The Smell of the Afterlife

When a workbench leaves a workshop, the results can be sad. I’ve seen perfectly good workbenches transformed into plant stands in a hallway. I’ve seen them as displays for pottery. [...]

A Complicated Delivery

Getting large, heavy things into the shop can be quite a challenge. While we have a loading dock just through the back shop doors (the “barn doors” featured on many Popular [...]

The Lie-Nielsen ‘Planing Arm’

For the Lie-Nielsen fan who has everything, you might consider getting a Lie-Nielsen tattoo for the arm that pushes your bronze and ductile iron beauties. Casual Lie-Nielsen fans can purchase the [...]

More Hammer Tricks

You can do fancy things with a hammer and the right nails. And lately, I’ve been doing a lot of practicing with cut nails for a series of projects I’m working on that feature nails [...]

The Best Uncle in the World?

Reader James Carpenter is trying to put together a list of tools to purchase as a gift for his 6-year-old nephew. Man I wish I’d had an uncle like him. The best present I got from an uncle [...]

First Look: Lie-Nielsen Panel Gauge

I’ve had a vintage panel gauge for many years, and I’ve hated every minute of our relationship. The beam flops around in the head, no matter how Conan you go on the thumbscrew. And so [...]

Mortise Machine Mortises

I cannot imagine the number of mortise-and-tenon joints I’ve cut throughout the years. One of the pieces of furniture I’ve built numerous times, a Shaker Sewing Desk, has 55 of these [...]

An Up-close Look at Ming Dynasty Pieces

Publisher Steve Shanesy recently had the good fortune to tour a private collection of museum-quality Ming Dynasty furniture and artwork, and even got to pick up some up some of the pieces and [...]

I Took You For a Joint Stool

This circa 1670 joint stool is from Wallace Nutting’s “Furniture Treasury.” I’ve been reading a bit of Shakespeare lately (everyone should have a hobby, no?), and in [...]

Stuff We Used to Throw Away

Woodworking can be a wasteful process. If you cut down a tree for lumber, most of the it ends up on the forest floor or in a wood chipper. Less than 25% will be sent to the mill. More material …

Plastic Marries Wood in a New Mallet

Plastic mallets can be highly durable, but they always look like plastic. Wooden mallets look great, but they sure get beat up after a few years of use. Now Dave Jeske at Blue Spruce Toolworks [...]

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