Author name: Enthusiast

Shortly before my friend Carl Bilderback died last year, he gave me a carload of woodworking books, catalogs and other ephemera that he had amassed during a lifetime of tool collecting and woodworking. His instructions: Distribute the books to young woodworkers who can’t afford them. Since his death, I’ve done just that. And all of his books are in the hands of people who need them and will use them. […]

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This article originally appeared in the February 2014 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine as “4 Way to Make a Mortise.” by Robert W. Lang pages 44-48 The mortise-and-tenon joint is fundamental in woodworking. Along with the dovetail, this joint has been used for thousands of years. If you judge by the number of devices and methods developed to avoid making mortises, you might think it difficult and demanding. In truth, a mortise […]

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Editors note: Bob Flexner’s blog will move to the Flexner on Finishing Blog at the end of April. You can find it here. A few years ago I was called to a long-time client’s house to look at a problem on their newly purchased eighteenth-century Chippendale dining set. I was excited. How often do I get to see something like this up close – that is, not in a museum? But […]

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The dresser A few months ago I received an email form a person who wanted to know if I could build two walnut handles for a Mid-Century walnut dresser that she cherished. She reported that she and her husband purchased the piece forty eight years ago when they got married and that it remains very dear to her heart. The dresser has three drawers, two doors and floats on a […]

The post New Handles For a Mid-Century Walnut Dresser: Part 1 appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

I don’t have enough elitism in my bloodstream to poop on pocket screws too much. For starters, they are incredibly ingenious and allow people to build things with only a handful of tools and almost no clamps. And they have been around for a long time – I’ve seen pocket screws in many piece of 19th-century furniture, including Shaker stuff. But when the joinery is exposed, it’s quite ugly. And […]

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Editors note: Bob Flexner’s blog will move to the Flexner on Finishing Blog at the end of April. You can find it here. Just because a finish is old and deteriorated, you don’t necessarily have to strip it and apply a new finish. You may be able to rejuvenate the finish so it looks new or at least is presentable. It’s often worth a try before starting to remove the […]

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