Even an ordinary kitchen tool can be beautiful. If you’re looking for an easy-to-make gift for someone who loves to cook, here it is: a custom-made rolling pin. There’s something about this [...]
Specialty hardware can be really annoying. Take the T-bolt—it’s essential for attaching anything to a T-track, but where can you buy one at a moment’s notice? Hardware stores don’t carry T-bolts, [...]
Research gives names to unknown artisans. David Rowley, Freegift Wells, Amos Stewart, Orren Haskens, Eli Kidder…ever hear of these guys? They were Shaker cabinetmakers, the names behind one [...]
Working with these traditional hinges takes a bit of old-fashioned ingenuity. High-quality butt hinges are handsome and durable for furniture and built-in cabinet doors. If you’re in the business [...]
There are only four categories, so it’s easy. There are probably more myths surrounding furniture polishes than any other single aspect of wood finishing. What makes this topic confusing are the [...]
Pegboard isn’t just for walls—it’s perfect for organizing stuff wherever you need to store it. I’ve bolted a piece of perfboard to the end of my table saw’s extension table to hold all the [...]
Turn a closet into a hiding place with a basic bookcase, trimmed to match the room. The alluring nature of secret rooms has captivated my imagination for as long as I can remember. Growing up, my [...]
Tool: DCW600 Router Manufacturer: DeWalt Price: $179 (bare tool) As power tools all go cordless, it’s especially nice to be able to lose the cord on a router. Going cordless really is a step [...]
Learn how to adjust non-adjustable butt hinges here. Fixed or loose pin? In many cases the choice will depend on the style in which you’re working, but generally speaking, a loose-pin hinge makes [...]
Tool: Jobsite Saw Pro Manufacturer: SawStop Price: $1400 SawStop released the first version of their portable table saw about five years ago. Packaging their flesh-sensing blade brake technology [...]
Tool: Fisch Wave Cutter Forstner Bits (Amazon Link) Manufacturer: Fisch Tools Cost: $380 (16 piece set) My collection of Forstner bits was cobbled together over the years. I started with [...]
When making repetitive cuts, I found that my stop block would shift. With a hardwood cutoff, a leftover piece of T-track, a 1/4–20 hex head bolt and a jig knob, I constructed a stop block that [...]