Author name: Enthusiast

On the William & Mary chest in the April 2014 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine (which mails to subscribers next week), the case sides are frame-and-panel construction (read about how I handle sticking here) with drawbored mortise-and-tenon joints. As my article made its way around the office for editorial review, Megan Fitzpatrick noticed that I used two offset pins in each tenon and asked, “Why, the offset?” Then it occurred […]

The post Drawboring 1 or 2 appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

These are my top six ways to elevate your woodworking game. I present them in reverse order, so if you’re looking for the top way, jump to the last entry. .6 Don’t point out your mistakes. Most woodworkers always begin to show a piece by stating what’s wrong with his or her work. That immediately cues viewers that there are problems – that undermines your work. Professional woodworkers never point […]

The post Top 6 Ways to Become a Better Woodworker appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Trying to make contact with all the different hand and power tool manufacturers out there takes up a lot of my time here at the magazine. I’m always searching for new products. They may be new to the market or they might just be new to the magazine but I’m searching for them nonetheless. Every once in a while I stumble across more than just a great company; I get […]

The post SuperMax – Little Guys Building it Bigger and Better appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

The alway-eagle-eyed Jeff Burks pointed out that I had already found an earlier reference to using a bow saw to saw out dovetail waste to the one I posted this morning. Back in 2010, I mentioned that Charles Holtzapffel explains the technique in “Turning and Mechanical Manipulation…” (1856). Holtzapffel writes: The wood between the dovetail pins is generally cut out with the bow or turning saw, leaving the space as […]

The post Read Your Own Blog, Dummy appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

As you likely know, every month we offer a deeply discounted collection of books, CDs/DVDs and downloads as the “Kit of the Month.” Typically, we group these around a theme (workbenches, router joniery, shop projects, tables) but this month, my brain is the sole subject around which the choices coalesce. I chose 11 of my favorite items from the store (retail value of around $300) that we’re offering for $105. […]

The post ‘Fitz’s Picks’ for February appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

When I teach dovetailing to a class, one of the common questions is why I saw out the majority of the waste between the tails and pins, instead of chopping with a chisel. The simple answer is: That’s how I learned to do it, I’m fast at it and coping saws are easier to sharpen than chisels (the last part is a bit of a joke, by the way). There’s […]

The post Sawing Out Dovetail Waste appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.