Author name: Enthusiast

In 1969, power tools arrived as part of my Christmas haul. Now, some might say that an 8-year-old should not be using a circular saw, jigsaw or power drill. Maybe – but times were different then. The Ideal Toy Company’s Powermite line of miniature power tools didn’t have enough power to do much damage (I tested the circular saw on my little brother), but it gave me hours of fun. The […]

The post Getting Started in Woodworking appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Working wood is a labor of love for me. I admire the trees that provide this unique and ever-changing resource. I love the tools that allow us to shape lumber into objects of beauty and use. I revere the books that teach us how to make good use of the raw materials and tools. I am excited to learn about the history of furniture making and to see exciting developments […]

The post Baby Steps into Woodworking appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Among the smoothing planes that Stanley Works made (which includes the Nos. 1 to 4), the company sold far more No. 4s than any other size, according to Stanley collectors. That was my rationale for buying a No. 4 many years ago. I still think it’s a good size for a handplane, with a 9-1/2”-long sole and 2”-wide iron, which allows you to use the iron in the No. 5 […]

The post Are You Suffering From Smoothing Plane Bloat? appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Woodworking tool design progresses slowly. While it’s easy to state that today we have some of the best woodworking tools ever, the designs haven’t changed much. I mean, when a manufacturer takes advantage of modern metallurgy and manufacturing processes you can get some exceptionally high-quality tools – but that isn’t design change. Saws still have teeth shaped the same way, blades and backs of the same size and shape, and […]

The post New Tool Designs in Woodworking? appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

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.