Author name: Enthusiast

Looking for some help pattern routing curved shapes? Here’s a quick way to do it based on a wall-mounted dining server project by former Popular Woodworking publisher Steve Shanesy. The full project – as well as other great simple yet elegant furniture builds – also appears in the book “Contemporary Furniture: 17 Projects You Can Build,” now available from Popular Woodworking Books. Except for the back edge, my dining server design has no straight […]

The post Pattern Routing Curved Shapes appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

After the terraced rhombus was formed, it was time to start coving. The required radius for the coves, as dictated from the original handle was 1”.  But, since the only round plane I have produces a cove of about 1-1/2”, I had to also rely on gouges, a 1” reduced scraper and a sandpaper wrapped around a rubber form.  I began shaving the corners of the terraces with my round […]

The post New Handles For a Mid-Century Walnut Dresser: Part 2 appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

I use my CNC router mostly to make small parts out of solid wood, MDF and plastic. Until recently, I had never done any 3D work with it. Then I saw a photo from one of the students in Build a CNC Router, and I was inspired to try something new. Randy Winn posted a couple of photos on Google+ of some carvings he did with his CNC router. He […]

The post 3D Carvings with a CNC Router appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

While I prefer to work with air-dried lumber, that’s not always possible for woodworkers who use a lot of wood or don’t have access to deal who air-dries their stock. One of the major problems with kiln-dried lumber is that it is sometimes rushed through the kiln to get it to market. As a result, the stock can become case-hardened (among other defects). You can’t tell a piece of lumber […]

The post Don’t Forget the Quality of the Kiln appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

When working with construction grade timber, aside from the knots, you’ll more than likely find “eased edges.” You could be concerned that things won’t look good, or have fears about less-than-perfect glue lines or the like. My thoughts are to accept what you have and turn things to your advantage; on a workbench project, they won’t matter one bit if you go with the flow. Because I enjoy working by […]

The post Take it Easy for Workbench Tops appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

While growing up I had never been enamored of stained or leaded glass in my home furnishings – Tiffany glass lamps were usually a bit too frilly for my tastes. But that all changed when I visited Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and studio in Oak Park, Illinois. Suddenly the idea of geometry versus flowers made all the difference in the world. It didn’t take long for me to open my […]

The post Add a New Skill (Leaded Glass) to Your Shop! appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.