Author name: Enthusiast

As I work on the upcoming article “Young Maker’s Bookshelves” (for the October 2017 issue), I’m reminded of one of my favorite-ever posts (from 2009): “Ridiculous Woodworking Books, ” by Christopher Schwarz – mostly for the hilarious responses. But that was 8 years ago – it’s time for some new ones. Here’s a few from me (which are at best merely amusing): “The Ultimate Guide to Craft Fair Crap” (an […]

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In the August 2017 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine, George Walker shares what it means to “See Like a Designer.” The article tells the classic story of how his workshop students transition from casual consumers of objects and art to sentient observers of form and design. It is a transition that I am familiar with – my upbringing in a machine shop that created custom automation equipment meant that very […]

The post To See Like a Woodworker – A Forgotten Chamfer appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Congratulations to Mark Bushinski of Minneapolis, Minnesota! Mark was chosen as the winner of the Popular Woodworking Magazine 2017 Workshop Makeover Giveaway. Mark won a new workshop stocked with more than $9,200 of tools from Jet, Bessey and Woodpeckers. Mark, where do you live and what is your occupation? I live in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with my wife and two children. I am 35 years old and work for the state […]

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We all know the old saw about measuring twice and cutting once. I’ve even gone one better in my world: Measure three times. Nonetheless, I still occasionally find that I’ve made a door or a drawer the wrong size. (I once made an entire cabinet, complete with four drawers, that was an inch too wide for the opening where it was intended to go…oh, the pain.) Over the years, I’ve […]

The post How to Resize a Cabinet Door appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Eric Brown, a Dayton-area tool collector and woodworker, has been conducting further investigating and experimentation into curious corner joinery (read his “log cabin dovetail” piece by clicking on the link). Yesterday, he stopped by while I was minding the Lost Art Press shop to show me his latest: what he’s calling the “Arrowhead Joint.” The procedure is similar to the log cabin tails linked above, but he added a new angle – 45° to be exact. […]

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It seems that no other shop resource is treated with such obliviousness as sandpaper. Although sandpaper is responsible for the last steps of shaping much of our work, it doesn’t receive the same heed as hand tools, or even portable tools. And, for obvious reasons, it doesn’t have the same sex-appeal as a hand tool. It is also disposable and cheap. Still, I tell my students: although it may seem […]

The post How to Keep Kids From Wasting Sandpaper – Part 1 appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.