Woodworking tools are useless until you learn how to use them efficiently. Whether you prefer hand tools or power tools, the editors of Popular Woodworking Magazine have collected the very best information on choosing and using tools of all kinds. Here you’ll learn a range of essential information from how to tune up simple hand tools to safe and smart power tools practices and advanced techniques taught by the trusted experts in the field.
Joinery machines are much more than one-trick ponies. Here’s an intro, and why you should consider adding one in your shop. There are several machines that come up as “shop necessities”. Table [...]
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, [...]
Origin, the hand-held CNC from Shaper Tools, makes creating inlays effortless. Self admittedly, I’m becoming a grumpy old man. I know what I am comfortable with, and it’s fairly hard for me to [...]
After sharing tips on leveling the table saw wings and aligning the blade with the miter gauge slots, I’m concluding this series with calibration advice on setting the 90-degree and [...]
Hand tools complement and complete work begun with power equipment. Most folks I talk with in the woodworking hobby seem to follow a similar path. They start out by emulating what they see on [...]
The difference is more than just pushing or pulling. It’s been over 20 years since the Western handsaw, a tool that cuts on the push stroke and was the pride of the English-speaking world, [...]
Basic woodworking tools are different from beginner woodworking tools. For one thing, I don’t like to use the word “beginner” unless I am using it accurately. It’s not a very useful label, in my [...]
In my previous post, I shared two useful tips to streamline the assembly of a SawStop cabinet saw. In this installment, I’ll focus on aligning the tabletop and the miter gauge slots with the saw [...]
A little over a year ago, several boxes arrived in our garage, containing the parts for what would become the most expensive piece of equipment I’ve ever invested in: the SawStop 3HP Professional [...]
Below you can see pictures of the restoration of the rosewood knob, which belongs to my Record SS plane (read part one here and part two here). After gluing a piece of rosewood onto the knob’s [...]
Get more from your router and router table with these fantastic accessories. A router may be one of the most versatile tools in the shop. As a hand tool nut, that hurts me a little bit to say, [...]
As I mentioned in the previous post, one of the primary reasons for a missing knob base is a traumatic fall that results in the bending of the knob screw (or threaded rod, depending on the plane) [...]