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Bye-Bye Birds-Eye An Army buddy from northern Michigan stopped when he came upon a truck that had overturned and scattered its load of lumber. The trucker, who was unhurt, told my friend to take [...]

Work clothes for men are easy to find. For women? Not so much. Heavy-duty work clothes for men have been around for probably the last century. You can wear any heavy clothing while working, of [...]

The best way to get kids interested in woodworking? Help them build something. Ask a kid what they want to do when they grow up and you’ll get a hundred answers. Chances are good that [...]

You might drive by one every day, tucked away from the main road. I drove right by it for years, never suspecting there was a time capsule of American furniture right under my nose. The Spring [...]

Can Lithium-ion batteries really catch fire? A friend of mine proved it beyond a doubt. I’ve never liked the idea of knock-off, counterfeit or no-name tool batteries. Inexpensive, but [...]

I love mysteries that involve really old wood. There’s an old farm in Mannheim, Pa., that – like so many farms today – saw its last farming days years ago. The homesteads have been converted to [...]

After a woodworking course, this student has tools, a chest – and friends. In spring 2016 I took my first woodworking course, an “Introduction to Hand Tool Woodworking.” The class promised to [...]

What do you look for when buying a tool? I’m guessing the same that I do (along with thousands of other woodworkers). At the top of the list are excellent performance at a fair price, reliable [...]

Am I protecting myself or holding myself back? There are several woodworking mediums I have yet to dip my toe into. Some, like turning, are because I’m sure I wouldn’t want to do [...]

Ever make something for one purpose, then find a new use for it later? Back in 2018, I did a doll cradle project with 1/2″ oak that I’d milled. The scrap oak wasn’t big enough for anything [...]

Do you feel that? The chill in the air? It’s the sign that peak woodworking season is upon us (especially for those of us without climate-controlled workshops). This year the first [...]

I’m not sure if I qualify as a tool nut–machine crazy is more like it. I started out using a ShopSmith, but I now have 17 industrial-grade machines. It all started when my wife saw an ad in [...]