Once you get serious about sharpening, two things happen. Your edges get keener but you get more confused about the “grits” used in the process. A #1,000-grit waterstone isn’t [...]
We’ve spent a week or two in the blog discussing dovetails. Not wanting to pass up an opportunity to share a story (and not knowing when this chance may surface again), here’s my tale [...]
Editor’s note: The following is the second part of a three-part series on cutting through dovetails with a combination of hand and power tools. The first part, which involves the pin board, [...]
Last fall, we announced our $15,000 “All-Star Workshop Giveaway” sponsored by Franklin Adhesives, Porter-Cable, Delta Machinery and Lee Valley Tools. That’s our publisher, Steve [...]
I know I’m not the only woodworker who has trouble completing projects. I’m pretty sure I’m not the worst, but I suspect I may be in the top 10. It’s not easy to get [...]
When I first started working at Popular Woodworking magazine, we’d sometimes have summer interns help out, and they were almost always female and working on a staff that was (at the time) [...]
So I’m cutting this 4 foot long dado, running my plane against a nailed on fence, and guess where stupid puts the nails. I didn’t want to sink the nail, because it might hit the bench [...]
First, grab a long piece of wood, and chop it in half (5″ wide is a good place to start and at least 6″ long after cutting , you’ll need plenty of clamping real estate). Pine is [...]
This is what I’m building (click the picture to enlarge): This is a joinery plan. It defines what joints go where. Period craftsmen would not have drawn such a thing. You’ll see [...]
I wrote to you about the English Method because I want you to try it. But I wouldn’t go plugging the hold fast holes in your bench top just quite yet. All of the images of 18th and early [...]
A sharp, balanced and well-set handsaw is the difference between avoiding handsawing and looking for excuses to pick up the tool. While it is noble to resuscitate vintage saws and put them back [...]
After posting the first two parts of “Evolution” I received a few letters and calls asking why I moved from woodworking, my passion, into teaching then to a full-time position with [...]