Author name: Enthusiast

My dovetails are always at their best if I warm up before sawing. But I’ll be honest – when I am pressed for time I have no patience to cut an entire joint, much less prep the wood for a practice set. So here are two things I do to get my sawing on track that don’t require extra material or significant time. Crosscut Your Rough Stock by Hand Even […]

The post 2 Ways to Warm up For Dovetails (Without Cutting One) appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

I have to admit it – I’m having a rough time in this relatively new job. Not my actual work duties, but figuring out what new technique or project I want to try next. I’m a beginner/intermediate woodworker in that I’ve learned enough to get myself in trouble, but I also have learned enough to know how much I don’t know. So coming to work every day and looking over […]

The post A New Issue (& An Expanding Wish List) appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

While putting a new tool through its paces for a future review, I was reminded just how important the basics are and what a fine job a regular bench plane will do when sharp. I was delighted with the new tool I was using but I was equally delighted with my normal “go to” planes. I’m very pleased to see the options we have now regarding specialist planes for shooting […]

The post Keep Simple; Keep Sharp appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Ah, the glamor of being on camera. The trailer with your name on the door…M&Ms separated by color to meet your needs…people hustling around to keep you happy and hydrated. Fans swarming you at openings and asking for your autograph. Relaxing at the pool and waiting for the reviews to come in. Right! Tell it to Alf Sharp. Alf spent a week with us shooting “Create a Newport Tea Table” and […]

The post So You Want to Be a Video Star? appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

The following blog entry might seem snarky. I assure you it is not. I’m interested in what impresses people when they view a piece of furniture. In fact, when a fellow woodworker shows off a piece of furniture, I observe the other people in the room as much as I observe the piece itself. So here is a short list of things that seem to really impress. Big Furniture To […]

The post How to Impress the General Public with Your Woodworking appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

I had the pleasure of chatting with Daniel Carter and Lance Granum a few weeks ago for a  This Old Workshop podcast; it seems I talk too much, because they’ve broken the conversation into two sections, and they’re now live on the site. Click on the link above to hear about some upcoming articles in the magazine, what we look for in queries, favorite tools (both mine and the guys’) […]

The post A Look into the Future appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.