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Working wood is a labor of love for me. I admire the trees that provide this unique and ever-changing resource. I love the tools that allow us to shape lumber into objects of beauty and use. I [...]

Among the smoothing planes that Stanley Works made (which includes the Nos. 1 to 4), the company sold far more No. 4s than any other size, according to Stanley collectors. That was my rationale [...]

Use a bandsaw, not a tablesaw. It’s not good shop practice to rip a board less than 12 in. long on the tablesaw because it may kick back at you.

Woodworking tool design progresses slowly. While it’s easy to state that today we have some of the best woodworking tools ever, the designs haven’t changed much. I mean, when a manufacturer [...]

For me, the goal with my smoothing plane is to set it up so I can ignore the grain direction of a board or a glued-up panel. There are many valid ways to do this. For most woodworkers I know, …

I’m the weirdo who counts the number of steps and hand motions it takes me to brew a cup of coffee. And I’m always looking for ways to shave away a few minutes here and there from my routine [...]

At ShopWoodworking.com, sure, you’ll find all the woodworking magazines, books, videos and webinars we produce. But ShopWoodworking.com is also your one-stop woodworking shop for many of the best [...]

In the June 2015 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine (which should be landing in subscriber mailboxes any day now if you’ve not already received it) I chose as “highly [...]

I am often asked: “Why should I purchase a jointer or planer?” My answer is always the same: “Get yourself a jointer first, then think about a planer.” The reason is that in many cases, the [...]

Don’t ya just hate those woodworkers who seemingly pick up and master new skills effortlessly? (A certain Village Carpenter and Heritage Woodworker come to my mind.) This type of person is truly [...]

The last woodworking book that had me reading cover to cover was “Is it Genuine.” Here’s another that had me doing the same: “Time, Taste and Furniture,” by John [...]

I like McDonald’s. It’s not haute cuisine, but I like it. One of the things that makes me like McDonald’s is that whether I order my Sausage McMuffin with Egg and an extra hash [...]