set to its teeth and, therefore, won’t damage the jig. Plus it leaves a smooth surface. The only requirements for building the jig are a flat baseboard, such as Baltic birch plywood,…

Bleeding, blushing, blotching, orange peel and fish eye. The basics of wood finishing are really quite simple: You use one of three tools – a rag, brush or spray gun – to transfer a liquid stain or finish from a can to the wood. Finishing becomes more complex when problems occur. Here are five common…

Learn a straightforward approach to creating stunning details. I come to the field of woodworking with an unfair advantage. I grew up in a family jewelry business and did a lot of detail work from an early age. So it’s no surprise that when I started making furniture I was drawn to the detailed work…

Planing or scraping parts with angled or mitered ends is tricky. Bench dogs will damage a crisp corner, and clamps get in the way. To hold the work, I use an over-sized bench hook with a new twist: a layer of 3M’s grip tape, made for slippery sidewalks and steps. The grit doesn’t mar the…

One of the more disappointing joining methods that miserably failed due to the traumatic fall (or jolt) before the chair had been placed in its shipping box was the leg-to-rail and rails to cross rails connections. These joints were only glued and stapled together (A, below), which is a poor solution. Ideally, these joints should…

Solutions to a baker’s dozen of common finishing difficulties. It’s easy enough to provide instructions for applying finishes. But in the real world, things go wrong; problems occur that you have to deal with. With the combined goals of defining the problems, providing ways to avoid them, then fixing them after they occur, here are…

  A sharp reminder and remembrance of a life cut short. Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the October 2014 issue of Popular Woodworking. A chisel roll is an unlikely time capsule. Untouched in the three years since his death, the green canvas Ian salvaged from a discarded patio umbrella has protected his tools…

My shop may appear rustic, but you won’t find a dirt floor or antique machinery inside. Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in American Woodworker #146. In fact, my friends all make fun of me for having a shop that’s so nice, someone could actually live in it. One friend even asks if he has…

Tool: PCL401 18v ONE+ Cordless 1/4 Sheet Sander Kit Shop Now   Manufacturer: Ryobi MSRP: $109.97 (includes 4.0Ah battery, charger, 3 sheet of sandpaper) The tool Ryobi’s new 18v ONE+ Cordless 1/4 Sheet Sander runs at 14,000 orbits per minute and features onboard dust collection. The kit includes a 4ah battery, charger, and three sheets…

A coping sled is a must-have accessory for router table work. It helps you hold a narrow piece, such as a door rail, perpendicular to the fence and backs up the cut to prevent blowout. At least, it’s supposed to. On my sled, the backup piece is an integral part. Once you’ve cut one profile…

Create artistic signs the old-fashioned way. You can churn out lettered signs by the dozens with a router and a set of letter templates or produce them by the hundreds with a CNC machine. So why use any other method? Because routing with letter templates limits font choices and letter sizes; and CNC equipment is…

This light-duty clamp is ideal for small parts-and easy to make by the dozen. All you need are a couple wood scraps, a rubber band, and a short piece of dowel rod. You can vary the pressure by changing the position of the dowel or the rubber band and how many times you wrap it….

Cut perfect circles up to 4′ across! Have you ever tried to cut a circle on a bandsaw, freehand? It’s quick, but it sure isn’t exact. Dollars to doughnuts you’ll get flat spots or bumps that are a pain to sand out. Big circles are really tough to get right. Fortunately, there’s a clever solution….

Even with a zero-clearance throat plate in my tablesaw, a thin cut-off slips through now and then. These pieces can clog a vacuum hose or damage the blades of a dust collector.  I made a trap to catch them by attaching a piece of hardware cloth inside my saw, in front of the dust port….

My course of action with any repair, restoration or conservation is: Do No Harm. That is, I try to deal with the essential structural, finish, hardware, etc. issues without forcing changes on the piece’s elements who are otherwise still integral and functioning. In the case of this chair, I set my course of action like…

Tool: Tool Organizers Shop Now   Manufacturer: Tool Hangerz MSRP: $6.99+ Pegboard and slat wall organization have been a staple in shops for years. In my shop, I utilize a slat-wall system for most of my power tool storage. In the past, I’ve needed to make custom holders for many of my tools, due to…

In the world of home-shop dust collection, dust collectors come in (basically) two flavors — single stage and two stage systems. A single stage system is what most of us are familiar with. These are the dust collectors that wheel around the shop and have a blower motor connected to a collection area. The collection…

Watching an expensive router bit roll onto the floor is a heartbreaking experience. In the middle of a project, it can be a disaster. I drilled a few 1/2” and 1/4” holes in the edge of a piece of MDF and fastened it to the back of my router table’s fence. In this nest, I…

A little bit of carving and gilding on the rim of this bowl transforms it from a nice piece to an extraordinary one.  A step away from your ordinary bowl, this cherry bowl with a carved rim is subtle yet powerful. The simple ogee curve on the bottom of the bowl makes it lovely to…

Tool: FitFinder 1/2 Gauge Shop Now   Manufacturer: MicroJig MSRP: $34.99 Dialing in a saw blade, router bit, or other cutting tool to make a cut exactly half the depth of stock seems like a simple task. However, if you’ve ever spent time dialing in a dado or rabbet depth or test fitting a lap…

New hardware is often way too shiny for my taste, so I chemically “age” it. If the metal is raw steel, I use standard gun bluing. But if it’s plated with zinc, I turn to Super Blue, a double-strength bluing.  Super Blue gives zinc-plated hardware a beautiful copper-brown patina. Super Blue also works on highly…

Quicker than starting from scratch, and you don’t waste any material. Editor’s note: Nancy Hiller passed away on August 29th, 2022 after a long battle with cancer. In honor of her memory, we will be sharing some of our favorite contributions from her over the years. This article was originally published in the Popular Woodworking…

Chisels don’t wait to get dull until you’ve finished a job—do they? The trick is to keep them sharp while you’re working. Rather than pull out my stones to renew an edge, I keep a piece of MDF charged with honing compound close at hand. It works just like a leather strop—only I skip the…

Drawers are more practical than doors for most kitchen base cabinets. Here’s a quick guide to converting a cabinet from doors to drawers. Editor’s note: Nancy Hiller passed away on August 29th, 2022 after a long battle with cancer. In honor of her memory, we will be sharing some of our favorite contributions from her…

This sandpaper storage system is about as simple as it gets. It’s just a stack of folded envelopes bound with a big rubber band. Each envelope is marked with a grit number. A thin piece of wood on the bottom of the pile keeps the envelopes flat. Standard letter-size envelopes work well. Fold and tape…

Use this simple, strong method for constructing kitchen cabinets and other built-ins. Editor’s note: Nancy Hiller passed away on August 29th, 2022 after a long battle with cancer. In honor of her memory, we will be sharing some of our favorite contributions from her over the years. This article was originally published in the October…

To mark the exact center of a board, I measure an equal distance from both ends and make two marks. This distance is just an approximation—it doesn’t matter if it’s longer or shorter than exactly half the  length of the board, as long as the marks are reasonably close together. Then I just split the…

One piece of wood and a lot of bamboo skewers do the trick to make this simple and fun knife block.

Tool: The Original OmniSquare Shop Now   Manufacturer: Omni Tool Works MSRP: $29.95 This clever and inexpensive milled aluminum square functions as a try square, miter square, bevel square, T-square, combination square and (in a pinch) a compass (the compass function would work better were there a groove on the end of the blade in…

A few weeks ago, my spouse purchased two Faux bamboo Chippendale mahogany chairs for our dining table. The chairs were a reproduction of a Victorian furniture style and meant to match the interior look he and the decorator intended. Advertised as made of solid Mahogany but surprisingly finished in “Stained walnut,” I wasn’t sure what…

HOUSE OF DUST To keep airborne dust from getting into the house, I bought a dust collector for my basement workshop. I wanted to start with a clean slate, so I decided to rid the shop of a decade’s worth of dust that had collected on the ductwork, pipes, lights, shelves, and so forth. I…

Here’s a quick way to glue up a mitered frame of any size using only two clamps, with no worry that the frame will shift out of alignment. You’ll need two 1″ x 1″ hardwood bars (make them whatever length suits your needs). Fasten a 1″ x 1″ x 2″ fixed stop block to one…

A throwaway wooden ruler prevents fatal errors when dovetailing. The No. 1 mistake made by first-time dovetailers has nothing to do with sawing or chopping – the obvious choices. Instead, I’ve found that most fatal mistakes happen at the point where the shape of the first half of the joint – the tailboard or pinboard…

Tool: 8240 Cordless Rotary Tool Shop Now   Manufacturer: Dremel MSRP: $99 (includes 2.0Ah battery, charger, storage case, and several accessories) Dremel has been a whirlwind recently, releasing several new models and updated old ones, most recently the new and improved 8240 High-Speed 12V Cordless Rotary Tool. The 8240 slots nearly perfectly between the flagship…

A gifted teacher preserves and shares the legacy of James Krenov. Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the June 2017 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine To reach the Inside Passage School of Fine Cabinetmaking, you head northwest from Vancouver, B.C., leaving behind the glass-towered city to board the ferry at Horseshoe Bay. Pull up…

Here’s a quick way to get all the dust out of your machine’s nooks and crannies. Most shop vacuums have one port for vacuuming and a second port for blowing. Hook up a hose to each port, then blow and vacuum at the same time.  –Chad Stanton

Some years back, when the company I worked for relocated out of state, I lost my job. While hunting for a new position and feeling a bit down, I visited a shop that sold used woodworking machines. I found a little pick-me-up there in the form of a #700 Goodell-Pratt bench lathe, made in the…

My son Asher likes gardening. He loves digging, planting, harvesting, and building makeshift bug habitats for earthworms, beetles, moths, and ants. A few weeks ago, he asked me if we could make a solitary bee hotel for our garden’s bumble bees. I wasn’t sure what a solitary bee hotel was, so I researched and found…

Tool: Glue Pot & Tabletop Warmer Shop Now  Manufacturer: Powermatic MSRP: $39.50 This stainless steel replica of a late 19th-century double-boiler cast iron glue pot from Landers, Frary & Clark is both cute and useful – despite its diminutive size (3″ diameter x 23⁄8” height). The outer pot holds 2 1⁄2 fluid ounces of water…

Built to move (and to last), this piece blends classic proportions and clean lines. When the British Empire began taking over the world in the 18th century, one vexing problem at its tropical holdings was the monsoon season. When it hit, applied carvings and ornaments fell off the furniture, or the glue was consumed by…

Modern hardware and techniques update this Tage Frid-inspired bench. Scandinavian- or Continental-style workbenches are the vinyl LP records of the woodworking world. These iconic benches have never left the scene. A few are classics and others are the flavor of the month. Some benches in this style are masterworks and some are poor approximations of…

Designer and builder of elegant but simple iconic furniture. Editor’s note: This piece was originally published in the December 2009 issue of Popular Woodworking in memoriam of Sam’s passing that year. Sam Maloof is the reason I became a furniture maker. I used to teach shop in the early 1970s. The Portland (Ore.)Public Schools maintained…

Shop-made hardware and precision joinery are the foundation for this Danish-inspired folding seat. Weave the seat: Paper Cord Weaving Download: LoungeChairPlans PDF Danish furniture is making a comeback these days. It’s been a favorite of mine from the moment I discovered the style. It had all the hallmarks I wanted in furniture: simple, beautiful design…

Simple Danish ‘planflet’ weaving produces eyecatching results. Build the chair: Modern Lounge Chair Download: Full-size patterns for planfletseat and back weaving PD Danish paper cord is three-ply, twisted paper, a strong material that Hans Wegner used on his now-classic CH25 lounge chair – a piece that inspired my chair. Previously, I showed you how to…

Impossible? No. Impossibly easy. If architect and furniture designer Alvar Aalto (Finland, 1898-1976) is considered to be one of the founding fathers of modern design, then Eileen Gray (Ireland, 1878-1976), who shared his profession and time on Earth, must be a founding mother. For my ribbon table, I borrowed design elements from his sensuous bentwood…

Through teaching, this master craftsman’s work lives on. Learn more about the work and influence of Tage Frid.

Many woodworkers have mixed feelings about modern design in woodworking. Traditional style plans outsell our modern furniture plans by at least 3:1, and the appearance of modern furniture in our magazine is sporadic at best. Take a look at current home furniture trends though, and modern is all the rage. Whether is Mid-Century Modern, Scandinavian,…

I was browsing Houzz recently for some exterior renovation inspiration recently when I stumbled upon an address planter that I liked. Wanting to learn more, I followed the product link where I found it was going for an eye-watering $150 on West Elm. I found a handful cheaper on Etsy, but I wasn’t about to…

Not everyone’s ready to tackle hand-cut dovetails. Here’s how to get the most from your router and jig. Dovetails are prime joints. Long history, great appearance and cachet. Used in boxes, drawers and carcases. But for many woodworkers, cutting dovetails the traditional way – with saw and chisels – is an insurmountable challenge. If you…

Elegant results from a humble beginning. Thin strips of wood littered the shop floor after I completed the doors for a custom kitchen. Throwing these “toothpicks” away didn’t seem right, but neither did storing them. So instead I used them to build this great little wine rack. It stores up to 15 bottles of wine…

Four short (but crucial) finishing subjects. What follows are four concise – but important – finishing topics about which you’ve likely wondered. 1 – Metamerism Most of us have experienced a situation where we finish a project in our shop or garage to the exact color we want, only to discover that the color isn’t…

Drawer Helper Desperation is the mother of invention—isn’t that how the old saying should go for woodworkers? I invented this device when I realized that the drawers in my new armoire tipped down way too much. Two of these helpers, one at each corner, now keep each drawer level when opened. They act as stops,…

Five years ago, I wrote a blog entry about the brass mallets I use for joinery. I mentioned the Canadian-made Veritas Mallet, a compact tool that weighs 17.6 oz (500gr) and costs $39, and a Taiwanese-made mallet heavier than the Veritas and weighed 23 oz (653gr). I bought the Taiwanese mallet for our school’s woodworking…

DeWALT is recalling nearly 1.4 million miter saws for a potential safety issue. According to the CSPC “The miter saw’s rear safety guard can break or detach, posing an injury hazard due to projectiles that can strike the user and bystanders and a laceration hazard to the user who could come into direct contact with…

An Homage to the Past by Embracing the Present.  Over the years it has become apparent that all projects are not created equal. Although, they all seem to come with their equal share of challenges and complexities. It never fails, no matter how much preplanning is implemented, there always seems to be an issue that…

Resawing can be a wild ride. You never know exactly what’s going to happen when you cut open a board! Just getting your tablesaw or bandsaw to work right can be an adventure, too. Resawing often pushes those machines to their limits. If you’ve tried resawing, and have had only had limited success, I hope…

In Conversation with Plane Maker Karl Holtey. Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the December 2020 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine. In 2015, acclaimed hand plane maker Karl Holtey announced his impending retirement and was working on the 984 panel plane: what he intended to be his final production run of hand planes and…

When I crosscut hardwood plywood, I use an old technique to minimize tearout on the bottom face. I simply make two passes with my general-purpose blade. After setting the rip fence, I cut a shallow groove, no more than 1/32 in. deep. Then I raise the blade and cut all the way through. Cutting plywood…

Practice Traditional Building Joinery on a Smaller Scale Project #2104 • Skill Level: Advanced • Time: 2 Weeks • Cost: $300 During my 14 years living in Europe, I marveled repeatedly at how these beautiful timber framed structures had withstood the test of time—I remember one awe-inspiring timber framed house near Wiesbaden, Germany, with a placard on…

Tool: QuickSet Work Bench TB-WB700 Shop Now   Manufacturer: ToughtBuilt MSRP: $99 Space in my shop is always at a premium, especially work surfaces. Most of the permanent counter space is reserved for the various tools I’m testing, and my assembly table is almost covered with stuff from the latest woodworking project. So if I…

Tool: Sure-Foot F-Style Clamp Shop Now   Manufacturer: Rockler MSRP: $19.99+ There are few tools that couldn’t use an improvement or two—even the humble bar clamp. Rockler thought of a few improvements when coming up with their Sure-Foot F-Style Clamps. First, Rockler has added 1-1/2″ wide feet to the clamps. When stood on edge, the…

One of the first tools many get when embarking on our journey into woodworking is a 12” (300mm) combination square. This American innovation is one of our toolbox’s most versatile marking and measuring devices. However, the relatively heavy cast iron and steel combi square is not a tool you carry with you as you move…

The dust collection port on my sliding miter saw missed a lot of sawdust, so I added an additional port mounted directly behind the blade. The port is a piece of 3-in. ABS pipe that’s cut at 45 degrees to create a wide mouth. The pipe is shaped to fit behind the saw’s swiveling table,…

Why are you working harder than you need to? Sanding is boring. It’s boring to watch, it’s boring to do, and I find it boring to write about. But myths are fun to write about, and there are some big ones suggesting that sanding to a very fine-grit sandpaper produces better finish results. So here…

Make this traditional design with a router and plug cutters. Line and berry inlay is an old American tradition. There are many variations of the design, but all consist of a series of circular arcs made with thin wood, called stringing, which often terminate in round discs, or berries. Back in 18th century Pennsylvania, where…

Instead of making disposable inserts for my drill press table, I found that it’s faster and cheaper to make disposable fence/table assemblies. I can use the entire surface of my disposable tables, so I get more life from them. First, make a 3/4” x 16” x 20” base for your drill press table and bolt…

Sometimes a little talking-to (and video surveillance) is all it takes. I have noticed three things about tools and kids. Kids can find tools even if it requires tunneling under the garage wall. Kids can claim complete innocence when asked why tools are missing. Two days after the tools go missing the same kids manage…

Tool: Detail Rabbet Plane Shop Now   Manufacturer: Veritas MSRP: $72.50 Years ago, I bought my first rabbet plane, a Clifton 410, to get me out of a jam. My bread and butter work was repairing antiques, and I needed a particularly narrow rabbet plane (the Clifton is only 11/16″ wide) to repair some drawer…

Learn how to turn a classic wooden baseball bat. This timeless project is a great opportunity to practice your turning skills.

A piece of thick plate glass is dead flat and it’s easy to use to align standard jointer knives that have gib screws. A couple of rare-earth magnets secured to the glass with double-sided tape keep it flat on the jointer’s outfeed table. Two more magnets on the glass over the cutterhead serve as an…

Pocket screws are a wonderful thing. They’ve been used to build furniture by everyone from Shakers to Makers. However, using the proper pocket screws in your project is the difference between having a project that’s locked together tightly or one that will strip out, loosen up over time or poke through the side of your…

The summer is here in earnest, and with it came the rising humidity. Humidity and ferrous-based metals such as carbon steel and cast iron don’t get along that well, and the result of the turbulent relationship between the two is rust.  I try to prevent rust infestation by covering my tools and machines’ exposed surfaces…

A slick technique makes the divided-light door a snap. In 2008, I built a contemporary maple chimney cupboard to hold towels in my bathroom. Eight years on, I decided it was time for a matching medicine cabinet – in large part because the house I recently bought has solid masonry walls, so I needed a…

When a family friend recently visited my new cabinet shop, he commented, “Your dad and grandpa would’ve loved this place. It wasn’t always like this!” He meant that although both men were pro woodworkers at various times in their lives, neither ever experienced the pleasant working conditions, robust tools, or the wide variety of materials,…

I use biscuit joints in lots of small projects, particularly for joining rails to legs. I usually reference from the bottom of the plate joiner rather than use its fence. When I want to make an offset joint, I cut the slots in the rails first. Then I add a large shim plate to the…

A single cable provides 120-volt and 240V service. Every article I’ve seen describing the wiring of a shop for both 120 volts and 240V uses separate cables for each voltage, which is a significant waste of time, effort and cable. Here I describe how a single cable can be used to provide both 120V and…

Some of the most common questions we get are about finishing. How do I get a better finish on my project? What’s the easiest finish to apply? What’s the most durable finish? Unfortunately, finishing almost always ends up being an afterthought, when in reality, it should be one of the first things you think about…

Like many woodworkers, I own a basic half-blind dovetail jig, which I use only occasionally for making utility drawers. During the interim, I tend to forget the setup procedures and spacing required to create those elusive “perfect” dovetails. To help refresh my aging memory, I made up a full-width sample joint that I can refer…

They’re cheap! All you need is some PVC and plastic laminate. A central dust collection system is a big improvement to any shop, but the cost can really add up. With commercial gates going from $4 to over $50 each, building your own can help lower the bill. I make my own gates from a…

To conclude this series of entries about lapping/flattening the soles of metal planes (read them here #1, #2, #3, #4), I wish to share some information about the precision tools I use.  The difference between Straight Edges and Rules The primary tool I mentioned throughout this series was the straight edge. I use it to…

Rare earth magnets make really slick hinges for small boxes. The lid on this ring box pivots on two hinges made from 10mm magnets—nothing more. Each hinge is composed of two magnets: one is glued to the box’s side; the other is glued to the cleat under the lid. The cleats are carefully positioned so…

[Updated July 13th 1:20 CST) Amazon Prime Day is here, and we’re rounding up the best deals for woodworkers! Keep checking in throughout the next two days as we update the list! Lightning Deals: CNC Spoilboard Surfacing Router Bit, 1/4″ Shank 1-1/2″ Cutting Diameter JET JJ-6HHBT, 6-Inch Helical Head Benchtop Jointer (718600) and Universal Benchtop…

Here are some finishing tips I hope you find of value. They are arranged in roughly the order of the typical finishing steps. Sand Oil Finishes Wet It’s not at all necessary to sand wood to very fine grits with oil finishes to get very smooth results. After sanding the wood to about #180 grit,…

When I’m sanding pitchy wood or removing old finish, my sandpaper gets really gummed up and I can’t get it clean with the rubber eraser-type cleaner. I used to throw it away and buy more. Now, I pour some resin cleaner (for cleaning saw blades) in a glass jar and soak the sandpaper overnight. You…

Meet Reid Schwartz: artist, interested human, maker of tools, worker of wood and restorer of old things Crooked Knives & Curved Lines A canoe is a study in curved lines. The curves allow it to slip silently through water almost without effort. Even the few parts that are straight, like thwarts (cross braces), are rounded…

Tool: 18V ONE+™ 5″ Random Orbit Sander PCL406B Shop Now   Manufacturer: Ryobi MSRP: $59 (bare tool with 3 sheets of sandpaper) Usually, the first steps of reviewing a tool are taking it out of the box, charging the batteries, then photographing the tool while it’s still in pristine condition. However, the new Ryobi 18V…

Off-the-rack moulding and packing tape make this project easy. A shopping trip to the pre-cut moulding section at Lowe’s was the beginning of my tray design. I had a general idea of what I wanted to make – a shallow tray without handles to transform my ottoman into a once-in-a-while coffee table. There were extra…

We take a look at six drills to see what sort of progress these tools have made in the past decade. There was a point in time when drill comparisons were ubiquitous in the pages of this magazine. There was an almost comforting familiarity in seeing the latest and greatest put to the test every…

Hole saws provide an inexpensive way to bore large holes, but they have a maddening tendency to clutch the drilled disk afterward. I’ve found that the best approach for removing a stuck disk from the saw is to clamp it in a vise, then drive a couple long drywall screws into it at opposite sides…

Read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. The #8 Record plane I bought a few years ago was the most prominent, heaviest, and the longest plane I have ever lapped; it was also a plane for which I devised a lapping system that speeded up the process significantly. Although made by a prominent British…

Tool: M12 Fuel Brushless Drill/Driver 2503-22 Shop Now   Manufacturer: Milwaukee MSRP: $169.99 (Includes charger, hard case, 2ah battery, and 4ah battery) We don’t tend to perform drop tests on our tools. Well not intentionally at least. But if we did, I would be more worried about damaging the ground than damaging the Milwaukee 2503-22….

Tool: Dust Deputy 2.5 Plus Cyclone Separator Shop Now   Manufacturer: Oneida MSRP: $79.95- $199.95 In the shop, most of us use a variety of dust collection methods. For larger, stationary power tools, a dedicated dust collector is the best bet. The high CFM and static pressure can handle the large amounts of dust that…

I needed a way to lift pieces off the surface of my bench for finishing, so I made some 3/4″ x 2″ x 3″ blocks and inserted 1/4″ x 1-1/4″ dowels into them. Here’s the bonus: I discovered that if I fastened a piece of peg-board on top of my bench, I could tap the…

Blacksmithing is a hasty sport. Unlike woodworking, where you can step back and contemplate a cabinet’s lines or run your hands over a planed surface to check its smoothness, working with hot iron means moving fast. You’ve only seconds before the malleable, bright orange steel has faded nearly to black, and any further hammering is…

I’ve dried my own lumber for years, but I always had a problem getting enough weight on top of the stack, to keep the upper boards from warping. Here’s a solution: Use clamps made from threaded rods. Start building the stack by placing short pieces of 2×4 on your shop’s floor. Next, place 2x4s across…

A better understanding of what causes grain raising will help you manage it. Our finishing expert Bob Flexner explains this phenomenon and how to deal with it.

Cutting your own dovetails is a right of passage for many woodworkers. Many out there find it intimidating when they first start though. Here are a few techniques that will help you out (or help you improve the skills you already have). 1. Cut By Hand When dovetailing by hand, be bold. Don’t bother with…

Tool: 12v Cordless 3/8 Drill/Driver Shop Now   Manufacturer: Hercules MSRP: $39.99 (bare tool) + $34.99 (charger) + $24.99 (battery) The Hercules 3/8 12v drill isn’t the flashiest, most high-tech option on the market, and that’s not a bad thing. The motor isn’t brushless, there’s no fancy clutch technology, and you have to buy the…

In previous entries, I explained how to lap short-bodied planes using diamond stones and sandpaper rolls (click to read parts 1 and 2.).  This entry is dedicated to lapping larger planes and explaining how to avoid inadvertent convexing of the sole while lapping it.  When dealing with longer and broader planes, we have to spend…

Safety is the #1 goal in woodworking. June is national safety month, so we’re covering some shop safety best practices. Learn about avoiding hazards while woodworking, as well as the essential equipment to protect yourself. Sponsored by RZMask: https://rzmask.com/

A single length of framing lumber will help you hone your skills with a spokeshave, a drawknife and a block plane. It was a bright summer’s day in 1993 at historic Strawberry Banke in Portsmouth, N.H. My wife, Sally, and I were unexpectedly in town and noticed a craft show and demonstrations on the green….

Tool: 12v Brushless Drill Shop Now   Manufacturer: Hoto MSRP: $149.99 (Includes internal 2 ah battery, charging cable, 8 drill bits, and 10 screwdriver bits) I’m sure many of you out there, especially the ones that haven’t had their morning coffee yet, are wondering what the heck they’re looking at. Is it a massage gun? A…

A chairmaker explains his fascination with the ancient art of blacksmithing and being able to make his own woodworking tools. It was April of 1986, and I’d just arrived at a craft show up a long dirt road, an hour’s drive into the redwood-covered mountains of Northern California. I was setting up my treadle lathe…

Tools solve problems in wood. Hand tools bought just to collect do not serve you well. But tools bought when you need them will serve many projects to come. Don’t hesitate to buy a good hand tool suitable to the task. The tools mentioned here actually stand a chance of being useful in the hands…

Whenever creating small pieces that include a routed detail of some sort, it’s best to do the routing on the larger “parent” board, and then separate the small piece from the larger. However, this isn’t always possible, and you may find yourself needing to rout a small piece. The question, of course, is how to…

Shocking Taste I turned on my shop vac to clean up the pile of sawdust that had accumulated while I ripped some pine boards for a cabinet. I live in Colorado, where the air is always dry, and my shop vac isn’t high tech, so occasionally I get zapped by a static-discharge shock. This time…

Chris Schwarz shares some handy, nearly-forgotten handsaw tricks to use in the shop.

Tool: 12v MAX Brushless Drill/Driver DCD701F2 Shop Now   Manufacturer: DeWalt MSRP: $149 (Includes charger, case, and two 2ah batteries) I’ve written before about tools being unobtrusive during use, and the DeWalt DCD701F2 is an exemplary example of that philosophy. If you asked me to name the standout feature it has over the competition, I wouldn’t…

Not a day seems to go by without something rising in price, so it was a bit surprising to hear that Metabo HPT was actually going to be lowering the prices of some of their 18V cordless nailers. One of them, the NT1850DF is dropping a whopping $70. The full list of models and their…

Different finishes look different on different species. There are many reasons to choose one finish over another. Usually the most important is for protection and durability – how well a finish protects the wood from moisture and how resistant the finish is to being damaged by coarse objects, heat and solvents. Other significant factors include…

I have long used my car’s scissor jack for house and shop projects including lifting a settled deck and leveling workbenches. And when I needed to install a new set of cabinets in my shop, I realized that a pair of these jacks would be perfect for positioning and leveling them. I picked up a…

Get clean cuts and a nice finish from a challenging piece of material. A live edge (or natural-edge) bowl is one of the iconic forms of modern woodturning, and it is still a great way to show off a beautiful piece of wood. It’s also a good test of your developing turning skills. Good tool…

Tool: 12v Brushless Drill/Driver GSR12V-300B22 Shop Now   Manufacturer: Bosch MSRP: $129 (Includes charger, case, and two 2ah batteries) Shopping for a drill is often an exercise in compromise. You have to choose between 12v or 18/20v, how many batteries you need, and strike a balance between comfort and overall power.  At only 31.5 oz…

Last week I talked about the diamond stone technique for lapping the soles of small block planes. This week I will talk about another popular method – using abrasive tapes over a flat surface.  Sometimes the condition of the plane’s sole is so bad that it requires a more aggressive approach than even the course…

Hoisting heavy sheets of plywood and MDF onto my tablesaw is not my idea of workshop fun. That’s why I devised this pivoting rack— and began storing my sheet stock vertically. The rack’s frame fits around the two base uprights and pivots on bolts. A cleat at the bottom keeps the sheet from sliding off….

Shaker furniture is known for it’s clean, simple lines and quality construction. There’s been no shortage of Shaker woodworking projects in the pages of Popular Woodworking over the years, and We’ve gathered five of our favorite ones for woodworkers of all levels. To see the full project instructions, simply click on the slideshow image. Any…

After designing and building custom furniture in southern California for 24 years, I finally got to build my dream workshop. Inspired by the Craftsman style and the designs of the brothers Green, my shop cradles a 100-year-old eucalyptus tree in our backyard. The space is 900-sq.ft., with 12-ft ceilings at the peak. Photovoltaic panels installed…

Nobody likes wrapping up the last bit of finishing on a project and suddenly catching a run or imperfection you missed earlier. You can either ignore it, or more likely sand it down and fix the blemish. Thankfully, it’s easy to avoid this problem with the correct lighting. While having a well-lit shop with light…

It sure is cute – but is it useful? Few tools spark the affection of so many as the Stanley No. 1 size bench plane. Regardless of one’s interest, the small plane has a way of catching everyone’s eye. Set one on a table at a tool show and nearly everyone who walks by will…

One afternoon – start to finish – is all it takes, even for a new woodworker. This may be the easiest (and coolest) table you’ll ever build. If mid-20th century modern furniture design were as popular as the Arts & Crafts style is today, then thousands of these tables would be turning up for sale…

I needed to cut stopped grooves on a round surface – and while I could have cut them on the stock while it was square, then proceed to turn it on the lathe, I didn’t want to worry about catching my turning gouge on a groove and causing tearing out (or worse). So, after considering…

Much has been written about the importance of a true and flat plane sole as a key to achieving optimal results during planning. Premium planes come with a very flat sole, do not need any interventions, and are ready for work straight out of the box. Unfortunately, this is not the case with second-hand tools…

Does your Dad love woodworking? Here are some great gift options for him this upcoming Father’s Day. Travel Mug Turning Kit • $13.99  Remember when you were real little and made your Dad a coffee mug for father’s day? Same concept here, except he gets to make his own customizations this time. Shop Now  Roubo…

Simple to Super Durable Outdoor finishes have one thing in common; they all require maintenance. Of course, paint is unequaled at protecting the wood from its two biggest enemies: moisture and ultraviolet (UV) light. Moisture causes the wood to rot, and sunlight bleaches out its natural color. Still, who wants to cover up beautiful wood…

This Pennsylvania area developed unique and recognizable furniture. From its green rolling hills in the south and plains-like farmland in its middle to the nearly mountainous terrain in the north, the topography of Chester County, Penn., is as diverse as its people and, more important, its furniture. As woodworkers, nearly everyone who is interested in…

  I built a deep drawer for my workbench so I would have lots of storage, but it created another problem. The tools I wanted were always at the bottom of the heap. I solved my frustration by adding an upper and lower tray. The upper tray slides forward or backward on top of the…

Forget the stockpile of wood; what about the stock of partial projects? When building furniture, some woodworkers keep a stockpile of lumber on hand and draw from their stacks as they begin a new project. Others buy enough lumber (with some extra) for each piece they are planning to build, often working from a list…

Hand tools are the way to go for this traditional joint. Tapered sliding dovetails are multipurpose joints traditionally used for drawer dividers, holding legs in place on a pedestal table and attaching tops to case pieces. The primary reason for a tapered joint (instead of a straight joint) is the reduced friction over its length….

I designed an outfeed support for my table saw that doesn’t take up any floor space. It’s made of plywood, hardwood and a store-bought roller. Three main design features enable it to work well. The runners are made of hard maple that resists wear and tear. The sliding mechanism is a dovetail that allows the…

Don’t let the panel glue-up scare you. This step stool (useful in just about any room of the house) is easy to build, using pocket screws as clamps and to add strength.

Sometimes you need to clamp parts that are out of reach of the throat depth of standard clamps. Here’s a design for a long-reach clamp that can be made from 2×4 lumber, 3⁄4” plywood or solid-wood scraps, some readily available hardware, an F-style clamp and golf balls! The 2×4 lumber is used to make the…

No sick days, no paid vacations and no IT department – but it’s worth it. Ah, going pro – telling your boss to take your day job and stick it in his ear while you go off to earn your living doing what you love best. There is not a woodworker who, while looking at…

We’re interviewing makers from all 50 states. Today we’re featuring Nadia Dugger, a woodworker and small business owner from Oklahoma.  How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? A little background about me: I grew up in Kharkiv, Ukraine. At 10 (in 1999) my parents moved our family to Vancouver Canada, and in…

Here’s a simple way to protect your chisels from getting nicked and rusty rattling around in your toolbox. Just cut the fingers off some old leather work gloves. Poke holes with an awl at the open end, and thread a drawstring through them. Slide the chisel’s blade into the finger and close it tight with…

This clever and simple piece is great for storing tools, toys or a kimono While picking though a table of vintage Japanese tools for sale I spotted this sliding-lid box under the vendor’s table; it was blackened by age, soot and rust. Despite its scars, however, the box was still graceful and functional. The owner,…

Tool: 18V ONE+™ HP Airstrike Brad Nailer Shop Now   Manufacturer: Ryobi MSRP: $189 (bare tool) Most woodworkers want their tools to be as unobtrusive as possible during use. Ideally, your saw blades never leave burn marks, screw heads never strip, and you never notice your chisels getting dull mid-project. So last week, when I…

Congrats to our 2022 grand prize winner Richard Freadling! Richard reached out that he has received his prize and is excited to put it to use. Big thanks to all of our sponsors: Woodpeckers 3M Titebond Klingspores Woodworking Shop Senco Steve Wall Lumber Co Kutzall Grizzly Forest 2 Home Knew Concepts Ultra-Shear Leigh M-Power Osborne…

Should an anvil be among the first tools to be recommended to new woodworkers? The answer is probably no. But as our shop grows and with the diversification of our work I can wholeheartedly advocate for every shop to have at least a small anvil on hand. After many years in the trade, both as…

My shop is in a walkout basement with a steep grassy slope from the driveway.  The skateboard-like devices made for moving stock work well on hard surfaces, but not on grass.  My solution is an 8-ft. long two-wheeled cart. To build the cart, start with a 2-1/2″ wide strip of 1/4″ plywood, 8 ft. long. …

Tool: Work Light with Bluetooth Speaker Shop Now   Manufacturer: Infinity X1 MSRP: $39.99 (set of 2) One of the easiest ways to improve the quality of surface finishes like polyurethane is to cast a light across the surface from a low angle- this highlights imperfections or runs that are harder to spot in direct…

Cut mortises of any width and length in stock of virtually any size. Here’s a win-win proposition: Spend a day in your shop and turn your drill press into a mortising machine. This fixture makes it easy to cut mortises in multiples for doors, tables and frames. It has four components: a fixed base, a…

While making a base for a wooden vase, I had to glue up a small octagonal shape. I made this simple band clamp from a piece of string and a rubber band. Here’s how it works: first, tie one end of the string to the rubber band and loop the string around the workpiece; next,…

You can achieve a great finish from commonly available products. We all love home centers for the good stuff they carry and for their low prices. But home centers cater to the lowest common denominator consumer – that is, they carry only the stuff that has a big market. The result is that many of…

Seven Essential Tools The easiest path to a clean shop is to control the dust while working. Even with the best dust collection systems, things are still going to get dirty though. Here are the tools you’ll want to get your shop back to new after finishing your latest project. Broom(s) You’re going to want…

A nice scraper burnisher can be made quickly for little or no cost. All you need is a cheap wooden file handle (available at hardware stores) and an old drill bit. You simply drill into the handle, then leave the bit in its hole with about 11⁄2” of the unfluted end projecting. A 1⁄4“- or…

Rout raised panel look-alikes in minutes.  Raised panel doors made with traditional stile and rail joinery are my first choice for cabinets. But I don’t always use them. For example, cabinets for the shop or laundry room usually don’t require fine woodworking. But that doesn’t mean they can’t have good-looking doors, especially if the doors…

I can’t stand throwing away good wood. When I’m turning a goblet or any other object, I don’t leave the waste areas blank. I pick up a gouge or a skew and use the waste to perfect my turning techniques. –Bob Patros

The inspiration for this “I Can Do That” storage bench was simple – I wanted it. Ever since I picked up a king-size bed at a liquidation sale, I wanted a matching bench to hold my shoes at the foot of the bed. After seeing many designs that were running anywhere from $250 to $400, I thought to myself “I can do that” – and with a sheet of plywood and some pocket screws, you can too.

Tool: Leg-Up Shop Now   Manufacturer: Gorilla Gripper MSRP: $54.90 Most of us know all too well the hassles of working with large sheets of plywood. You get home from the lumberyard, drag your sheet into your shop and lean it against the wall. When it comes time to rip that sheet into usable pieces,…

When we think about modern woodworking, gimlets are probably not on our radar and most likely would not make the cut for the short (or even the longer) list of essentials when we envision a shop that is centered around hand tools.  While they are fondly remembered as tools of the past, for drilling shallow…

Ripping very narrow stock on the table saw can be a bit dicey because your push stick runs so close to the blade. If you’re not careful to keep it against the rip fence, it can tip into the spinning blade. And cutting short, narrow pieces is particularly difficult because the blade’s rising rear teeth…

Runaway Router My first router, a 1968 Stanley, was a heavy, single-speed machine. I remember it well because of what happened the very first time I used it. I chucked up a Roman ogee bit and made my very first pass. As I marveled, spellbound, at the professional-looking profile I’d just created, I switched off…

Sign Up for Popular Woodworking Push Notifications and Never Miss an Article If you’re someone who regularly checks Popular Woodworking for new content, push notifications are the tool for you. Sign up for push notifications and you’ll get alerts for new articles, videos, seminars and more! Our editors pick new content posted to the site…

Discover five cross-grain construction strategies to help keep your tabletops and chest lids flat. Cross-grain construction tends to freak out most beginning woodworkers, but it’s a viable construction method in many cases. Wide tables and chest lids often employ breadboard ends to keep things flat, as well as cover end grain. If it’s done right,…

Every woodworker knows not to rely on inside measurements made with a tape measure. Instead, I use two steel rules with dimensions that run to the edges. I butt one rule at each end, so the graduations overlap. To calculate the exact inside measurement, I read one ruler from the 10-in. mark on the other…

The two commonly available pure oil finishes that can be used on furniture and woodwork with decent results because they cure – that is, turn from a liquid to a soft solid – are linseed oil and tung oil. There are important differences between these two oils. Raw linseed oil cures much too slowly to…

Tool: 7350 Rotary Tool Shop Now   Manufacturer: Dremel MSRP: $29.99 (includes grinding stone, 2x sanding bands, felt polishing wheel, mandrel, and USB cable.) A few years ago I reorganized all of my toolboxes based on the primary use of the tools inside. One for electrical, one for plumbing, general use, etc. Whenever I have…

Welcome to What Really Grinds My Chisels, an occasional feature where the Popular Woodworking editors tackle subjects they feel passionate about. I consider myself a pretty traditional woodworker. I heavily favor hand tools because that’s how I like to work. But, I also realize that there’s a particular part of woodworking that I enjoy, so…

While looking around the shop to find a shim for my dado set, I saw the plastic lid from a cottage cheese container in the trash. Hmm, I thought, that could be it. I trimmed away the edge and measured the thickness. At .022 (about 3/128), it complemented my thinner paper shims perfectly. To cut…

Whenever I admire a fellow woodworker’s finished piece of furniture, I never ask how they did this or that because, quite simply, I am afraid they are going to tell me. Listening to someone describe how they accomplished a difficult or clever woodworking feat is, for me, like listening to someone recount their dream: I…

In my work I often need to draw large-radii curves, for which I use this long beam compass. Built from scrap wood and a dowel center, it’s cheap and easy to make in any length. It can be quickly adjusted and doesn’t need locking clamps or screws to hold its setting.  The compass consists of…

After creating the facets (drawing and image below), we need to round over the mouse’s back. To read the first part of the story click here. Add two additional guidelines above and below the facet and ask the child to rasp and round those areas. Rasp the lower round-over band from the middle of the…

Plow planes are some of the easiest joinery planes to use , once you know a few tricks to getting good results. I struggled with the tools until Don McConnell (now a planemaker at Clark & Williams) set me straight years ago with one simple piece of advice: “Each hand should have a separate job,”…

Tool: PowerStack Battery Shop Now   Manufacturer: DeWalt MSRP: $119 The staff here at Popular Woodworking just wrapped up a 12v drill competition that will appear in the August issue of the magazine. This is the first time we’ve done a drill comparison since 2009, and not to spoil anything, but the drills of today…

This functional form is an ideal intro to the Shaker Style. Learn how to make this useful project, all while sharpening your hand tool skills.

Self-centering drill bits (also called “Vix bits”) are great for quick, accurate drilling of hinge screw holes. Unfortunately, they don’t work very well for many continuous, or “piano,” hinges. That’s because the leaves on continuous hinges often are too thin to allow the chamfered nose of the bit housing to fully seat in the hinge…

Today’s array of bits has nothing on historical practice. In my attempts to recreate period work, I’ve many times come across the need to make holes that no modern tool can practically create. My workbench has 16 1 1⁄2” holes bored into its beech top to house vise screws. I bored them with a framing…

When making French cleats using a handplane, getting a consistent beveled edge can be problematic, particularly as the bevel approaches 45º and the plane gets “tippy.” Also, it’s difficult to get a good bevel established – starting on the small corner of the stock can be awkward. I found it’s best to bevel the two…

Does your Mom love woodworking? Here are some great gift options for her this upcoming Mother’s Day. Milwaukee 4 1/2 Trim Square • $11.47  We loved this square when it came out, and it’s still one of the first ones we’ll grab in the shop. The size and highly-legible etching make it a perfect fit…

Basic woodworking tools are different from beginner woodworking tools. For one thing, I don’t like to use the word “beginner” unless I am using it accurately. It’s not a very useful label, in my opinion, because it implies that there are clear-cut and hierarchical steps in your growth as a woodworker. Who wants to return…

While trying to attach a carved 1⁄8“-thick mahogany veneer to the edge of a curved shelf, an idea came to me as a last moment glue-up solution. Initially I thought I could make it easier to bend by wrapping the sawn veneer in a towel then saturating it with boiling water; this didn’t have the…

Have questions about the features of your drill? We have answers. Check out the short video below, then keep on scrolling for more detailed breakdowns of the clutch and gear adjustment settings. What does the clutch on a drill do? The clutch regulates the amount of torque (power) the drill will generate while driving a…

Tool: Oscillating Edge Belt Spindle Sander R4840 Shop Now   Manufacturer: Rigid MSRP: $299 One of the best value tools for the home shop (in my mind) has just got an upgrade. For years, the Ridgid EB4424 has been a staple for woodworkers. The Ridgid oscillating sander, sold through Home Depot, has gotten an update…

While simple to build, the details present a worthy challenge. While teaching a class at the Connecticut Valley School of Woodworking, I was asked to sneak down to the Connecticut Historical Society to take a look around. At the museum, I was shown into a back room full of off-exhibit furniture. Halfway down the first…

Like many woodworkers, I use a bench hook to support small pieces on the bench for handsawing. A typical bench hook is just a small panel with a shortened topside fence at one end for supporting the workpiece and a full-length underside fence on the opposite end that “hooks” against the edge of the workbench….

This coming Saturday I am going to teach a remote whittling class for children, hosted by Peters Valley School of Crafts. Unlike in-person teaching, where the teacher is present in the class/shop and can have much tighter control over the pedagogy, the equipment, and can routinely intervene with the individual student’s project, the nature of…

Tool: 3-In-1 Digital Laser Measurer Shop Now   Manufacturer: Dremel MSRP: $79 Dremel recently released a new 3-in-1 digital measurer that would be a great addition to a carpenter’s toolkit. In addition to the laser measure, it has a tape measure attachment and a wheel attachment for measuring curved and uneven surfaces. All functions are…

When doing repair work, I often have to inlay small patches of wood into a finished surface. To help level the patch afterward without marring the adjacent surface, I made up several of these little detail sanders, band sawing them from 3⁄4“-thick hardwood scraps. A strip of sandpaper wraps around the foot, with one end…

This workshop tip saves both time and money. Make your table saw inserts two-sided to pull double duty on projects.

This simple credenza is perfect for storing your extra dishes and linens. The seamless case features routed joints reinforced with floating tenons as well as easy lock miter drawers.

Shavings Shower Last spring I reorganized my shop and moved my planer near the garage door so it could spew its shavings harmlessly onto the driveway. Now that it’s colder, I work with the garage door closed. One night recently I planed a bunch of boards for a new project. Chips and shavings piled high…

Making an inset drawer line up flush with the face of a cabinet can be fussy work. To make it easy, I just install two screws on the back of the drawer and turn them until the drawer’s front is perfectly aligned.  –Bob Smith

Moby Dick, the Great White Planer The newspaper advertisement was brief: “PLANER, 24″, $450. Call.” My friend Charles Poth and I had been looking for just such a machine. We found the owner’s home outside rural  Jeromesville, Ohio, at the end of a long gravel road. The planer was stored outside under a raggedy canvas…

Like most planers, mine snipes, overcutting a bit at both ends of a board. Sometimes I’ll simply cut off the sniped areas if I can afford the extra board length. However, with precious woods, that can mean trashing a few bucks. Another technique is to closely precede and follow the board with a scrap of…

Nothing in handplaning is more frustrating than tear-out

After cutting out plugs on the drill press, I used to saw them from their blank using the table saw. Unfortunately, this would often send the freed plugs flying across the shop, forcing me to hunt for them afterward. I recently discovered a much better approach. I drill the plugs right at the edge of…

A tale of two components. Tool: Track Saw Shop Now  (Available in late April) Manufacturer: Ryobi MSRP: $329.99 (bare tool + track) $399.99 (tool + track + 4ah battery & charger) The new Ryobi Track saw showing up sparked some debate- which part of a track saw system is more important, the saw or the…

One of the most exciting new tools that my students and I got to try and use this year was the 6 Piece Bushcraft Survival Auger Kit with T-Handle and 5 Auger Bits in Tool Roll from WoodOwl. The new tool (practically it is a nice brass and wood handle) allows you to employ your…

When I was a kid, my dad made a pair of Adirondack chairs that sat out front of the old farmhouse I grew up in. Looking back, they added a quaintness to the house. They were attractive pieces, but in time the finish started to peel off. As other projects came up, refinishing the chairs…

An Asian-inspired display stand for deck, patio or porch. This stand was originally designed for bonsai plants—dwarf trees or shrubs—but it can be used to display any kind of potted plant. As a traditional bonsai stand, it’s designed to be attractive yet not distract from the beauty of the plant. I built the stand from…

This outdoor kitchen keeps everything needed for an outdoor gathering close at hand.  Project #2210 • Skill Level: Intermediate • Time: 5 Days • Cost: $800 If you live in the Midwest, you’ll know that we’re a get-together type of people. I’m sure that’s a true statement across the US. And while the current situation has…

I’m sure you’re thinking, what’s Kubb? The original name, “Kubbspel,” translates (roughly) into  “throwing block game.” The goal is simple: knock over wooden “Kubbs” or soldiers by throwing sticks or batons at them, followed by the king. With two teams and a few basic rules, this game is fun for all ages! Plus, it’s super…

It seats up to 8, but no one has to straddle a leg. Editor’s note: this article originally appeared in American Woodworker #154. Every summer, my uncle Bob tends the grill at our family gatherings and is the last one to the picnic table. He always gets stuck with a middle seat. We’d cheer him…

Combine five 2x4s, a handful of screws and a long afternoon to build a handsome and sturdy sitting spot for your deck or garden. My father always has had a knack for doing more with less. He built the first house on our farm using a Skil saw, a drill and a hammer. Sometime during…

Professional-sized ladder golf sets are larger and more robust than the chintzy ones you usually find in yard game kits. This project is a great way to use some long skinny scrap pieces too.  Read the rules for ladder golf here Build the Sides Plane your side boards to 7/8” thickness, then rip four 15/16”…

Strong, simple joinery provides lasting beauty. If you’ve been thinking about beautifying your patio, and you want to do it in a weekend, I’ve got just the thing. This sturdy planter is made from readily available materials with simple joinery, waterproof glue, and exterior stain for maximum durability. You’ll need two 12′ cedar 5/4 x…

Easy to use and maintain, they keep outdoor wood furniture looking like new. You’ve spent the winter building a set of cedar Adirondack chairs; or maybe you’ve purchased a teak garden bench. You love the look of natural wood and you want to keep it that way. Now you’re wondering what finish to use. I…

It’s April, which means April fools (see ours below), spring, and woodworking month. The change in weather means those of us with unheated shops can finally emerge from hibernation and start building again in earnest. For everyone else that means spring gardening, bonfires, and time outside. So this week we’ll have them both meet in…

A few weeks ago I was gifted an old wooden ammunition box that had one of its handles missing in action. The box also suffered from a few other structural issues, including a lengthy crack on one of its sides. Last weekend I decided to spend some time with the box and restore its structure…

I use lots of wedges in my shop, sometimes as disposable clamp pads for tricky glue-ups or for general shimming chores. Sometimes they’re incorporated into a project, as when making wedged mortise-and-tenon joints. I used to cut wedges on the band saw but the rough surfaces often proved to be a hindrance. I decided to…

Lasers are popping up on all sorts of tools. Are they useful – or just clever marketing? We investigate. Editor’s note: David asked this question way back in 2005, but with tool manufacturers still putting lasers on all sorts of tools, it remains relevant. If you take a look at all the new tools that…

Tool: 30oz Dead Blow Hammer Shop Now  Manufacturer: Lixie MSRP:$68 Well-fit joinery (not too loose, not too tight) and well-planned glue-ups rarely need much persuasion – but I am not always lucky enough to find myself with either of those. In the past, I’ve used big rubber mallets, small sledges and framing hammers (with a…

Understanding the importance of chip load calculations. If you have spent time using handheld routers then you have developed an intuitive sense for what is the ideal feed rate and speed for the cutter. The feedback is immediate and tactile. You can feel if the bit is chattering as it cuts, hear if the router…

When working on small projects, I often need to glue odd-shaped mouldings and tiny trim to box sides and other pieces. Not much pressure is required to hold these small pieces in place, and I find that the humble wooden clothespin is often the perfect clamp for the job. Cheap and easily available, spring clothespins…

A long-time carpenter shares a repair trick to hide the mistakes made by ham-handed apprentices. For more than 30 years I was a traveling carpenter foreman in charge of installation of top-quality architectural woodwork and cabinetry. My job assignments were sometimes small, requiring only eight or 10 carpenters, and sometimes 40 or more men. This…

Tool: FREE Aware Bluetooth Earbuds Shop Now  Manufacturer: ISOtunes MSRP:$199.99 I’ve written before about the impressive ISOtunes Aware headphones, which use a built-in microphone that allows the user to hear their environment while preventing hearing loss from loud sounds. ISOtunes has added a new product to that lineup today, the FREE Aware. I’ve been using…

Talk about a close one… And there you have it folks, our 2022 Tool Madness Champion: The Drill

This versatile router joint is perfect for production work. When I need to batch out a bunch of drawer boxes, I use a lock miter router bit. Not only does this bit create a joint with a clean, mitered look on the outside, but the profile of the bit gives the drawer a good mechanical…

Clamping cauls are indispensable for gluing up casework. A caul is simply a stiff piece of wood used to apply pressure where a clamp can’t reach. Sooner or later, you’re going to run into a situation like this; you’re clamping a wide shelf, for example, far from the end of the cabinet’s side. You can’t…

It’s down to this- drill vs chisel for the championship! Voting ends Sunday night!

There are a number of things to think about when choosing wood for your woodworking project.  You can have a great design, but if the material you use in your woodworking project has flaws in it, there may be problems that cause it to break in the future.  I had the opportunity to talk in…

Tool: Small Bench Dog Shop Now  Manufacturer: Big Horn MSRP:$15 (set of 2) Any decent workbench with a face vise will allow you to easily work the ends and edges of stock, but finding an efficient and effective way to flatten and dress the faces of boards can sometimes be a puzzle. The solution is…

Time to chose your favorite power tool and favorite hand tool. Tomorrow they face off for the championship! See the full bracket here.

We redesigned this classic with techniques so simple even a novice can build it! Project #1918 • Skill Level: Beginner • Time: 3 days Almost everyone likes the look of barrister bookcases. But what makes them so appealing? I think there are a number of characteristics that make the barrister design popular and enduring. First…

My basement shop is quite small and my drill press is right next to my workbench. When I needed to drill a long board, I would stack pieces of wood on top of my workbench to act as a support. I decided to build a holder to sit on my workbench that would allow me…

Just a few more votes left until we crown a champion! Which tools are your pick for today?

Designing sag-proof shelves. Have you ever heard a shelf groan? Well, maybe not, but some shelves look like they would if they could. So much stuff gets piled on them that they end up sagging like a limp noodle. It’s not a pretty sight. A span that holds up weight should look strong and sturdy….

Semi-finals are here. The drill and miter saw both walked away cleanly from their prior opponents, but who who will come out on top now? And with the block plane narrowly edging out the bench plane in round 1, can it beat the chisel? Only you can decide!

Although I have several commercially made accessories for clamping mitered frames, they don’t work well on small frames. So, I devised my own small-frame clamping method. First, I made four V-shaped corner blocks out of 3⁄4″ MDF. Along the outside edge of each corner piece, I cut a groove about 1⁄4″ deep and 1⁄4″ wide,…

Final polls for round 1: Planer vs Jointer and Coping Saw vs Japanese Saw. Round 2 starts tomorrow!

You needn’t rely on ready-made patterns to design good-looking gams. Legs with engaging, flowing three-dimensional curves can add immeasurably to the aesthetic success of such pieces as tables, stands and chests. In this article, using the legs for a small floating-top table as an example, I’ll show a practical method for producing such legs, and…

Next up: Router vs Lathe and Spokeshave vs Shoulder Plane. There’s no wrong way to vote, just make sure you keep coming back!

Next up: Table Saw vs Band Saw and Chisel vs Hammer. There’s no wrong way to vote, just make sure you keep coming back!

Our first competitors; Drill vs Miter Saw and Bench Plane vs Block Plane. There’s no wrong way to vote, just make sure you keep coming back!  

The time is upon us! Tool Madness 2022, where we’re pitting power tools vs hand tools in the ultimate showdown, starts today! For the next week we’ll be polling you to decide which tool moves on to the next round and which one bites the dust. What metrics are we considering when comparing these tools?…

With the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, I was obligated to change my curriculum and put our traditional shop work on hiatus. Since I wasn’t able to use our benches, vises, and clamps I had to lighten up the projects, forgo the use of gouges, mallets, and chisels, and come up with mainly whittling projects…

This respiration-protection attachment lives up to the claim of its name. Tool: Dust-Free Router Hood Shop Now  Manufacturer: Oneida MSRP:$34.95 While I appreciate the versatility and power of a handheld router, I often turn to other tools for its typical tasks, in large part because of the dust and noise a router creates. While it…

The best measure of success comes in the doing. I don’t know if I am alone in this matter, but I have to admit that quite often I consider myself a couch builder. Maybe you know the drill yourself. You sit on a couch and read a woodworking magazine not just to get inspired –…

Most of the time, the end vise on my workbench is more than adequate to secure workpieces between bench dogs. Occasionally, though, I need to work with thin wood at the front edge of the bench (such as when using a plow plane to groove small box sides). For this, I need a holding device…

A master craftsman’s method for making perfectly spaced drawers. I made this dresser for a client whose father designed and built similar furniture back in the 1950s. Its grid system is very modern looking, but getting all the spacing just right requires an old-fashioned, methodical approach to ensure that the case is square each step…

The new Marilla and Kinzua are great EDC knives for woodworkers. Tool: Marilla Shop Now and Kinzua Shop Now  Manufacturer: Case Knives MSRP:$164.99 (Marilla) & $139.99 (Kinzua) No tool in my shop gets more usage than my everyday carry (EDC) knife. I use it for opening packages, whittling, as a screwdriver, and prying tool, among…

Six great ideas for space-challenged woodworkers to get more out of their small shops.

Old glasses cases are great for protecting, containing and organizing small tools, scrapers and plane irons. I label the outside so I can see at a glance what’s inside each case. -John Rustan

Learn techniques for ‘shallow relief’ and ‘applied’ carvings. Have you ever been involved in something where you get completely absorbed in it? Where hours go by without realizing it? Those are the moments when you discover something you truly love. Within a month of taking classes from European Master Carver Konstantinos Papadakis, I knew carving…

When I rough out work on the band saw, I often find little pieces getting stuck in the throat insert or the split in the table. Also, I find that work can catch in the miter slot. So, I made an auxiliary table to solve these problems. I used a sheet of 1⁄4“ particleboard that…

One of the strops that I tried in my efforts to find a high-quality yet economic tool was the Lee Valley strop. (Read part 1 of the story here). This strop is made of plywood and comes with separate leather strips that need to be affixed to the paddle via pressure-sensitive adhesive tape. After trying…

Like most woodworkers, I never have enough clamps. Adding to a clamp collection is expensive, so when I needed some deep reach clamps, I made these auxiliary hardwood jaws. The jaws are mortised to slide on the clamp’s bar. You can make them whatever size you like. A stiff wood, like maple, is ideal. –William…

The critical parts are the fluid nozzle and air cap. As I have said many times, spray guns are pretty simple tools. By comparison, they aren’t any more difficult to use than a router. Still, there are a couple of critical parts you should be familiar with to get the best results. These are the…

In need of some quick lumber storage, I rummaged around my shop for a solution.  I discovered a length of PVC pipe left over from a plumbing job and cut it into three 12″ pieces. I also found some 1/2″ rope and cut it into three pieces, 5′ long.  I tied knots on the ends…

Find a piece with great design, such as this Stickley No. 79 bookcase, then make adjustments to the construction to better match your skill set.

Efficient storage is important in my garage shop, so after use, my assembly tables tip, fold, clamp and roll. Each table has one apron-mounted caster ($10 at a home center). I used two sheets of 3/4-in. plywood to make the tabletops and aprons and ordered the folding legs from Rockler. My tables are very stable…

Cost, time, and a spouse’s patience help determine the course of action. Editor’s note: This article was originally published in the November 2009 issue of Popular Woodworking.  It’s a dilemma nearly every woodworker must face. Whether you are a weekend warrior or a woodworking pro, eventually you will ask yourself, “Should I build or buy?”…

I made this rack so the finish on my small projects would dry without leaving marks. I cut strips off of a 3/4″ board with my tablesaw’s blade tilted 30 degrees. For each new strip, I just flipped the board and moved the fence over 1/2″ in. Then I glued the strips on a piece…

A perfect platform for teaching woodworking to kids. Woodworking safely with children requires a bench vise to hold stock securely. While stools can raise a child to the height of your workbench, there is nothing safer than having your feet firmly planted on the ground for activities that require physical strength. While most woodworking tools…

I use a portable circular saw to break down plywood and other sheet goods into manageable pieces before bringing them to the table saw for final sizing. I prefer to do the job on sawhorses rather than crouching on the floor. Unfortunately, you normally need three or four horses to provide enough support to prevent…

I use strops all the time to hone our many carving knives, our plane, and chisel blades, not to mention my pocket knife. Strops maintain our edges and gift them with pinnacle sharpness that lasts a long time. If you haven’t accidentally damaged your edge and need to use a more aggressive method of removing…

Tool: D8 Hand Saw Shop Now  Manufacturer: Bad Axe Toolworks MSRP:$395+ Making a good handsaw is difficult; making great handsaws at a production level seems darned near impossible. The D8 handsaws (based on the Disston D8 and Simonds No. 72) from Bad Axe Tool Works somehow invoke all of the best things about the golden…

How to choose a spray gun. A spray gun is a tool that turns a stain, paint, finish or other liquid material into a fine mist—a process called “atomization.” It then propels the liquid onto a work object. Spray guns vary in type and quality, but each is designed to produce the finest atomization possible…

Good Bye Garry I lost a friend and mentor recently, and the woodworking community has lost an icon. Garry Knox Bennett’s accolades are far more than can be mentioned in this article, but I’ll share a few: a 2004 Award of Distinction from the Furniture Society, he was a Fellow of the American Craft Council,…

A Forstner Bit can drill holes other bits only dream about. Forstner-style bits can go where no other drill bits dare. The reason is simple: A Forstner bit is rim-guided while other bits are center-point guided. That means you can use all or only part of the bit’s diameter to drill overlapped, angled or partial…

Expert craftsman Tom Donahey shares his plans for an essential tool to work green wood. Few woodworking experiences are as sweet as working wood that’s just been split from a recently felled tree. Green wood is much easier to shape with hand tools than wood that’s been dried. It has a special character–a pungent odor…

Tool: WD 5/P Wet-Dry Vac Shop Now  Manufacturer:Karcher MSRP:$199.99 Many woodworkers rely on vacuums for their dust collection needs around the shop. These tend to fall into two categories: common wet/dry vacs or much more expensive dedicated dust collector vacuums. The Karcher WD 5/P aims for the goldilocks category right in between those two camps….

Practical solutions to common plane problems. When a plane is working right, it can produce a silky-smooth surface that absolutely glistens. When it doesn’t work, you get an ugly surface covered with blemishes. The problem can be your sharpening, your technique, or the plane itself. Quite often, it’s the plane. These troubleshooting tips should go…

I have a humble number of bar and pipe clamps and no time or desire right now to build a dedicated clamp rack for them. Instead, I installed a standard closet bracket on my shop wall for the purpose. Now the clamps are centrally located and easily accessed. I hang the clamp head on the…

Learn how to stain pine with a few simple tricks. With the right technique, you can make this inexpensive wood look like a million bucks.

I don’t have a lathe, so when I need to make a cylindrical part, I do it by hand. Using this holding device, I can easily turn a square piece into a round piece using a hand plane—and you can, too. This jig is about as simple as it gets. It’s just a wide board…

A look into the larger-than-life. Sometimes inspiration comes from the strangest places. Take a tree stump bust and an inlay backgammon table for example. Two very different woodworking mediums that couldn’t be further apart, but for artist Michael Ferris it’s the original source of his unique sculptures. His father, who was Lebanese had a pair…

Tool: Plunge Cut Track Saw TS 55 FEQ-F-Plus Shop Now  Manufacturer: Festool Coming March 2022 Festool today announced the new Plunge Cut Track Saw TS 55 FEQ-F-Plus, an all-new model they claim cuts twice as fast as the older model. The next-generation saw features an ultra-thin saw blade, easy blade changes, and the usual Festool…

In my furniture repair shop, I repair a lot of chairs.  I’ve seen many DIY mistakes over the years that didn’t need to happen.  Repairing a chair with loose joints is a relatively easy project to tackle with a bit of knowledge.  I’m sharing my top 5 chair repair mistakes to avoid, so you can…

Bessey K-Blocks are great for holding K-clamps in position for glue-ups, but they’re also quite handy for other things. I milled hardwood strips the same dimensions as my K-clamps and use them to raise work pieces for stacked glue-ups. I also use the blocks and strips for pocket-hole assembly, so I don’t have to hang…

Ready-to-carve 3D images make it easy to produce finished machine carvings or hand tool ready roughouts. Creating stunning carved woodwork has never been easier with a CNC router. Think of all the creative possibilities for carvings: door panels, box lids, frieze boards, emblems, awards, artwork, signs or having your signature carved into the back of…

Following a Passion Two years ago, Steve Thomson fell in love with creating art, with wood as his medium. The graphic-designer-turned-marketing-director decided to steer his artistic passion toward the workshop. Beginning merely as a hobbyist, he created gift items like cutting boards and jewelry boxes, gradually learning enough to move up to quality furniture. However,…

In this last wrap-up entry of my four-part series on Dan Dargon’s Torii table I will show how Dan build the table’s drawer, applied finished, and finally assembled it all.  Read: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 With its grill-like front, Dan’s drawer is definitely an unconventional furniture part. But once we try to understand…

I found yet another use for my trusty speed squares. Just clamp one or two of them inside the corners of a cabinet when you’re gluing it up. This guarantees that the corners will be square.  –Charles Mak

What tools do you need to start your woodworking journey? “What tools should I buy first?” is one of the more common questions I get from friends who are getting started woodworking. When you look on YouTube, everyone (ourselves included) is using a fully decked-out shop with all the newest, fanciest tools out there, and…

For the cost of one large piece of machinery, you can set up a complete shop with hand tools. Here’s what you need to get started.

The right techniques and tools (plus a few tricks) will give you a good start on mastering this fine traditional joint. Dovetails have long been recognized as the premier joint for casework and drawers – and for good reason. They’re the strongest way to join the corners of a box, and they look great. However,…

This kitchen workhorse presents a surprising and rewarding challenge. A wooden spoon – you can get one for a dollar in many places. It’s just a stick with a hollow shaped at one end. Why go to any bother over such a thing? Use them to stir sauces, dole out rice and beans, then forget…

Hey! In our last episode of I Can Do That, we introduced the table saw. This time, we’re covering three table saw basics that will take your woodworking to the next level. We start by angling the blade. By angling the blade, you’ll be able to make bevels and chamfers that add a lot of…