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Difficult glue-ups are troublesome enough without having to position clamp pads as part of the process. I’ve tried using hot-melt glue, double-sided tape and various other methods to hold pads [...]

These simple shop-made helpers will make marking less of a chore. Marking out dovetails for hand cutting goes much easier with these helpers. Held in place while hooked over the end of a board, [...]

Small logs from a local downed tree are a great windfall of free lumber for small projects. They’re easy to saw into boards on the band saw once you have established a couple flat reference [...]

I wanted to rout some shelf dados, but I didn’t have the correct-size bit for the job. Fortunately, my dad stopped by and, as usual, had the answer to my problem. We cobbled up a couple L-shaped [...]

Like most planers, mine snipes, overcutting a bit at both ends of a board. Sometimes I’ll simply cut off the sniped areas if I can afford the extra board length. However, with precious woods, [...]

Find a piece with great design, such as this Stickley No. 79 bookcase, then make adjustments to the construction to better match your skill set.

Cost, time, and a spouse’s patience help determine the course of action. Editor’s note: This article was originally published in the November 2009 issue of Popular Woodworking.  It’s a [...]

In my work as a luthier, I sand a lot of curved surfaces. I’ve found that I can make perfect sandpaper backing pads from “kneeling cushions” sold for garden work. Available at home-supply stores [...]

Tradition meets technology when we marry an 18th-century workbench design with modern laminated veneer lumber. Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the November 2009 issue of [...]

Ladders form the base of this knockdown desk —     simple steps to a higher education in woodworking. Editor’s Note: Hunter Lang was a high school senior when he completed this article for [...]

Veneer is just thin wood – so don’t be afraid of it. I love repairing old furniture – the older the better. I find repairing more challenging and satisfying than making new because someone else, [...]

Online Extras from the November 2009 issue include a video tour of Megan's LVL Workbench, the 3D Google SketchUp Model of Megan's LVL Workbench, the 3D Google SketchUp model of the Knockdown [...]