Archives

Cutting miters so they are ‘just right’ is a problem faced by all woodworkers. Here’s how to sneak up on the perfect miter with scrap wood and a plane. You find yourself in a quandary. To ensure [...]

When you know what you’re doing, chisels can be wonderfully helpful tools. If all you want to do with your chisels is adjust machine-cut joints or slice glue drips, any technique or tool will [...]

Discover a nearly extinct tool that can help you work faster and more accurately. As preposterous as the notion seems, the historical record suggests cabinetmakers working in dim shops with hand [...]

Discover what really matters when choosing a handsaw. You don’t have to be a saw maker to think about saws like one. Some of the most important decisions made when making a saw get surprisingly [...]

Most bench planes come equipped to eliminate tear-out. Handplanes are great tools for creating a smooth, finish-ready surface on a board without the dust and noise from a sander. If the board is [...]

An experiment uncovers cutting edges of the past. “How did they sharpen their tools back then?” I’ve asked this question myself and I have been asked the question, and I’ve never felt comfortable [...]

For this work, hand tools are better than power tools. Fitting butt hinges is exacting work. For precision, you might think that power tools are the way to go, but I always turn to a small set of [...]

Introduction In recent years, the market has seen an influx of high-end planes in the Bedrock style. Initially, Lie-Nielsen planes took the lead, followed by Clifton, and later the Chinese-made [...]

Chamfering an edge with a block plane is often easier, faster and safer than using a router or tablesaw—particularly on a small part. I do it so often that I’ve dedicated one of my planes for the [...]

Last week I showed how to modify — using only two copper shims — a tap wrench handle and turn it into a high torque handle to drive augers. This week I will show how to improve this wrench even [...]

If you like working with hand tools and enjoy timber framing, bushcraft, and other off-grid activities, your typical drilling device is a hand brace.  Since most modern hand braces have limited [...]

Additional reading: Check out Michael Dunbar’s Sharpening Method Here are some general thoughts and advice on sharpening, as well as answers to some frequently asked questions. Every shop [...]