Now that Thanksgiving is over and all of my pants seemed to have shrunk, it’s time to get back to work. I made a quick SketchUp model of the traveling tool chest that I’ve decided to [...]
A reader thought he remembered my cautioning against applying paste wax over water-based finish or latex paint. His memory was that I had said that paste wax could damage these coatings. This is [...]
When both edges of your slab are “live edge” you can’t rely on them for crosscutting or sawing off accurate miters. This is because tucking a live edge against the fence of a crosscut sled will [...]
A common question is: “How can I know if the wood I’m using is going to blotch when I apply a stain or finish?” This question comes up most often when finishing cherry, which has become a very [...]
There are dozens of ways to drill dog holes that dead-nuts plumb, and I’ve written about many of them during the last 17 years. My favorites use the fewest tools and jiggery – not everyone has a [...]
I can finally put a tick next to something that’s long been on my “to do” list: Learn how to build a Welsh stick chair. With all that’s going on with my house right now (I just [...]
I travel a lot. Between trips to see my family a few hours away or taking a boat out in whichever lake is calling my name, I don’t spend many weekends at home. That’s OK with me, but [...]
A few weeks ago I made a post about the new Maslow CNC. In case you missed it, the two things that make it remarkable are the design (vertical and compact) and the price of just $500. It comes in [...]
Getting all four feet of a chair or table in the same plane can be a challenge. What makes the task more difficult is that it can be difficult to figure out when you are done with the job of …
Jim Tolpin just let me know that the Port Townsend School of Woodworking, located at Fort Worden State Park in Port Townsend, Wash., is looking for a new executive director (Tim Lawson, who has [...]
We’re always looking for ways to improve the grip of the vises on our workbenches. During the last decade I’ve discussed how to use suede or adhesive-backed cork to improve a vise’s gripping [...]
There are a few ways to cut a waterfall miter on the table saw. To determine which way suits you best, you first need to determine whether your furniture is built from a slab where both edges are [...]