I saw stars the last time I dropped a bar clamp on my foot. Then I saw the light, in the form of a wooden handscrew. I’d been making my own handscrews—wood threads and all—for years. Why [...]
When you slide open a small drawer that fits nice and tight, it’s a pleasure to see well-crafted joints. Small, handcut dovetails answer well, but sawing and chopping them requires a lot [...]
On April 21, 1868, the United States Patent Office issued Patent Number 76,884 to Wessel Brodhead for an improvement to the field of carpenters’ marking gauges. Brodhead developed a tool that [...]
Use two planks, two days and two piles of nails to make this age-old form Six-board chests have been an enduring form of furniture in Western cultures for hundreds of years. And while they differ [...]
* Read a tutorial on leveling Skansen Bench feet. * Visit Skansen’s web site. I’ve always liked things that are Swedish, impossibly overbuilt and yet somehow graceful. For example: my beloved [...]
In 1776, Thomas Jefferson commissioned Benjamin Randolph, a Philadelphia cabinetmaker, to build a compact lap desk to serve as a portable office. This small mahogany box, now prominently [...]
The bandsaw has always been the prima donna machine in my shop. It requires so much time and attention to make it work right; changing blades, adjusting tension and repositioning guides. It was [...]
This reproduction of an industrial workhorse will give you years of use in your living room. At the turn-of-the-century, no factory existed without several industrial carts (also known as trucks) [...]
Construction lumber dressed up for display. For sturdy, attractive and affordable material to build these shelves, bypass the fancy stuff at the front of your local home center and head [...]
This table is a picnic to build with dimensional lumber, screws and bolts. I’m usually not intimidated by undertaking projects. We need some artwork for the new apartment? I can paint some vivid, [...]
Whether stepping or sitting, this multi-purpose stool is sure to give your youngster a boost. You may not remember when you looked up at the sink, or when you climbed up to the potty – but if [...]
Whether displaying everyday china or an heirloom collection, this handsome rack does the job with Arts and Crafts style. Like original pieces of that era, this rack features mortise-and-tenon [...]