Author name: Enthusiast

It is by mere coincidence that as I am about to wrap up my recent bundle of blog entries about live-edge design, my friend Daniella Ohad Smith is releasing her highly engaging documentary about George Nakashima. Nakashima was (and still is) considered to be the greatest live edge furniture maker and one of the most famous American designers of all times. The 50 minute movie will walk you through all aspects of Nakashima’s monumental achievements. It includes […]

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I am not a joiner. Well, I am a joiner in that I join pieces of wood. But I don’t join clubs. I dislike clubs. But despite this, I love being a member of the Mid-West Tool Collectors Association (MWTCA). It’s a bunch of the nicest old dudes and women in the world who collect woodworking tools. If you join the organization for just $25, you get its magazine, The […]

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A lot of woodworking problems can be avoided simply by monitoring the relative humidity in your shop with a simple and inexpensive hygrometer. In most areas of the United States, the target relative humidity for inside buildings is 35 to 45 percent, though that will vary if you live in a desert or a swamp. So if your shop is in the garage, your basement or the neighborhood cave, you […]

The post Anarchist’s 2016 Gift Guide, Day 3: Humidity Monitor appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

A dedicated sharpening station makes your work so much easier, but since leaving the magazine in 2011 I’ve never had the space (or a sink) for one. One day I saw this $20 boot tray at my home center and I knew exactly what to do. I cut a piece of masonite to fit in the bottom and turned it into a great sharpening station that lives under my workbench. […]

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Well-made high-carbon scissors are a joy to use and are indispensable in my shop for cutting paper patterns to shape, trimming veneer and 100 other tasks. For years I used junky office scissors but finally got my hands on a pair of traditional hot-forged dress makers shears from Clauss. Despite their reasonable cost (less than $20), they are like wielding a custom tool. They are perfectly balanced, polished and properly […]

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A few years ago, we published some books to help build your dream home. We covered subjects like home construction, remodeling and backyard buildings. They didn’t really fit with the mission of Popular Woodworking Books but were great books with excellent information – and so we ended up publishing them under the Betterway Books imprint. The bestselling of these books is “The Complete Guide to Contracting Your Home” by Kent Lester & […]

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