Archives

Cool Tip for Changing Sanding Sleeves Changing the sanding sleeves on a spindle sander can be as tough as removing an old rusty bolt. Next time, try this trick: Put the drum in your freezer for [...]

A toolmaker I met at WIA, Tim Manney, showed me something interesting that got me thinking again about visual alignment. Tim makes a tapered reamer for chairmaking. It’s a unique tool that serves [...]

Note: If you missed my first post on this magazine stand, you might like to begin here. I may be overly fond of pattern routing, because any time I have more than one identical part, I [...]

Glove Finger Chisel Protectors My Chisels used to get dull and rusty rattling around in my toolbox. No more! I found a clever way to protect them. I cut the fingers off some old leather work [...]

Photographer Narayan Nayar shot me a look of disdain – perhaps the first time I’ve ever been on the receiving end of that particular facial contortion. “I just can’t believe you guys are being [...]

The inimitable Peter Follansbee delivered the keynote address at the Friday evening dinner. I suspect that many of you who were at Woodworking in America 2013 are, like me, still wading through [...]

My work is often engaging both mentally and physically.  Because of this, I find it difficult to detach myself from the project at the end of the day. I just stare into space, unable to really [...]

Vintage hand tools can be a terrific addition to anyone’s toolbox.  Check out Ron Herman’s DVD “Buying & Restoring Hand Tools” today and learn the best ways to assess, [...]

Prescription Safety Glasses   Q: I hate fumbling with goggles over my prescription glasses, so I’ve given up. Don’t regular glasses protect my eyes well enough in the workshop? A: No. Normal [...]

Turning Bocce Balls By Alan Lacer Freehand turning of a near perfect wooden sphere without flat spots or bumps is a wonderful challenge for a turner.Whether it’s for croquet, furniture [...]

Rigid Routing Sled A routing sled is a great help when coping the ends of rails and stiles. But I had a problem when I built my first sled. The pressure from the toggle clamp caused the [...]

Once you are able to rip your eyes off of H.O. Studley’s magnificent tool chest, you can spend almost as much time looking at the benchtop and vises of the Massachusetts piano maker. On Monday, [...]