Author name: Enthusiast

Perhaps the most important instrument for the hand-tool oriented woodworker is a sturdy workbench. A reliable bench is fundamental for the success of sawing, chiseling, planing, grooving, drilling and more. The heavier the bench the better, and a bench with plenty of holdfast holes is the best. But there are many situations where you will benefit from a small elevated clamping platform installed over your workbench – mainly when you […]

The post ‘Bench Bull:’ The Jack of All Bench Jigs, Part 1 appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

I’ve been know to make fun of the 1997 “Stumpy the Reindeer” project…but I have to admit that it’s a cute and simple decorative piece for the holidays – and one you can make in about 10 minutes if you leave out the card slot in the reindeer’s back (and in 20 if you include it). It might also be fun for the kids – give them some dowels and […]

The post Woodpile Project for the Holidays appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

The February 2016, featuring Jim Tolpin’s Standing Desk, mails to subscribers next week. I have just a couple “Online Extras” to push live, but most of them are now available (click here to see the full list). Among the things I coded for this issue is Jim’s August 2010 article, “Designing by Hand, Foot & Eye” – one of the first pieces he wrote on using one’s body as the […]

The post Jim Tolpin: Design by the Seat of Your Pants (or Hand…or Foot…) appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Every year I recommend one tool that is a bit spendier than the rest, and this year it is the Lie-Nielsen Honing Guide. Thomas Lie-Nielsen first showed me the prototypes about eight years ago, and it was a long and involved path for the company to get this tool into production. Like the company’s chisels (which took just about as long), the wait was worth it. So you don’t like […]

The post Anarchist’s 2015 Gift Guide, Day 9: Lie-Nielsen Honing Guide appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

During the last few years as I have turned my back on finishes with lots of volatile organic compounds, I’ve begun looking for traditional high-quality finishes that won’t shorten my lifespan. I’ve bought a lot of beeswax from a lot of different sources, from national manufacturers to the individual beekeeper. They all work, but the nicest stuff I’ve found is from Don and Carolyn Williams at donsbarn.com. Don has spent […]

The post Anarchist’s 2015 Gift Guide, Day 8: Better Beeswax appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Good nails have been used in fine furniture for centuries. But during the last 100 years, nails have earned a bad reputation among furniture makers. That’s because good nails (cut nails and forged Roman-style nails) disappeared and were replaced by wire nails. Wire nails are cheap, don’t need a pilot hole and don’t hold for crap – and that’s the nicest thing I can say about them. You can still […]

The post Anarchist’s 2015 Gift Guide, Day 7: Forged Roman-style Nails appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.