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Both of the prints I planned to frame included a windmill as a minor detail. Thinking, “what if?” I grabbed four pieces of scrap wood, made a pinwheel, and thought, “not [...]

Peeling surfaces on inexpensive furniture give veneering a bad name. It’s actually a sophisticated technique with a rich history dating all the way back to the Egyptian pharaohs. So it may be [...]

Thomas Jefferson’s book boxes became the foundation of the Library of Congress. I like to think of Thomas Jefferson’s personal library as America’s first “bookmobile.” When the British burned [...]

Old wooden planes are usually coated with a layer of grime that obscures their true beauty. I clean them using a homemade solution that removes the dirt and grease without damaging the [...]

Close your eyes and picture it: your entire shop organized, a place for every tool, never struggling to find your cardscraper when you need it, and a stress-free day of woodworking. Sound like a [...]

Some objects aren’t easy to hold for drilling. When I run into a situation like this, I use a wooden-jawed handscrew that has sandpaper glued to one side of it, so it doesn’t move [...]

Discovering ugly blotching after applying stain is one of the worst finishing problems a woodworker can encounter—especially because the unsightly patches of dark, deeply absorbed color seem to [...]

Built for hard usage, this traditional-style bench won’t vibrate like a kettledrum when you chop a mortise or skitter across the floor then you plane a board. It features a spacious [...]

There’s something special about a small table with a round top—it invites intimacy. When I sit at one, I stop and savor warm memories of lingering with my wife in a quiet café or bistro [...]

Consider yourself a midwife to creativity. By Brian Boggs Page: 64 From the December 2011 issue #194

My boat shop is the result of years of frustration. I used to build cedar-strip canoes and sea-kayaks in an attached 1-1/2 car garage and was constantly fighting both the confined space and the [...]

A simple box for basic household tools. Common in the 19th-century, a “Gentleman’s Tool Chest” typically contained a set of fancy household tools including the first “multi-tools” – a handsome [...]