A few months ago, I restored a tall case of drawers in green. While the piece was not old, antique, or of substantial emotional value, it was still quite practical...
Quick inspections reveal much about a piece’s age and possible origin. A while back, my wife and I were visiting friends who wanted to show us their collection of antique...
When sawdust got packed into the back end of my planer’s blast gate, I couldn’t close the gate all the way. I solved this annoying problem by cutting a notch...
Tighter Corner Joints Ahead Dadoes and, rabbets are two of the most widely used cabinetmaking joints. Cabinet carcasses, drawer boxes and jewelry boxes all lend themselves to this simple but...
Difficult glue-ups are troublesome enough without having to position clamp pads as part of the process. I’ve tried using hot-melt glue, double-sided tape and various other methods to hold pads...
A sure-fire recipe for turning any wood deep black. Remember the old ad slogan, “better living through chemistry”? When it comes to turning wood black—a process called ebonizing—I prefer the...
I usually work alone, but when I install upper cabinets, I always enlist the help of two shop-made cabinet jacks. They’re steadier than an extra pair of hands. The jacks...
A tenon should be one-third the thickness of a rail—at least, that’s what an old rule of thumb recommends. A 3/4″ board should have 1/4″ tenons, for example. But what...
Having lived in our house for over three years now, we’ve had to make some difficult decisions about our trees. Unfortunately, we had to fell a few trees upon moving...
Delve into the characteristics and properties of the 7 families of glue and adhesives. OK, so you consider yourself a woodworker. Let’s say that your neighbor asks you what appears...
While I was gluing up the pedestals for an oak desk, I realized I needed a way to hold the sides parallel at the front. Three Quick-Grip clamps and a...
This time-tested joint is perfect for knockdown furniture. This bedstead I’m building is a perfect place to use a joint that I rarely cut: the wedged, through-mortise and tenon. I...
