Author name: Enthusiast

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 […]

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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 […]

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Editor’s note: If you have a trick of the trade that we can share, email me at david.lyell@fwmedia.com! This one comes from Andy Rawls, a furniture maker in Texas. You can find his work on his website, YouTube channel and Instagram.  I recently shot a video for my Youtube channel showing how I restored a Stanley No. 4 hand plane. The process requires the clean up of several bolts and […]

The post How to Polish a Chip Breaker Bolt – Andy Rawls appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

A good workbench is worth its weight in gold, and building your own workbench is often the first right of passage for an aspiring woodworker. For workbenches, there’s also a balancing act between weight and portability, size and strength, materials and vises. While the Portable Moravian Workbench may look a little different than the English and French designs that are so popular, this design, based on an 18th-century workbench from […]

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