Countersink first, drill the pilot hole second. That may sound backward, but it’s the easiest way to ensure a perfect countersink.

Traditionally, installing a planing stop on your bench involves a big square mortise and a recess for the stop to lay flush with the top when it’s not in use. I didn’t want to modify my bench that much, which is why the BT&C planing stop caught my eye.

I started my woodworking career 40 years ago shaving ladderback chairs based on the methods of Jennie Alexander as outlined in Make a Chair from a Tree. Green wood, split from straight-grained logs, aligns perfectly with drawknife work.

A few weeks ago Veritas tools (Lee Valley) released their most recent plane. The squirrel-looking plane (there are actually two versions of it: a limited edition stainless steel, and a continuous production cast iron) is by far one of the smallest planes around.

When WoodRiver announced its new socket chisels, I was very intrigued. Price-wise, these chisels fall into the intermediate range – $35-$45 for an individual chisel (depending on size). I picked up a 1⁄2“ chisel and a 3⁄4“ chisel to put through the paces. The chisels are ground from 100 CR-V steel and tempered to a…

When Erik Florip of Florip Toolworks announced that he would be offering a premium dovetail saw for $85, he immediately had my attention. At that price point, these saws are positioned well below other premiums saws, and just slightly above some very popular budget alternatives. This saw comes standard with a 16ppi rip filed 9″…

A while ago I blogged about a Breast Drill that I bought on eBay and restored. I also mentioned that it is hard to find a good quality drills with concealed gears on the market today. After I wrote the blog I found a supplier of drills who held (and still does) a few tools…

Tool: 18V LXT Brushless Cordless Compact Router Kit Manufacturer: Makita Price: $350, buy it here Trim routers are quickly becoming a standard item in cordless lineups. It’s hard to beat the convenience and portability. The Makita brings a lot of great features to the table with the 18V LXT, including both a fixed and plunge base…

Tool: Cyclonic Dust Collector Manufacturer: Powermatic Price: $3,000, buy it here It’s 2018, and if your dust collection doesn’t have a cyclone, you’re missing out. Several manufacturers have introduced all-in-one units that incorporate cyclones and HEPA filtration into a single footprint. The PM2200 adds to those important features with a proprietary automatic filter cleaner that runs when you…

Tool: Ultimate Coping Saw Manufacturer: Blue Spruce Toolworks Price: $325, buy it here Coping saws are a bit of a divisive subject among woodworkers. Some folks swear that their $3 coping saw from the hardware store has never let them down and the other camp has tried to engineer the tool to perfection. The Blue…

Tool: M18 FUEL Brushless Chain Saw Manufacturer: Milwaukee Tool Street Price: $400, buy it here I made the switch to battery-powered chainsaws for my tree service work in 2011 when pro-duty models first became available, and I never looked back. Battery power has replaced 2-stroke fuel on my jobs for all but the largest removals,…

A few weeks ago Veritas tools (Lee Valley) released their most recent plane. The squirrel-looking plane (there are actually two versions of it: a limited edition stainless steel, and a continuous production cast iron) is by far one of the smallest planes around.

When Erik Florip of Florip Toolworks announced that he would be offering a premium dovetail saw for $85, he immediately had my attention. At that price point, these saws are positioned well below other premiums saws, and just slightly above some very popular budget alternatives. This saw comes standard with a 16ppi rip filed 9″…