We’re interviewing makers from across the country. Today we’re featuring Barry Dima, a woodworker from North Dakota. How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? My dad was Norm Abrams devotee and my mom’s dad was a jack of all trades, so tools and wood were always in the air for me growing…

We’re interviewing makers from across the country. Today we’re featuring Sylvie Rosenthal, an artist and designer from Wisconsin. How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? Woodworking found me pretty early in life. When I was five, I started hammering nails into pieces of wood with my grandfather when he would visit. Soon…

Buy Tickets Here: Woodworking in America 2024. We have a very exciting announcement to make: Woodworking in America is returning this fall! We’ve put together a top-notch group of presenters and an amazing venue right in our home base of Des Moines, IA. The October 11 & 12, 2024 event will be hosted jointly by…

We’re interviewing makers from across the country. Today we’re featuring Ed Cardona, a soon-to-be full-time woodworker from New Jersey. How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? As a youngster I always loved building model cars and airplanes. The process of taking all of those small plastic parts and having them come together…

We’re interviewing makers from across the country. Today we’re featuring Eden Klinger, a furniture maker and designer from Louisiana. How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? Woodworking didn’t really enter into the picture for me until 2020. My partner and I had been wanting to start keeping chickens for a while, and…

We’re interviewing makers from across the country. Today we’re featuring Autumn T. Thomas, a wood sculpture artist from Colorado. How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? My journey as a wood sculpture artist was a bit of a surprise to me. After finishing graduate school at the University of the Arts, having…

We’re interviewing makers from across the country. Today we’re featuring Alexis Dolese, a furniture maker and woodworking instructor from Montana. How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? I grew up in a family of woodworkers. My dad, Tom Dolese, has had a fine furniture business for over 30 years and my mom,…

We’re interviewing makers from across the country. Today we’re speaking with Jess Hirsch about Fireweed Community Woodshop in Minneapolis, Minnesota. How did Fireweed Community Woodshop get started? Were there certain people that inspired its creation? Fireweed Community Woodshop started as a DIY project in 2017 called Women’s Woodshop and after burnout running an LLC, a…

We’re interviewing makers from across the country. Today we’re featuring Chris Davis, a shop teacher at Henry Ford II high school in Michigan.  How did you get started woodworking?  I got started in woodworking at a young age with my dad. He was always building something, and I learned a lot of the basics from…

We’re interviewing makers from across the country. Today we’re featuring Lee Scheffey, a spoon carver from New Hampshire.  How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? I came to green woodworking by necessity, with a need to ground myself in my humanness and the interconnected expansiveness found in wood. As a child, I…

We’re interviewing makers from across the country. Today we’re featuring Amanda Ewing, a luthier from Tennessee.  I was chosen by my path not so long ago. Thanks to all of the twists, turns, and detours along the way, lutherie is where I find myself now. It is at times difficult for me to forget the…

We’re interviewing makers from across the country. Today we’re featuring Sammy D, a woodworker and entrepreneur from Connecticut.  How did you get started woodworking? I began about eight or nine years ago when my (now)ex-husband bought a fixer-upper and, oh man, did we learn just how much of a fixer-upper it was! We laugh about…

We’re interviewing makers from across the country. Today we’re featuring Trey Lord, a woodworker and entrepreneur owner from Washington, D.C.  How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? Honestly just kind of picked it up, and never had a single mentor that I could name. I learned some here and there as a…

We’re interviewing makers from all 50 states. Today we’re featuring Nadia Dugger, a woodworker and small business owner from Oklahoma.  How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? A little background about me: I grew up in Kharkiv, Ukraine. At 10 (in 1999) my parents moved our family to Vancouver Canada, and in…

We’re interviewing makers from all 50 states. Today we’re featuring Astrid Beatriz, an artist and woodcarver from Oregon. How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? My husband, Brent, is a trained luthier (he builds guitars) and graduated from Minnesota Technical University. I initially used chalk pastels as my artistic medium. My husband…

We’re interviewing makers from all 50 states. Today we’re featuring Terry Streetman, a sustainability-focused woodworker from Nebraska. How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? I got started with woodworking relatively recently, back in early 2019 when my wife Emily and I bought our first house. I had always been interested in the…

We’re interviewing makers from all 50 states. Today we’re featuring Meggan Smith, a woodworker and small-business owner from Kansas. How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? My woodworking career began with a patio project with my husband. He is very handy and decided to take on the project ourselves, which involved a…

We’re interviewing makers from all 50 states. Today we’re featuring Erin Bell, a woodworker and small-business owner from Vermont. How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? About 5 years ago I left my job and started working on some residential construction projects with my father. On a whim, I decided to enroll…

We’re interviewing makers from all 50 states. Today we’re featuring Curtiss “Buck” Carr, a woodworker currently interning at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking in Indiana. How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? I started woodworking by doing general DIY projects with my dad. We would always spend our Saturday mornings watching…

We’re interviewing makers from all 50 states. Today we’re featuring Stephan Cheney a Lakota woodworker of the Kul Wicasa Oyate in South Dakota. He currently lives in the Wiyot Territory in California. How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? My initial introduction into woodworking came by way of a relatively short but…

We’re interviewing makers from all 50 states. Today we’re featuring Richie Robinson, a grad student from Hawaii. How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? I can’t recall exactly how I got started though from an early age I always enjoyed creating with my hands (I loved doing origami when I lived in…

We’re interviewing makers from all 50 states. Today we’re featuring Katie Williams, a woodworker from South Carolina. How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? I️ was originally interested in doing historical preservation, but felt I️ needed to invest in learning how to do the work, not just read and write about it….

We’re interviewing makers from all 50 states. Today we’re featuring Milton Mizell, a box builder from Florida. How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? Growing up, I watched my super handy Dad build all sorts of things with his hands. He was a “tool junkie” and a jack-of-all-trades. I marveled at his…

We’re interviewing makers from all 50 states. Today we’re featuring Larissa Huff, a maker and woodworking instructor from Pennsylvania. How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? Like so many traditional craftspeople before me, I started woodworking by answering a Craigslist ad. After college, I moved to a new city and was in…

We’re interviewing makers from all 50 states. Today we’re featuring Sophie Glenn, a furniture maker and metalworker from Mississippi.  How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? I became very interested in furniture making about 10 years ago while I was a student at SUNY Purchase College. Though Dennis Fitzgerald (my woodworking professor)…

We’re interviewing makers from all 50 states. Today we’re featuring Elizabeth Spotswood Spencer, an artist from North Carolina.  How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? While I was at art school, studying drawing and painting, I took a woodworking course. Immediately, I was drawn to building and using my hands in a…

We’re interviewing makers from all 50 states. Today we’re featuring Loni LaCour, a designer and woodworker from Missouri.  How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? It’s an interesting story. I had never thought I would make a career or even a hobby out of woodworking. My father was a carpenter and worked…

We’re interviewing makers from all 50 states. Today we’re featuring Taryn Pratt, a full-time DBA and part-time woodworker from Arizona. How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? While I’ve always been enamored with the smell of wood, woodworking is a very recent adventure for me. A few years ago, during our DIY…

We’re interviewing makers from all 50 states. Today we’re featuring Richard Smith, a woodworker from New York. How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? It was only 3 years ago – I was moving into a new apartment with my girlfriend in Brooklyn and she would not stop showing me furniture that…

We’re interviewing makers from all 50 states. Today we’re featuring Paola Jiménez, a mixed-media and resin artist from Arkansas. How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? I have a friend who works with wood and I’d watch how he made kitchen cabinets. I wanted to make furniture on my own so from…

We’re interviewing makers from all 50 states. Today we’re featuring Aspen Golann, an artist and furniture maker from Massachusetts. How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? I didn’t start woodworking until a few months before my 30th birthday. I have always been an artist and a maker but never a woodworker and…

We’re interviewing makers from all 50 states. Today we’re featuring Peter Griffin, a furniture maker from Ohio. How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? Woodworking for me was born out of a desire to do something different. I am an accountant by profession. Although it is a profitable business, when you close…

We’re interviewing makers from all 50 states. Today we’re featuring Baboucarr Faal, a woodworker and philanthropist from Virginia. How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? As someone who studied Engineering, my 9-5 isn’t remotely close to working with my hands or creating. Woodworking has given me that outlet to pursue my desire…

We’re interviewing makers from all 50 states. Today we’re featuring Char Miller-King, a woodshop educator from Georgia. How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? I am a self-taught maker. My first project was a platform bed that I made in 2003 with a borrowed drill and battery-powered screwdriver. My bed was inspired…

We’re interviewing makers from all 50 states. Today we’re featuring Jess Crow, an epoxy/wood artist from Alaska. How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? I entered the woodworking field by accident. I wanted a coffee table for my bedroom, and I couldn’t afford one. I found some free dunnage and had just…

We’re interviewing makers from all 50 states. Today we’re featuring Jenny Boles, a woodworker from Kentucky.  How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? I have always had a love for building and creating things, even as a young child. As a little girl I would wander off into the woods by our…

We’re interviewing makers from all 50 states. Today we’re featuring Massood and Sasha Nouri, a father-daughter woodturning duo from Washington.  How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? My father spent his childhood in Iran and was inspired by his big brother. When he was only seven, his brother gave him several old…

We’re interviewing makers from all 50 states. Today we’re featuring Angela Hollis, a carpenter from Alabama.  How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? My greatest influence in becoming a maker and builder was my grandfather who taught me from the time I was 5 years old that it didn’t matter if I…

We’re interviewing makers from all 50 states. Today we’re featuring Anika Gandhi, a DIYer and woodworker from California.  How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? I got started with woodworking about 8 years ago when I was looking for fun toddler furniture for my 18-month-old. The online trail quickly led me down…

We’re interviewing makers from all 50 states. Today we’re featuring Darryl Dunn, a furniture maker from Texas who specializes in reclaimed lumber. How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? 6 years ago, My best friend introduced me to repurposing shipping pallets. For the next three years I taught myself woodworking. Year three…

We’re interviewing makers from all 50 states. Today we’re featuring Lauren Matthews, a custom woodworker from Maryland.  How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? I was originally in the market for a live edge entertainment console and everything I found was beautiful but very expensive. I challenged myself to make it on my own…

As part of our Woodworking in America initiative, we’re interviewing makers from all 50 states. Today we’re featuring Alma Villalobos, a woodworker and artist from Illinois.  How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors? For as long as I can remember I’ve always been a maker. My grandfather was a professional DIYer. He…

One of our goals for this year is reviving Woodworking in America. We’re working on what Popular Woodworking’s flagship event (Woodworking in America) is going to look like going forward. While we’re not 100% sure how the physical meet-up/event is going to work in the next few years, we did want to do more work…

Well, another Popular Woodworking in America has come and gone. It was a fine time indeed, meeting and greeting our readers and contributors, but, like all good things, the end (alas) was inevitable. As attendees returned to their homes and shops to recover, our staff headed back to the office to work on new books,…

If you’re coming to Popular Woodworking in America this weekend…oh, what’s this “if” business? You’re definitely coming! With all the speakers, sessions and cool stuff to see, I feel safe assuming you won’t miss out on all the educational fun and inherent rowdiness that comes with this annual gathering of woodworkers and sawdust aficionados. Speaking…

Matt Cremona is a full time woodworker who produces videos about woodworking and milling lumber. His furniture projects span the full woodworking process from tree to finish.  When he’s not toting around his chainsaw, he’s in front of the camera teaching and inspiring woodworkers to challenge themselves through his online YouTube videos.  His own designs have a…

Yoav Liberman’s work has been featured in several woodworking books – most recently in “Robin Wood’s CORES Recycled,” and in American Woodworker and Woodwork Magazine. He’s also a regular contributor to the PWM Shop Blog. Yoav teaches woodworking at the Rudolf Steiner School in Manhattan, frequently guest teaches in craft schools across the country, and…

Mary May has been a professional woodcarver for more than 25 years. She studied with a variety of European master carvers to learn the traditional techniques that have been used for centuries. Mary now works with architects, designers and furniture makers, helping to add ornate details to their work. She teaches at various woodworking schools throughout…

After decades working in corporate America, George R. Walker’s woodworking took a huge detour while doing research for an article on pre-industrial design. Since that time, George has explored design in numerous writings, including “By Hand & Eye” and “By Hound & Eye,” books co-written with Jim Tolpin (Lost Art Press). His videos include “Unlocking…

Joe Zeh is a lifelong woodworker and an engineer with experience in the computer and graphics industry. He is author of “SketchUp: A Design Guide for Woodworkers” and also teaches SketchUp in video and live courses. This September Woodworking in America will feature two sessions by Zeh on the program and how to utilize it for…

I now have 99.9 percent of the speakers and sessions nailed down (and yes, we actually have a session on nails) for Woodworking in America 2016 (September 16-18 in Greater Cincinnati) , and the conference staff is busy getting the web site ready to launch for registration (which is projected to open at the tail…

In woodworking, “cutting-edge technology” doesn’t necessarily mean the latest bright new thing. In fact, vintage technology often is our literal cutting edge. At Woodworking in America 2015 (Sept. 25-27 in Kansas City, Mo.), Mark Harrell – founder of Bad Axe Tool Works – will help you learn when a vintage handsaw is worth saving – and how…

Woodworking author and instructor Tom Fidgen is the mastermind behind the Unplugged Woodshop web site, the online hand tool woodworking school An Unplugged Life, and author of two bestselling books: “Made by Hand” (currently available at ShopWoodworking.com) and “The Unplugged Woodshop” (Taunton). He teaches woodworking with hand tools internationally. This September Fidgen will be teaching at Woodworking In America….

Registration is now open for Woodworking in America 2015. I hope to see you in Kansas City, Mo., Sept. 25-27, along with speakers Roy Underhill, Christopher Schwarz, Alf Sharp, Will Neptune, Phil Lowe, David Marks, Vic Tesolin, Marc Adams, Kevin Drake, Patrick Edwards, Tom Fidgen, James Hamilton, Mark Harrell, Donna Hill, Dave Jeske, Scott Meek,…

Drew Langsner, while new to Woodworking in America, is far from new to the topic of woodworking. A quick look down his resume clearly indicates his chops for woodworking. Plus, he’s had articles published in many magazines and has authored a number of books, including The Chairmaker’s Workshop (Lark Books), 1995 Green Woodworking – revised…

If you’ve been around Popular Woodworking Magazine recently, you know Wilbur Pan. You also may not think that he is new on the lectern at Woodworking in America (WIA) because he’s been to most of the conferences, but this is the first year he’s been asked to present. In the pages of PWM, Wilbur has…

The third Woodworking in America 2014 (WIA) speaker to be profiled is Phil Lowe. In 2005, he too won the Society of American Period Furniture Maker’s Cartouche award (an honor bestowed by the Society to Master Craftsman who have illustrated the highest standard of education, resource, and applied venue for historical appreciation). He is also…

Will Neptune Another of the top-notch, first-time presenters at the 2014 edition of Woodworking in America (WIA) in Winston-Salem, N.C. in September is Will Neptune. While I have yet to meet Will in person, I’ve been told by many woodworkers that he is a star among stars. Will won the SAPFM Cartouche award in 2013….

As September approaches, we are getting revved up about Woodworking in America (WIA) which is held this year in Winston-Salem, N. C. (here’s all the information). New speakers this year include such big names in woodworking as W. Patrick Edwards, Will Neptune, Phil Lowe, Drew Langsner, Dale Barnard, Jerome Bias, Matt Bickford, Wilbur Pan, Matt…

The full 2014 WoodworkingInAmerica.com site should be live any day now, and on it, you’ll find the schedule, sessions descriptions, speaker bios and much more – and we’ll be adding to the list of Marketplace vendors as they come in. (Visit the site now to sign up for the newsletter to stay in the loop…

As editors, we search our two web sites (popularwoodworking.com and shopwoodworking.com) constantly for information for the online extras portion of all  articles and most columns – the information, we hope, is both relevant and interesting. While searching the sites, I often come across books, articles and DVDs that have scads of interesting information, including tips…

Come on down to the Woodworking in America Marketplace 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18 and Saturday, Oct. 19 at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center. The admission fee is less than two fancy coffee drinks ($10 at the door) – and active-duty members of the military, police officers and firefighters get in free, as do…

Grab a drink, make some popcorn and watch us make complete fools of ourselves (with apologies to those we are attempting ((poorly)) to portray. Woodworking in America 2013 — Megan Fitzpatrick WoodworkinginAmerica.com

Last week I wrote about three of the six events at the Hand Tool Olympics (HTO), the winners in 2012 and the prizes and contributing companies for the upcoming events at Woodworking in America 2013 (Oct. 18-20). This entry covers the remaining three events – one with a little twist. “Shooting Sports” is the event…

Over the next couple of posts, I’ll reminisce about the Hand Tool Olympics from Woodworking in America 2012, including a list of those who won the events (just to let you know who to keep an eye on as you stroll through the Marketplace) and those who benefited from participation – won a great prize…

The title of this post is not a mistake. You can get paid to attend Woodworking in America in 2013. We’re not going to open the doors for free admission and we’re not going to send you a refund check. In fact, we’re not doing anything; it’s the Woodworking in America sponsors that are doing…

Woodworking in America (WIA) is being held at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center, Oct. 18-20, 2013. There are plenty of reason to register and attend the conference. Many are listed below. You should be there to have a great weekend of woodworking and camaraderie. Explore the WIA web site and see if there are any…

You may not really think about it, but much of woodworking is history. Today we use tools from centuries back, we assemble projects using joinery that has stood the test of time and we reproduce furniture styles from as early as 1650.That’s history. The photos to the left were not taken from my local post…

Woodworking in America is just around the corner. It will be upon us in no time – that’s great news for you because now is the time to register (click here) and make travel arrangements, if necessary. For me, however, this means that I have got to get started on the outline for my classes,…

I’ve been a woodworker for a few decades now and read many a woodworking text and tome and have yet to read an article on how to sweep. Sweeping is the first job any woodworker learns but I find that there are actually few who can do it well, they stir up a cloud of…

When we started the Woodworking in America conference several years ago, one of our goals was to bring in instructors who offer a unique perspective. This year, we looked to the west coast and invited Ejler Hjorth-Westh, one of the instructors at the College of the Redwoods Fine Furniture program, the school founded by James…

Sila Kopf, renowned marquetarian will be one of the featured speakers at this year’s Woodworking in America conference, held October 18-20, 2013 in the Cincinnati, Ohio area.

At last year’s Woodworking in America, Members of the Modern Woodworkers Association were running around with audio equipment doing short, off-the-cuff interviews on all things woodworking with some of the instructors, attendees, folks in the marketplace and Popular Woodworking Magazine editors. You can listen here. Find out Glen Huey’s biggest challenge in woodworking. Hear Roy…

Below, you’ll find the list of “full-time” speakers (those who are teaching more than one session), plus a glimpse at each speaker’s session topics, for Woodworking in America 2013 (October 18-20 in Greater Cincinnati). While we still need to contract a handful more of experts for single classes, we didn’t want to wait any longer…

While we don’t yet have all the particulars nailed down for Woodworking in America 2013, we do know: When: October 18-20, 2013 Where: Northern Kentucky Convention Center in Covington, Ky., and other venues in the Greater Cincinnati area Why: Because it’s the Ultimate Woodworking Weekend, with 400+ of your closest woodworking friends, favorite woodworking teachers…

Woodworking in America 2013 will be Oct. 18-20 in Greater Cincinnati (the conference proper will be at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center). With only one conference this year, we’ll be able to gather under one roof as many as possible woodworkers, woodworking teachers, and top-notch toolmakers, so that you get an unparalleled weekend of woodworking…

If you happened to miss the latest Woodworking in America conferences, be sure the take a look at the new episode of “The Highland Woodworker.” In this episode (#4 of 2012) I spent some time with the show’s host, Charles Brock, walking around the latest conference. As always with the Highland crew, it was great…

I’ve turned hollow mortise chisels into square punches, refashioned chisels and their handles, made a number of scratch stocks, ground steel bar stock into embossing punches and a made a few other quick tools. And I’ve built a few wooden, Krenov-style handplanes over the years – I had a fine time and wound up with…

Just got home from the Woodworking in America Midwest, the second of two conferences held this fall. Just want to say thanks to all of you who attended and supported these conferences. I really enjoyed meeting folks and appreciated the opportunity I was given to do so. Thanks also to F&W pubs and Popular Woodworking…

OK, here’s your German lesson for the week, and yes, it does have to do with the Hand Tool Olympics at the upcoming Woodworking in America event being held in the greater Cincinnati area this weekend. The new event added to the standard six events this year is “nagel treffen,” also known as pounding nails….

Our first west coast Woodworking in America Conference is off to a great start in Pasadena, Calif. If you’re in the Los Angeles area, you can still join us for the event which runs through Sunday at the Pasadena Convention Center. The event consists of two parts: the Marketplace, where you will find an unmatched…

The always popular Hand Tool Olympics competition will be held in the Marketplace at Woodworking in America West, taking place in Pasadena, California, next weekend, Oct. 12-14 at the convention center. Four skill elements will make up the Olympics and everyone attending the event is invited to participate. The Pasadena Hand Tool Olympics is being…

In many museums, the best stuff isn’t out on display it is tucked away in the basement or in the hands of conservators. The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, California has a world-class furniture collection, and if you’re coming to the Woodworking in America conference in Pasadena, California this October 12-14, come a…

At this year’s Woodworking in America conferences, I’ll be talking about and demonstrating how to make Arts & Crafts period furniture. It’s a popular style among woodworkers, but the history of the period and what details are significant are not well understood. We’re not even sure what to call it, and it goes by several…

Don’t miss Woodworking in America! It’s three jam-packed days (and optional nights) of learning about woodworking from top-notch instructors, an unparalleled Marketplace where you can test-drive some of the best tools available, and camaraderie with fellow woodworkers who are as passionate about the craft as you are. Choose from classes on a huge range of…

You’ve probably heard favorable comments from woodworkers who attended our Woodworking in America conference in prior years. Those of us here at Popular Woodworking Magazine who plan the event are confident both conferences this year are sure to please as well. If you’ve been sitting on the fence about attending this year, here are 10…

Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of talking with Matt Vanderlist (a.k.a. “the podfather”), the man behind the microphone at Matt’s Basement Workshop, about Woodworking in America 2012 – both the West and Midwest events. So if you want to learn more about either the Pasadena conference (Oct. 12-14) or the Cincinnati-area conference (Nov….

When it comes time to choose instructors for our Woodworking in America conferences, I feel like a kid set loose in the candy store. We don’t use demographic studies or market research, instead we sit down as a group and each of us presents a list of the woodworkers we really want to meet, shake…

Now that I’m no longer on the staff of Woodworking in America, I get to do three things: 1) Actually attend some of the really great seminars from people like chairmaker Curtis Buchanan, carver Mary May, Yeung Chan and David Marks. 2) Present my own seminars on topics that are a bit on the nutty…

Register now for Woodworking in America 2012 and reserve your spot at the early-bird rate – plus get first dibs on the limited-attendance “extracurricular activities,” including dinner and a private tour at the Gamble House in Calif., and an exclusive visit to White Water Shaker Village in Greater Cincinnati: WIA West Coast: Oct. 12-14 in…

We’re pleased to announce that Frank Klausz has joined our cast of expert presenters for Woodworking in America 2012 Midwest (at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center, Nov. 2-4). Later this week – possibly even later today – at WoodworkingInAmerica.com, you’ll be able to see the full line-up of presenters, the schedule and the class descriptions…

While we’re not quite ready to launch the complete web site for Woodworking in America 2012, we’re almost there! More than 20 top-notch woodworkers have accepted our invitation to speak at this year’s conferences, and right now, we’re waiting on just a handful of contracts, and we’re busy getting the schedule completely worked out. If…

We’re busy editing the session descriptions, nailing down the after-hours events and getting contracts out to our expert presenters (you’ll see some new faces among them this year – as well as your favorites from conferences past, of course!). And we’ll soon (very soon!) be releasing that information to you on our conference web site…

We recently sent a survey to our Woodworking in America e-mail list to find out when and in what city Woodworking in America 2012 should take place – early fall was the winner on timing, but the response on location ended in a virtual four-way tie. So, we’re inviting all Popular Woodworking Magazine blog readers…

There were dozens of participants in the 2011 Hand Tool Olympics at Woodworking in America – many of whom had never before picked up a handsaw or handplane. But thanks to the expert coaching and encouragement of Mike Siemsen and other members of the Minnesota chapter of the Society of American Period Furniture Makers: Dean…

At last weekend’s Woodworking in America conference, I talked with several readers about projects I’ve made for the magazine. As expected, I was asked about my workbench and furniture projects, but  I was surprised about how many people sought me out to discuss the Gottshall Block. It turns out this project inspired many woodworkers, raised…

Come on down to the Woodworking in America Marketplace – filled with 60+ world-class toolmakers and vendors – and save $2 off the admission fee by downloading, printing and filling out the PDF coupon below. Marketplace hours are 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30 and Saturday, Oct. 1, at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center in…

The Woodworking in America conference is an opportunity to indulge in sensory overload, and for the third year in a row, I’ll be doing my part to keep your head spinning by teaching two different sessions on using our favorite design and planning tool, Google SketchUp. On Friday morning at 9:30 and Sunday morning at…

Come to town for the Lie-Nielsen Hand Tool Event, March 30-31, and bring the family! There’s plenty for your spouse, significant other (or insignificant other) and kids to do while you’re at the show. The Kenwood Towne Centre (which I think is the city’s best mall) is about two miles from our office & shop,…

Graham Blackburn has joined the list of expert woodworkers instructing at this year’s Woodworking in America Conference (Sept. 30-Oct. 2 at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center). He has kindly agreed to step in at the last minute for David Charlesworth, who, we’re sorry to announce, has been hospitalized for pneumonia. In addition to teaching at…

With just 15 days to go until Woodworking in America 2011 commences, we still have room for more people. So, we’ve decided to offer one-day passes. Single-day passes are now available for either Friday or Saturday (there are no passes for the Sunday half-day) for $175 each. A one-day conference pass gives you full access…

Even if you can’t get to the upcoming Woodworking in America 2011 conference, you don’t have to miss out on learning from some of the top-notch speakers who will be sharing their experience and knowledge there. And even if you are attending or need just one more reason to make up your mind and register,…

The 2011 Woodworking in America conference starts in less than a month, and we’ve now secured all the fabulous prizes (and they are truly fabulous – I wish I were eligible to win!) for this year’s Hand Tool Olympics. (And we’re still taking full-conference registrations – click on the link above to sign up!) The…

I had the inestimable pleasure of talking with Shannon Rogers (The Renaissance Woodworker) a few nights back about Woodworking in America 2011 – for which Early Bird registration ends at 11:59 p.m. this Sunday night, Aug. 14 – sign up now! We discussed the sessions I’m teaching, what I’m most excited about in terms of…

Shannon Rogers, who runs The Renaissance Woodworker blog, The Hand Tool School and is one of the three hosts of WoodTalk Online (along with Matt Vanderlist and Marc Spanguolo), has been busy interviewing many of the speakers who will be presenting sessions at Woodworking in America 2011 (register now – the Early Bird deadline is…

In the August 2007 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine, Christopher Schwarz introduced you to John Sindelar and his jaw-dropping collection of rare and one-of-a-kind handtools. (You can read that story here, and download a PDF slideshow of items in his collections; keep a drool rag handy). And in September of last year, just days before…

For me, the highlight of 2010’s Woodworking in America conference was The Feast of André Roubo, a dinner held high above the city of Cincinnati. And I was not alone. One attendee stopped me as I was leaving the feast to tell me this: “I’m not interested in history, old stuff, André Roubo or old…

With the Early Bird deadline fast approaching to register for Woodworking in America, here’s a look at just some of what’s new for 2011  – in case you’ve been before, and haven’t registered yet because you thought it might be a repeat of the same stuff you saw last year. Or in 2009. Or in…

I’m writing this from home, and most of my pictures from past Woodworking in America conferences are on my computer at work* – though I managed to dig up the one above of Ron Herman (l) and Mike Siemsen (r) going head to head in the Hand Tool Olympics. I think we should have a…

Keep your eyes peeled on this blog, our WIA Facebook Page, The Renaissance Woodworker blog, and our Twitter feed (we’re @PWeditors)…for all things Woodworking in America 2011: The Ultimate Joinery Weekend. Registration for Woodworking in America 2011 (Sept. 30-Oct.2 at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center) is NOW OPEN! Last year’s conference sold out during the…

This year as we swing into high gear for all things Woodworking in America (WIA), you’ll see a new name on Facebook, Twitter, blogs and more – Shannon Rogers has graciously agreed to be the Woodworking in America “Embedded Social Media Reporter.” On our new WIA Facebook page (you’ll find it at facebook.com/wia2011) he’s the…

As I wrote last week, we’re planning to have the web site for Woodworking in America 2011 (Sept. 30-Oct. 2 at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center) up and running – including registration – by the first week of June. In the meantime, here’s a preview of the Marketplace Exhibitors (including the Society of American Period…

This is a model of the saw vises used in Mike Wenzloff’s saw sharpening class at the Woodworking in America Conference in Berea, Kentucky in November 2008.

At Woodworking in America I made an offhand comment during a lecture that has come back to haunt me 100 times since September. I was passing around the English Layout Square I built for the December 2010 issue to the class I mentioned that the ogees and details on the square were formed with rasps….

Woodworking isn’t all about tools and shop techniques. To make the most of your time in the shop, it helps to have a design worked out and good plan in place. Google SketchUp is the software we use here at Popular Woodworking, and if you’re signed up for this year’s Woodworking in America conference, you…