Archives

Here are four profiles that will change your woodworking life. Every woodworking shop has a few vital tools that are absolute necessities. And whether you have a strict power-only tool policy or [...]

Forget the lathe; a router table setup makes quick work of these striking architectural features. If you want to add a little punch to your next traditional furniture project, try adding quarter [...]

Whether I’m working in the shop, remodeling or performing routine maintenance around the house, I am in constant need of a sturdy, lightweight worktable. The most popular one for, oh, the past [...]

When I was a kid, the first saw I bought was a Craftsman coping saw with a chrome frame and red-stained handle. For years I did everything with that saw – crosscuts, rips, curves and even joints. [...]

Tips and techniques for beautiful bowties Furniture made from thick wood slabs, with gorgeous grain and natural edges, at once rustic and refined, has remained popular ever since George Nakashima [...]

With a router, straight bit and plywood scrap, turn a weak joint into a superhero of strength. One of the strongest joints in woodworking is a properly fit mortise-and-tenon and the opposite in [...]

A Backer Board Prevents Chip-Out Chip-out is always an issue when you even up the stiles and rails of a door with a plane. If you plane all the way across the door, from one end to the other, [...]

A trip to the hardware store yields clamps that put the bend in inlay. Inlaid bandings are a time-honored technique to embellish furniture, as are curves. Combining the two is surely a way to [...]

  Discover how and why this age-old hide glue technique works – and works best. One of the great hurdles for many woodworkers new to traditional craftsmanship is applying veneers to a wooden [...]

Choosing and using this must-have measuring and layout tool. In 1878, Laroy S. Starrett designed and patented the combination square. His invention was a multi-purpose layout and measuring tool [...]

As I’ve explained many times in Popular Woodworking, you can achieve a near-perfect finish using a rag or brush: You can apply a wipe-on/wipe-off finish such as oil, wiping varnish or gel [...]

1. Paraffin Lube When you rout a dovetail joint, your sense of feel is important. Your router should slide easily around the jig’s fingers, without hesitating, so you can tell which [...]