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Monitoring the level of dust in your bin is a pain. You have to remove the lid and look, which isn’t easy. If you forget or put it off, dust will back up into the collector’s main [...]

The modern term “butcher block” probably originated from the large, heavy chopping blocks found in old-fashioned butcher shops, which consisted of thick square boards (such as [...]

Balls Away! I’m a big fan of Space Balls, those little rubber balls that install in frame and panel constructions to stop rattles and keep the panels centered. I use Space Balls so [...]

In the 1970s, wooden counters and tabletops made from narrow laminated boards—a staple of restaurant kitchens—began to appear in upscale residential kitchens. These trendy surfaces came with the [...]

I’m a boot guy. I wear work boots pretty much every day I spend in my shop—and as a hard-working professional cabinetmaker, that can often be six days a week. I’ve got three pairs of [...]

My wife and I bought a 100-year-old farmhouse near Bristol Indiana that came with a decrepit 30′ x 40′ barn. I planned to save the barn after we finished restoring the house. However, [...]

As a professional woodworker, leaving the comfort of my shop to work on a jobsite is part of the routine. I had a portable bench, but without vises, it was only marginally useful. Having all the [...]

Sometimes “pretty good” furniture is good enough, even though you may wish you could spend all your precious time in the shop making fancier stuff. When my wife asked me to build a [...]

Dual Drum Sander Plus Want to cut sanding time in half? If you do any kind of production work, the SuperMax 25 x 2 Dual Drum Sander is worth a serious look. Chances are if you’re in the [...]

Editor’s Note: This item no longer appears to be available. A 15″ disc sander, like the new 15-205 from General International, is a great addition to any shop if you’ve got room [...]