Author name: Enthusiast

During the last decade, I’ve built a lot of six-board chests, including the examples found in this 2013 article in Popular Woodworking Magazine. For as long as I have been building these chests, I’ve been criticized for the way I fasten them with headed nails, which can result in the wood splintering a bit. The crux of the question is this: Do you want to assemble an item so it […]

The post It’s OK if the Wood Splinters a Bit appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

I’m interrupting the garden gate series to delve into a matter that arose in the comments on a previous post, where I mentioned that I sometimes use a black Sharpie felt-tip pen to make the stripes on inlaid bees. A couple of readers responded that applying shellac on top of the marker would dissolve the ink, leading to smudges. Having used this technique many times over the years without producing […]

The post Bleeding Sharpies & Shellac appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Both fast- and slow-growing wood present good opportunities. by Peter Follansbee Pages 26-28 Wood selection is an important part of any woodworking project. I sometimes feel like I take it to an extreme, like I’m some kind of oak snob. Sometimes people see pieces I reject and they can’t understand what’s wrong with me. Too much twist, a bow here or there. Not straight enough grain. I’m spoiled from decades […]

The post On Wood Selection – June 2018 PWM appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

In many ways, the Europeans are ahead of us in the United States (like it or no). Their recycling programs far outpace the ones in the Midwest. Public transport is worlds better. Even the basic coffee is better than our basic Folger’s. They are even ahead of us in switching over to flatpack furniture. And this is a dystopian future. During the last seven days in Germany and Austria, I’ve […]

The post Death to Disposable Furniture appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

We’ve made it three seasons without building a workbench for I Can Do That. It’s been requested and we’ve wanted to make one for a while but we just hadn’t gotten to it. But now it’s here. It features torsion boxes, unique joinery and home center materials – a perfect recipe for someone who wants to grow in their skillset. In this build, took full advantage of the table saw […]

The post The I Can Do That Workbench – Part 1 appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

This week on PopWood Playback, I took a quick look at the Bosch GKF12V-25N palm router. My initial impressions are good. The unit has an impressive fit and finish and I found no trouble in edge routing simple chamfers and roundovers. I will conduct a significantly longer test for an upcoming review on the tool, but I was just too curious about this router and wanted to get my hands […]

The post Quick Look at the New Bosch Palm Router – PopWood Playback appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.