Author name: Enthusiast

In April, the good folks at Lie-Nielsen came to our offices for one of their hand tool events, bearing planes, chisels and other great tools. Getting to try sharp, well-made tools was a revelation to me. As a beginning woodworker, I had a set of chisels, but I never had very good results. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that I paid less than $10 for a set […]

The post Jeff Miller’s ‘Using the Versatile Chisel’ appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

The concept of the “transitional plane” has piqued my interest for a while. Both off-the-shelf and user-made versions by their relative scarcity in my neck of the woods create intrigue. I decided to make a rough version using a 2 x 4, a donor No. 4-1/2 plane frog, a kitchen unit leg tote, and a cabinet door knob. Without much experience of these planes, I took a look at Christopher […]

The post 2 x 4 Handplane appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Editor’s note: Read Part 1 by clicking here. After deciding what was the right alignment between the top and the base, I looked for the best way to attach it to the base’s hooped apron. I knew that I needed to use hardware that would allow the top to expand and contract freely, but I also understood that whatever technique I chose, it would have to take into account the […]

The post Solid Wood Tabletop Orientation & Installation – Part 2 appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

As many of you know, I recently bought a new (old) house. Though I’m still waiting on my roofer to finish up work on the porch roof (grrrrr), most of the major “must do immediately” stuff is done (read: I now have A/C, and a furnace that was built during my lifetime). Last night, Christopher Schwarz kindly helped me move my little Roubo bench and tool chest from the PWM […]

The post Weekend Medicine Cabinet Project appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

I never paid much attention to the particulars of round tabletop vs. base orientation, that is until a few months ago when we inherited a bent steel-base table with a round solid oak top. I liked the top but not so much the base. And since we had a glass-topped dining table with a nice wooden “X” base, I decided to marry the new wood top and our old wooden […]

The post Solid Wood Table Top Orientation & Installation – Part 1 appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

If you follow us (@pweditors) on Twitter (and/or you follow me @1snugthejoiner), you know we were in Connecticut in May to visit with and film a couple videos with Toshio Odate. When I wasn’t on camera (ugh), I was on Twitter (and Facebook and Instagram) sharing iPhone shots of Toshio’s “gallery.” “Gallery” is a weird descriptor for what is in reality a small plot of land with an old house […]

The post A Few Days with Toshio Odate appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.