Author name: Enthusiast

In the last installment I got to Chippendale furniture but I didn’t cover all the changes that took place. The cabriole leg was actually on its way out in terms of fashion (in England, at least). Chippendale included many designs for pieces with straight, or Marlboro, legs in his “Gentleman’s and Cabinetmaker’s Director”. Some had the entire face of the leg moulded while others were flat with a simple bead […]

The post Design in Practice: Stylin’ Finis? appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

The Dutch Tool Chest from the October 2013 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine has proven to be a popular project – I’ve been asked to teach classes on building this chest all over the world this year. In that article, I provide plans for building two versions of the chest. The small chest has a single lower compartment for tools. The larger chest has two compartments for tools. During the […]

The post Dutch Tool Chest with a Lower Storage Unit appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

I’ve finally decided on a design for a kitchen island that will hold a mid-sized microwave and cookbooks, and serve as a table with room for stool storage underneath. The design parameters are quite rigid due to window, door and vent locations…plus the dimensions of microwaves of useful size. (If you wish to read more about the specs, and see my design progression – plus pictures of my cats – […]

The post ‘Roubo’ Kitchen Island appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

In my last “Design in Practice” post I talked about how, as furniture transitioned from William & Mary to Queen Anne, the bottom back rail moved down and because the shoe on top of the back seat rail. It occurred to me that some folks may not know what a shoe is (and I’m not talking about the things you wear on your feet) or that there are a variety […]

The post Furniture Details: Shoes appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Building a workbench at a school is, in my calculation, a wise investment. Good schools have huge machines – wide planers, beefy mortisers and sliding table saws – that can make difficult jobs a breeze. You also have lots of help – another 10 to 20 people who can help you muscle the stock. And you get it done in a week, so you can get on with building furniture […]

The post Workbench Day 2: The Case for Workbench Classes appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

If you’ve ever been frustrated by heading to your local tool dealer to get a hands-on look at the latest new tool reviewed in Popular Woodworking Magazine (or in one of our online reviews) only to find they don’t have it on the showroom floor, then Jet has the guarantee for you. As of yesterday (June 9, 2014) Jet has implemented it’s new $50 Showroom Guarantee. What that means to you […]

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