Techniques

When I needed to mix two different paint colors to create a new one, I came up with the idea of removing the rod from my broken caulking gun and mounting it in my drill to serve as a paint …

Shape wood with a propane torch. Here’s a simple, but effective way to bend thin stock (1/4″ thick or less). The only tools you need are a length of 1-1/2″ galvanized pipe, a propane [...]

Fictional ‘incidents’ give a piece a believable back story. In Part 1 I gave an overview of creating an aged look for new pieces of furniture, and discussed mechanical wear. The second prevalent [...]

Adding wear and tear to a piece is like writing a convincing tale of fiction. It’s your day off. So, you go into your shop to make a new piece of furniture. How do you want it to look …

Building a sculptured rocker starts with a coopered seat. Or as I call it, “The Big Smile Seat!” A Maloof style chair design (rocker, low back, or settee) represents some of the best [...]

The key to selection is knowing the terminology and how a lock works. Locks protect our worldly goods from outsiders who wish to take those goods from us. In earlier days, the use of furniture [...]

Save on clamps with this traditional technique for panel glue-ups. A “spring joint” is a traditional method where you join the edges of two boards to make a wider panel and leave a tiny gap in [...]

You’re measuring wrong, and making it more difficult to do good work. If the title has you expecting high-tech procedures or suggestions for expensive measurement gear that’ll get you closer to [...]

Decorative banding within moulding adds a distinctive detail. For my very first veneer project, I decided to make a curved-top jewelry box. I knew I would need to use solid wood on the edges to [...]

Three ways to achieve different types of textures with your CNC router. CNC Routers open up lots of new ways to create textures in wood. Here are my three favorite ways of creating textures using [...]

How to make strong mortise and tenon joints with a plunge router and a tablesaw. Imagine turning the clock back 500 years and visiting a fellow woodworker in any large European town. You could [...]

Learn traditional methods with a veneer hammer and hot hide glue. Veneering has been practiced for thousands of years. It’s a way to take some of the world’s most spectacular but unstable woods, [...]