Author name: Enthusiast

As in so many other industries, the companies who supply us with paints and finishes are consolidating at a rapid rate. When I started in this field 40 years ago, there were all sorts of local and regional suppliers. Every store carried its own unique brands. Minwax was a very small player. It was just announced that Sherwin-Williams is buying Valspar. In addition to its own brand, Valspar owns Cabot […]

The post Troubling Consolidations appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Dennis McEvoy and Bart Slutsky of Rogerson’s Hardware in Hudson NY are doing the herculean job of keeping a great old american hardware store alive, and they are doing it well. Swimming against the stream is fraught with difficulty, but the five-story building that has housed Rogerson’s Hardware since 1830 is a testimony to McEvoy and Slutsky’s success. In this building there is an unprecedented inventory of rare locks, hinges and various hardware. There […]

The post A Hardware Store That Will Take You Back in Time appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

As a material object, a piece of furniture reflects the taste of its designer, the skill of its maker and larger cultural influences. For example, Shaker furniture shows the elegance of simplicity and the value of using local woods, while Utility furniture derives from post-World-War II scarcity. You don’t need to be a cultural historian to learn from a piece or style; examine an item with an eye to see […]

The post Five Lessons from Mid-Century Modern Furniture appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

For curved and sculptural work, nothing beats a good rasp. But there are many times that I need to do precise and fine work that most rasps aren’t capable of (at least the rasps I’ve seen or can afford). So I make my own custom sanding sticks using sticky-back sandpaper from the home center plus some dowels and scraps. Today I’m finishing up an English Layout Square for a customer […]

The post When Rasps Aren’t Fine (or Small) Enough appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

In the April 2016 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine, Caleb James gives us a look into his take the Roubo moulding plane. If you haven’t picked up your copy, then you are missing out on a great article. We met up with Caleb at the Lie-Nielsen Hand Tool Event at Braxton Brewing Co. in Covington, Ky., last weekend. There, he spoke with us about some of the features of his Roubo moulding planes. Check out […]

The post Roubo Moulding Planes with Caleb James appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Steve Voigt, a maker of superb double-iron wooden planes, was one of the many exhibitors at the Lie-Nielsen Hand Tool Event at Braxton Brewing Co. in Covington, Ky., last weekend. You can read more about him in this post on the Lost Art Press blog – but before you click through, take a few minutes to watch this short video we shot on site amidst the hustle and bustle of […]

The post Steve Voigt on Using Wooden Planes appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.