All levels of finishing are burdened with myths, but the types of finishes used by amateurs and sold in home centers and woodworking stores suffer the most. Myths about polyurethane are a good example of the problem.

This traditional finish can be tricky to apply. Editor’s note: The staff at Popular Woodworking received the news of Bob Flexner’s passing in December 2024 with heavy hearts. Bob was renowned for his expertise in wood finishing, and his contributions have significantly transformed our approach to woodworking. His landmark book, “Understanding Wood Finishing”, has sold…

By combining paint, metal leaf, and some chemical reactions, you can create interesting effects on a variety of surfaces. Creating a Patina finish can transform any object into a work of art. I have used these methods for over 3 decades with excellent results. My art pieces have sold for thousands of dollars and won…

Stop measuring and simply learn how to saw straight. The dovetail is an ancient joint widely used in cathedrals, barns and Egyptian furniture. It is the right joint for many items including fine furniture, carcases, drawers and jewelry boxes. They are all dovetailed together. I was only 27 years old when I came to this…

Learn to set up and wield one of the most useful (and inexpensive) handplanes. Also check out: A primer on adjusting wooden planes. Kevin Drake, a furniture maker who trained under James Krenov, stood before his wonky-topped workbench one day many years ago and hesitated. His urge was to start flattening the benchtop by planing across…

Basic steps for beautiful joints. Dovetails. They get put on a pedestal as a sign of quality. And while not every project or furniture style warrants them, I enjoy sitting down, listening to an audiobook, and cutting them by hand. Once you break down dovetails into a series of basic steps, I think you’ll find…

Not too big, not too small. This chest is a handy size for a basic set of tools. Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the June 2009 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine. It’s the modern joiner’s dilemma. An old house over in the next county has missing mouldings on the mantel, a kicked-in panel…

This joint adds strength and beauty to any corner. And it’s easier to cut than you might suspect. I first saw this joint illustrated in “The Encyclopedia of Furniture Making,” by Ernest Joyce (Sterling). I was fascinated by the complexity of it and for years wished I could cut them myself. When I finally cut…

One of the most popular projects my students ask to build is a sword. Alongside boatmaking or crafting a gnome house, swordmaking has become one of the signature fourth-grade projects we do once the required curriculum is complete. I tailor each sword’s complexity to the student’s skill level. Most are based on the Roman form,…

When using my miter saw, I’ve found that the easiest way to sneak up on a line is to use a stack of sticky notes. First, set a stop block to cut your part slightly oversize (1/16″ is plenty). Attach a thin pile of sticky notes to the stop block, make a cut, and then…

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…

The next time you use your jigsaw, forget about hauling out the sawhorses or cantilevering a hard-to-hold workpiece off your bench. Extruded polystyrene insulation board, the rigid pink sheets used in housing construction, makes sawing easy, whether you’re cutting a small piece of hardwood or a full sheet of plywood. During the cut, the workpiece…

Make a habit of applying finish to end grain first. Why? It’s all about avoiding drip shadows.    Sounds creepy, doesn’t it? Here’s the deal: let’s say you’re finishing a top. You’re merrily brushing the first coat of finish back and forth on the top’s surface, and some finish happens to drip down an edge,…

When faced with the task of refinishing a large, heavy oak door, I wanted to complete the job as quickly as possible by being able to work on both faces of the door without having to wait for one side to dry. To solve the problem, I began by drilling a 1⁄2“-diameter hole in the…

Have you ever tried to use varnish from a skinned-over, half-used can? Even if you remove the skin carefully, lumps of dried finish get mixed in with the remaining varnish and eventually end up on your project. But don’t throw the stuff away—there’s an easy way to get clean varnish from a used can. Just…

Tool: Tooley Park Big Compass Kit Shop Now  Manufacturer: Tooley Park MSRP: £150.00 ($201.50) A few issues ago, Popular Woodworking shared a set of scribers from a company in the UK called Tooley Park. Tooley Park recently released a new tool called their “Big Compass” tool. You can see this in the photo above. The big…

Tool:Drill Press Protractor Shop Now  Manufacturer: Woodpeckers MSRP: $69.99 Over the last several years, I’ve started to become interested in machinist tools and practices. One of the things that fascinates me is the precision that is required in many machining operations. I’ve started to apply those principles to my woodworking, and have seen a noticeable…

  These furniture maker’s symbols are an international language. They have been used for generations because they’re easy to make and easy to understand. A board’s working face and edge are the surfaces that all measurements are taken from. This dates back to when boards where planed by hand. You couldn’t count on every side…