Author name: Enthusiast

We’re always looking for ways to improve the grip of the vises on our workbenches. During the last decade I’ve discussed how to use suede or adhesive-backed cork to improve a vise’s gripping power. Benchcrafted recommends “Crubber” (which I haven’t tried yet) and many woodworkers simply use adhesive-backed sandpaper. Last year, Jennie Alexander sent me a piece of 3M Safety-Walk 370 adhesive-backed tread to try on my vises and handscrews. […]

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There are a few ways to cut a waterfall miter on the table saw. To determine which way suits you best, you first need to determine whether your furniture is built from a slab where both edges are “live” or from a slab that has only one live edge. I have built both types of furniture and know that both design approaches can yield functional and beautiful pieces. A live […]

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It took me a long time to realize the full value of finishing products in aerosol cans. Not only can you finish an entire object with these aerosols, especially if the object isn’t large, you can also use them as an easy barrier coat when the finish you’re brushing has the chance of lifting and smearing an underlying stain. For example, if you’re going to brush a water-based finish over […]

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There are many reasons that factory-made chairs fall apart, but I think the biggest reason is they lack what handmade chairs have in droves: tension in their assemblies due to imperfections in the angles. If you’ve ever had to repair a factory chair you might have noticed this: All the parts fit perfectly – spindles in their mortises etc. – and everything can be put back together with little fuss. […]

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Garry Knox Bennett is among the most unconventional and irreverent artists working today. He’s an internationally known furniture maker (and jewelry maker, sculptor, painter and roach-clip inventor) whose work is represented in many of the world’s most important collections. He’s also hilarious and opinionated…as you’ll see below. We went to Oakland to film a “Woodworking Legends” video (and asked Garry’s long-time friend and fellow luminary Alf Sharp to conduct the […]

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The December issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine (#229) just mailed to subscribers, and it’s now live in our online store. There are a lot of great features in this issue, including plans for the first-ever accurate reproduction of the little candle stand at Hancock Shaker Village, and a look at why nail haters but should really give the fastening method another chance. There’s even a primer on getting started with […]

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