Author name: Enthusiast

If you think about it, most woodworking is just building boxes. Chests, cabinets, drawers – all boxes. It’s one of the first things we build when we start woodworking, and a task in which we build our skills. One of my very first things I made when I started woodworking was a simple box, about the size of the classic El Producto cigar box. I had some 1/4″ x 3′ […]

The post When the Box is the Gift appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Saturday mornings are among the best hours I get all week. My wife and daughters all like to sleep in late, but I get up early, make coffee, and use that quiet time to read, draw or write. It was a Saturday morning when I turned to Plate 280 of the new translation of “To Make As Perfectly As Possible: Roubo On Marquetry” (Lost Art Press) and found a representation […]

The post Lessons From Roubo appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

If I never write another tool review, I’ll be happy. But due to changes at Popular Woodworking Magazine, I’ve agreed to write a few for upcoming issues. Because I like nothing better than to pull down my pants and walk around in public, here is a guide to reading (and writing) tool reviews. Before I start, let’s dispel some myths about tool reviews. Only Consumer Reports does it the right […]

The post How to Read a Tool Review (And How I Write Them), Part 1 appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

When I made my tool chest I opted for an-off-the-shelf powdered milk paint that you mix yourself. I was pleased with the finish once it was sealed with a couple coats of linseed oil. However one thing nagged at me. Due to the nature of powdered milk paint, it was not good fun trying to cut in and get a crisp edge. I reflected also that perhaps it was a […]

The post Making Linseed Oil Paint appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Up until 1999, I didn’t think it was even possible to get blacksmith-made hardware for my furniture pieces. Today I rarely build a piece that doesn’t have some part that was made by a blacksmith or whitesmith. In 1999 my then-boss Steve Shanesy took me to a blacksmith in Cold Spring, Ky., named Marsha Nelson. I spent an afternoon photographing her work and was amazed at how quickly she could […]

The post Why You Should Work with a Blacksmith appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Though it might seem counterintuitive, sometimes bigger is better when you are doing fine work with veneer and inlays. A wide chisel provides plenty of reference surface to keep delicate cuts straight and square and plenty of heft to slice effortlessly. If you excavate for banding using a router, you will wind up with rounded outside corners. Once again, a wide chisel is better to square off those corners because […]

The post Use Big Chisels for Fine Work appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.