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My eldest niece, Carolina, was where the whole idea began. It was great to start with her for several reasons. My wife Rhonda and I are her godparents, and we babysat with her numerous times when [...]

Blue Spruce Toolworks has just introduced a new 16 oz. square-head joiner’s mallet with a resin-impregnated head, which makes the mallet nigh-indestructible. This little guy ($95) is similar to [...]

In a continuation of selecting my favorite articles from the issues of 2013 (read part 1 here), below covers the August (issue #205) through December (issue #208) for the year. My hands-down [...]

I am the proud father of two boys. These little guys – not too little anymore – have been the pride of my life since my wife and I first found out that we were expecting more than 16 years …

Sooner or later into every woodworker’s life stiles and rails must fall. And, unless you leave them square, you’re going to have to deal with sticking. You know what sticking is, [...]

Last summer I built a workbench that was as close to the bench shown in A.-J. Roubo’s plate 11 as I could manage. While I still have three details to add to my bench (a drawer, a tool rack and …

Spray-On Crackle Finish   Q: Is it possible to get a crackle finish in a pigmented, water-based lacquer that is applied with an HVLP spray gun? If so, please tell me how. A: Yes, it can be [...]

Glue & Clamps A dry run is the key to a hassle-free glue-up. By Ian Kirby Everything looked good, until you added glue and clamps. Then the wood began to slip and slide, you scrambled for [...]

In the coming weeks (and months), we’ll have a great deal more  to share about Woodworking in America 2014, but for now, know this: Dates: Sept. 12-14, 2014 Location: Winston-Salem, N.C. [...]

IKEA hacking – buying furniture kits (sometimes charming, sometimes not) from the Swedish mega-retailer IKEA, then altering the kits to create your own designs (sometimes charming, sometimes [...]

Steel Wool Holder I came up with this idea because I often use steel wool, bronze wool, and synthetic-steel wool. I attach the hook part of adhesive-backed, hook-and-loop strips to a piece of [...]

Splitter for Narrow Pieces   Q:   How can I avoid burn marks when ripping thin strips?       A:   Add a splitter to your zero-clearance throat plate. A splitter [...]