Author name: Enthusiast

For me, the goal with my smoothing plane is to set it up so I can ignore the grain direction of a board or a glued-up panel. There are many valid ways to do this. For most woodworkers I know, there are two ways to accomplish this goal that we all agree upon: Sharpen the iron. Sharp fixes almost everything. Take a finer cut. Thin shavings reduce tear-out. After using […]

The post Fine Tune a Handplane’s Back Iron appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

I’m the weirdo who counts the number of steps and hand motions it takes me to brew a cup of coffee. And I’m always looking for ways to shave away a few minutes here and there from my routine activities (for example, brushing my teeth while simultaneously fetching my clothes for the day). So it’s no surprise that I also do this in the shop. During the last couple years […]

The post An Experiment: Changing Smoothing Planes for a Year appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

At ShopWoodworking.com, sure, you’ll find all the woodworking magazines, books, videos and webinars we produce. But ShopWoodworking.com is also your one-stop woodworking shop for many of the best books and videos from other publishers and producers, too. I’m always on the lookout for good information that I think we should carry in our store, and I personally recommend to our buyers items we should offer – and where allowable, we […]

The post One-stop Shop for Woodworking Information appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

In the June 2015 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine (which should be landing in subscriber mailboxes any day now if you’ve not already received it) I chose as “highly recommended” (page 12) a membership in the Society of American Period Furniture Makers (SAPFM). Everything I had to say about SAPFM’s annual member publication, American Period Furniture, is 100-percent true. It is always a fascinating and deep dive into a variety […]

The post SAPFM is More than Worth the Membership Fee appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Don’t ya just hate those woodworkers who seemingly pick up and master new skills effortlessly? (A certain Village Carpenter and Heritage Woodworker come to my mind.) This type of person is truly accomplished in a certain area of the craft then one day decides – seemingly on a whim –  they’re going to learn a whole different branch of it. Next thing you know, they’re incorporating master-level carvings, intarsia, inlays […]

The post ESL Students as Woodworking Role Models appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

The last woodworking book that had me reading cover to cover was “Is it Genuine.” Here’s another that had me doing the same: “Time, Taste and Furniture,” by John Gloag. I love discovering a good book as much as finding a unique piece of woodwork. I found this one in a local antiques store. I had no prior knowledge of the author, so I had to judge the book by […]

The post ‘Time, Taste and Furniture,’ by John Gloag – a 1925 Gem appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.