Author name: Enthusiast

Colm was one of the students at my Peters Valley live edge class and his table stood out both in terms of design and height. On the first day of class, he showed me an impressive looking walnut crotch slab and asked what I thought we could do with it. While discussing our options I showed him a recent live edge piece of mine, Mulberry Trio, and suggested that perhaps he […]

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Sharpening a misbehaving tool will almost always fix its wagon. But I always take an extra step when taking apart a handplane: I clean the interior of shavings and dust with a brush and an oily rag. It might seem like overkill, or like I am on the verge of compulsive, but I don’t think that’s the case. Little fragments of shavings or even dust can wreak havoc on a […]

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After a brief tenure in law school at Vanderbilt University, Alf Sharp decided the white collar world was not for him. His woodworking career began with some simple remodeling for a landlord in lieu of rent, which led to doing interior trim work and simple cabinetry, and teaching himself fine woodworking through books and experimentation. Now, Alf is recognized as one of America’s premier period furniture makers, and was honored […]

The post Popular Woodworking in America: An Interview with Alf Sharp appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

OK, it’s a small thing, but I still get irritated when I see or hear shellac described as bug excretion. It’s not (think of the related word “excrement.”) It’s a resinous SEcretion (big difference) from a bug that feeds off of plum trees, which are native to South Asia. The bug secretes the resin to shelter and protect its offspring. The resin is then harvested and shipped around the world. […]

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With so many excellent entries in the 2016 PWM Excellence Awards, selecting the Editors’ Choice winners and Grand-prize winner was incredibly difficult. All the editors and contributors have different aesthetic tastes, and the excellent craftsmanship displayed in the top vote getters didn’t help settle the discussions. In several cases the winner was chosen by a margin of a single vote. But choices had to be made, so here they are: […]

The post Congratulations to the 2016 PWM Excellence Awards Winners appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

What comes to mind when you think of a stereotypical male in their mid-twenties? Someone who has a beard, a few tattoos and loves to collect vinyl? Well yeah, that’s me, and I’m not afraid to call myself out. Something that may set me apart from others my age is my appreciation for well-constructed furniture. So when I found out Dale Barnard was creating a storage cabinet designed to hold […]

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