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 [...]
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) [...]
Self-locking design requires no glue SQUEEZE AND SNAP! That’s all it takes to assemble this CNC-routed box. The joint’s flexibility comes from a series of slots that allow the hooked tenons to be [...]
Discover how to join oblique sides with through-dovetails. As an avid sailor and full-time furniture maker, I’ve always wanted to make a proper sea chest replete with rope beckets and a compass [...]
A clever design yields portable functionality. My father-in-law gave me a table just like this one on our last trip to Portugal. He picked it up in Serra de Monchique, a small mountain [...]
A low-tech solution for a family on the go. The kitchen is the crossroads for today’s busy family. And while we have high-tech gadgets to text messages, take notes and keep a calendar, I’ve found [...]
Designing the process can be as challenging as designing the object. The way something looks is only the first half of a design problem. How to make it and how to make it efficiently are often [...]
Easy to make, easy to assemble and built to last. Back in the Paleozoic era, when I was a kid, one of my favorite pastimes was playing with a Brio wooden train set. I spread the tracks all over [...]
Use unconventional techniques to create a traditional tea caddy. England began to import tea about the middle of the 17th century. When first introduced, tea was expensive, so it was a drink [...]
Wood is the starting point of inspiration for these boxes infused with the past. In my mind, this article goes to the root of why we work wood. It is about the philosophy of creating things in [...]
Simple tools, techniques, and joinery deliver elegant results. It’s the stuff of arguments: Which tools in the shop are really the most important for joinery? It’s almost like arguing the top [...]
At 6 am, the bathroom is yours, because everyone else is asleep. So rather than rushing, why not pamper yourself with a great shave? Forget cold foam from a can. Instead, massage your face by [...]