Author name: Enthusiast

I sharpen a curve on the cutting edge of all my bench planes and block planes. The curve prevents the corners of the iron from leaving behind “plane tracks” – those ugly little steps. But there are many other benefits to using a curved iron. Here’s one more: It can make your mortise-and-tenon joinery tighter. This might sound improbable, but it’s something I achieve with every mortise-and-tenon joint in my […]

The post Another Benefit of a Curved Plane Iron appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Shay Avrahami opened his Furniture restoration shop in Tel Aviv in the early 90s’, and since then he has steadily established his reputation as one of the best furniture restorers in Israel. His experience stems from many years of apprenticeship in Israel, and a few years of mentorship in Scotland. I visited him two weeks ago to talk and take pictures of his shop and work. His shop is in a small space in […]

The post A Visit to a Furniture Restoration Shop in Tel Aviv: Part 1 appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

I work alone, so when I need to move a 70 lb. chunk of rough lumber over my jointer, I’ve got to be tricky if I don’t want to be sore the next day. For me, the best trick has been to squirt some Blaster Dry Lube on the bed and fence after a few passes. In fact, this Teflon-based lubricant is really the only thing that makes it possible […]

The post Want to Feel Twice as Strong? Get Blaster appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

The June 2017 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine, which features Caleb James’ homage to Hans Wegner on the cover, is in the mail right now to print subscribers, and the notice for digital subscribers went out earlier today. (It’s also now available at ShopWoodworking.com.) The Online Extras are live at popularwoodworking.com/jun17. The issue will be on newsstands in a couple weeks as well, and once it’s there, if you mosey […]

The post PWM June 2017 Issue ‘Extras’ – Handsaw Basics appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

When people injure themselves in the shop, their first reaction is to grab the wound and refuse to look. Sadly, this is the same attitude many woodworkers take with the squareness of their components: They refuse to look and hope things will work out. While there are lots of areas of woodworking where squareness doesn’t matter (stick chairs, for one), if you are going to build rectilinear boxes and hope […]

The post Don’t Close Your Eyes to the Square appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

You may already know about the French cleat, but if you haven’t heard of it, this neat trick is a great simple way to hang cabinets, wall racks or shelving. In this excerpt below, Popular Woodworking’s very own David Thiel explains how he used this simple yet effective method of wall-mounting to hang a wine rack  – a project that is featured in the new book “Simple & Stylish Woodworking: 20 Projects for Your Home.” […]

The post The French Cleat: A Great Way to Hang Cabinets or Shelving appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.