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While Flax Oil, Shellac, and Tung oil are all good transparent finishes for students, what if you want to cover up the appearance of the natural wood instead? Let’s remember the key [...]

After showcasing the two most popular finishes I work with as an educator—Flaxseed oil and Shellac—I’m excited to delve into another favored option: Tung oil. Tung oil and Walnut oil stand [...]

As I mentioned in the last article, I’ve experimented with a wide variety of finishes over the years as an educator and woodworker. This has helped me figure out what kinds of finish are [...]

As a woodworking teacher and a maker, I’ve tried almost every finish out there, perhaps short of Urushi. I’ve experimented with everything from oil and wax finishes to lacquer, [...]

My son is seven years old, and so far, I have tried to refrain from proselytizing woodworking to him. My hypothesis, at least for now, is that the love for woodworking should come naturally and [...]

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 [...]

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. [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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, [...]

I was first introduced to branch hooks and their organic beauty while reading Peter Follansbee’s excellent article on the subject in Popular Woodworking magazine. Peter showed how to turn a [...]