Author name: Enthusiast

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.

Earlier this year I decided to set up a spray booth in my shop so I could spray finishes on crappy days. It did not turn out well. Usually I spray outside, so I have to wait for a pleasant day with the right humidity, no pollen, low bug count, no rain and etc. Sometimes the weather does not cooperate, so a makeshift spray booth seemed just the thing. So […]

The post Yes, You Can Have Too Much Ventilation appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Popular Woodworking already has a comprehensive guide on making and using a bench hook full of good information, so I hesitated for a moment before adding my particular version. However, I thought it worthwhile because there are many ways to skin a cat, I have some board left over from the last two projects, and because there is nothing wrong in reminding anyone new to woodworking how useful a bench hook […]

The post Super Easy Bench Hook appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

I’ve long been a fan of the Veritas Mark II Power Sharpening machine. I had one of the first models while working at Popular Woodworking Magazine. On the day I left the magazine, I ordered one for my home shop. It can be tricky at times. After grinding hundreds and hundreds of tools, this short video explains how I get dead-straight bevels and never lose the temper on a tool. […]

The post How I Use the Veritas Mark II Power Sharpening Machine appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

I’m reviewing the new set of stainless steel French curves from Sterling Tool Works for the October 2015 issue, but you might want to get your hands on these tools before then if you have some curvaceous projects ahead. Don’t use French curves? I’m not surprised. A typical set of French curves is sized for working on small-scale drawings. If you do your work in full-scale, most French curves are […]

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