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Yoav Liberman
Over the last 40 to 50 years, Pfeil (Swiss Made) has become a highly respected brand in the woodworking community, widely recognized as the benchmark for premium-quality carving tools. This Swiss manufacturer produces beautiful and practical carving gouges, knives, and mallets—renowned for their exceptional steel quality and ergonomic comfort. In the United States, Woodcraft has…
American Woodworker Editors
I collect all sorts of old tools. I figure that come the day when I need an unusual tool, I’ll have it, even if I only use it once. I’m still looking for the right opportunity to use my latest find, though. While walking through an outdoor flea market the other day, I was stopped…
Collin Knoff
Tool:M18 FUEL 7-1/4″ Circular Saw 2834-21HD Shop Now Manufacturer: Milwaukee MSRP: $449 (tool, 12ah battery and charger, framing blade, and bag) (Also available as 2834-20 bare tool) Don’t feel alarmed if you’re feeling a bit of deja vu; back in October I reviewed the new Milwaukee FUEL 6-1/2″ circular saw, and now that I have…
Logan Wittmer
Tool: M12 FUEL Brushless 18-Gauge Compact Brad Nailer 2541-20 Shop Now Manufacturer: Milwaukee MSRP: $249 (Bare Tool) I’ve been a slow converter to cordless power tools. However, with today’s advancement in batteries, you can do a heck of a lot with a fairly small battery. And, there’s something to be said for not having to…
Tool: ALPHA HW615 Band Saw Buy Now Manufacturer: Harvey MSRP:$3,399 A band saw is an invaluable tool in the shop. In fact, I know several extraordinary woodworkers that don’t even own a table saw, favoring a band saw instead. After seeing a few of the Harvey band saws in person at the IWF show in Atlanta,…
Tool: Gen II 18V One+ HP Compact Brushless Drill/Driver (PSBDD02K2) Buy Now Manufacturer: Ryobi MSRP: $139 (includes drill, two 1.5AH batteries, & charger) I have to confess this review is coming from a fairly biased space—the first generation ONE+ HP Compact Drill is probably my favorite drill I’ve ever owned. It was lightweight, powerful, perfectly balanced,…
Tool: 18V Brushless Colt Palm Router Kit (GKF18V-25PL14) Buy Now Manufacturer: Bosch MSRP: $399 (includes router, fixed base, plunge base, L-Boxx, 4ah 18v battery, charger, misc dust attachments) There is probably not a name more synonymous with compact routers than the Bosch Colt. For twenty years now, Bosch has been releasing compact routers under that moniker,…
Tool: 12″ Dual Bevel Sliding Miter Saw C3612DRAQ4 Buy Now Manufacturer: Metabo HPT MSRP: $629 In my shop I have fairly high standards for a miter saw. It must be a dual bevel compound of course. And zero clearance is a must. I also like something that can be plugged in or run off battery power….
Frank Klausz
Stop measuring and simply learn how to saw straight. The dovetail is an ancient joint widely used in cathedrals, barns and Egyptian furniture. It is the right joint for many items including fine furniture, carcases, drawers and jewelry boxes. They are all dovetailed together. I was only 27 years old when I came to this…
Devon Campbell is designing and building world-class tools from his shop in Queensland. Sometimes, the universe has a way of connecting the dots, whether you’re looking for it to or not. Back before the last Handworks Tool Show in the Amana Colonies, I was browsing some of the Facebook groups, seeing who was attending. Someone,…
No one can match Pfeil’s sharpening quality—Pfeil gouges arrive perfectly honed with ideal edge geometry. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case with the Chinese knockoffs I tested. Both straight gouges had longer corners than the middle flute, causing them to catch during carving. Here’s how I corrected the issue and gave them a proper edge. I…
Christopher Schwarz
Make your bench indispensable. Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the February 2004 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine. Christopher Schwarz has published numerous articles on workbenches since then, and his thoughts have evolved on some of the topics discussed here. Still, this is a good guideline for anyone looking to upgrade the workbench in…
Learn to set up and wield one of the most useful (and inexpensive) handplanes. Also check out: A primer on adjusting wooden planes. Kevin Drake, a furniture maker who trained under James Krenov, stood before his wonky-topped workbench one day many years ago and hesitated. His urge was to start flattening the benchtop by planing across…
Tool: Black 8″ Helical-Head Jointer JWJ-8HH-BLK Shop Now Manufacturer: Jet MSRP: $2499.99 The company JPW (Jet, Powermatic, Wilton) has a long, rich history of offering quality, well-built power tools. (Note the side of my vintage Powermatic Planer in the photo above—circa early 1980’s, still running like the day it was new). Jet recently released a…
Pop Wood Editors
Tool: WorkTunes Connect + Solar Shop Now Manufacturer: 3M MSRP: $169.99 Woodworkers all know the importance of PPE in the shop. Hearing protection has probably made the biggest advancements over the last several years. The addition of radios, Bluetooth, and connectivity into hearing protection has added a level of comfort in wearing them for hours…
Tool: Fortistrut-Q Shop Now Manufacturer: Fortis Clamp MSRP: $64.95 For years, the woodworking industry has relied on pipe clamps for large format glue ups. The idea behind this clamp is that you purchase the clamp ends, and supply whatever length of pipe you need. A new company, Fortis Clamp, has taken this same idea and…
Tool: No. 444 am Shop Now Manufacturer: Skunk Tool Works MSRP: $129 As a rule of thumb, if something doesn’t have multiple uses in my shop, I don’t generally keep it around. That even goes for hand tools. The new No. 444 dovetail marker from Skunk Tool Works is an adjustable dovetail marker that covers…
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