Archives

Blowin’ in the Wind My wife and I ran out of plywood as we were adding shelves to the garage, so we headed to the home center for another sheet. We hadn’t noticed how windy it was until we came [...]

These days when lumber and sheet good prices are soring I find it even harder than usual to give up on usable material and let it end up in the landfill. I have always been dedicated to the [...]

Add centuries of wear and tear to your projects using a tested formula that’s simple and safe – no open flame! This is the furniture finish that fooled our local auctioneer, a man with 30 years [...]

Combine power and hand tools to improve your joinery skills Building a toolbox much like this one was a real turning point in my woodworking career. It was 1999 and I had begun classes at [...]

We compared 14 methods to find the fastest way to prepare this useful tool.

Editor’s note: this article originally appeared in the February 2013 issue of Popular Woodworking I’ve got router planes and shoulder planes, cabinet scrapers, drawknives and shaves to [...]

The planters and bench are separate parts—arrange them as you wish. Smell the flowers. Touch the leaves. It’s easy to enjoy plants when they’re placed at a convenient height—and easier still when [...]

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 [...]

The single most important hand-tool appliance is 3 sticks of wood. Owning a backsaw without owning a bench hook is like riding a bicycle without handlebars. This simple hand-tool appliance (three [...]

The “Swiss Army” family of knives, and their contemporary descendants – the Multi-tools, are a good solution for on-the-go situations. Although these tools can never really be a perfect [...]

Inspired by traditional Pennsylvania design, this chest is a dovetailer’s delight. I’ll bet that there’s a blanket chest somewhere on your honey-do list. It’s a useful piece that looks great in [...]

Achieve great results with the least amount of work. Think about it: What’s the first thing you do when judging someone else’s woodwork? You run your hand over it, of course. If it feels really [...]