Author name: Enthusiast

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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The trickiest cut when building a chair or stool is leveling the feet. This cut is always a wacky compound angle. And when you combine a compound angle with a foot that is an odd shape, such as the octagon shown here, it can be difficult to keep your saw in the right plane. Here’s how I do it – it’s a method that has yet to fail me. Lay […]

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A 360 degree VR shot of the CNC setup in my shop. Just click and drag around the image to have a look around. It’s never too early to think about space In the back of your head, you might be thinking that one day it’s possible that you might add a CNC to your shop, then you’ve got a lot to think about. There’s a number of factors that […]

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