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A furniture maker visits the Pleasant Hill, Ky., community and unearths a fair number of surprises (nails!) about Shaker joinery. Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the [...]

Years ago, I made a corner cupboard from black walnut. I thought the wood was magnificent, but a can of rusty cut nails I used in building it proved to be far more important, taking me on an [...]

Too many times we look for complex solutions when the answer is right in front of our eyes. This is an old trick, but a good one – drilling pilot holes for nails using the nail itself. It works [...]

This much-maligned fastener has a place in the finest furniture. Here’s why. Among furniture makers, the reputation of the simple nail is somewhere south of expired glue and tacos made from [...]

Using an awl to precisely locate a hole for drilling can be problematic. Sometimes the awl will drift, going slightly off mark as it’s deflected by the wood’s growth rings. I found [...]

Filling Nail Holes   Q: I am making an oak bookcase as a builtin for our living room. What’s the best way to fill the nail holes and finish the trim pieces once they’re in place? A: Don’t [...]

I use cut nails in my furniture projects. They hold better and look better than common wire nails. They do have a couple downsides, however. They are more expensive than wire nails and more [...]

The difference between a good hammer and a great hammer is significant. Most hammers at the hardware store are but one step above a rock tied to a stick. As a result, I’ve always bought vintage [...]

Adam Cherubini, our Arts & Mysteries columnist and blogger, and a contributing editor to the magazine, generated quite a buzz at the Woodworking in America conference with his talk on nailed [...]