Author name: Enthusiast

If you ever hear a criticism of the pioneering work of Karl Holtey it’s that his planes are “too perfect” or “lack a soul.” I’ve always been a little befuddled by these comments because I have used a good number of planes that have no soul by the likes of Harbor Freight, late-model Stanleys and other Far East makers. These “planes,” which can only be called by that word because […]

The post Karl Holtey’s Final Plane: The 984 appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Christopher Schwarz’s next book (I’ve been urging him to refer to it as a monograph, given its single subject and form – and perhaps my penchant for hyperbole) will be on two Roman workbenches – one ancient design based on an 18th-century drawing of a fresco at Herculaneum and a surviving fresco at Pompeii, and one early modern design (he’s calling that one the Holy Roman Bench) from a drawing […]

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While I love making cabinets, tables and bookcases, I have always been drawn to making chairs. At first I made Morris chairs because they were very cabinet-like – lots of 90° angles and traditional square-mortise joinery. There might be an odd angle or two for a builder to conquer, but nothing outrageous. Then I encountered John Brown, a Welsh chairmaker who made stick chairs that didn’t look like a frilly […]

The post It’s Chairmaking Season (For Me, at Least) appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

How I Make Parts Using Hybrid Woodworking Techniques In previous posts, I wrote about what led me to get my own CNC. Now that I have one, a couple of questions come up. What’s changed in how I do my work? What do I do with a CNC? In the next two posts, I’ll explain how I previously made furniture using a combination of power and hand tools and how […]

The post How I Use a CNC: Making Parts Using Hybrid Techniques appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Perhaps it’s because I’ve become a father myself – or maybe it’s just a sign of getting older – but I’ve found myself thinking fondly of old toys. I’m not talking about the Transformers, Stretch Armstrongs and Star Wars figures of my youth (though, I love those toys with all my heart). Those kinds of toys are special in their own way with their wonderfully cheap plastic and bright colors, […]

The post For the Love of Classic Wooden Toys appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

I got a call recently from a friend who runs a mid-size woodworking shop. He was making several dozen walnut tables for a restaurant and finishing them with pre-catalyzed lacquer. He sent off a sample of the finish to the restaurant owner, who came back with an objection. The restaurant had hired a professional potter to make the dishes (nice!). And the plates and bowls scratched the finish when they […]

The post Is it the Object or the Finish? appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.