Author name: Enthusiast

Reader Greg Merritt of Parkersburg, W. Va., drew up plans for making a nice-looking polissoir using broom corn and tarred nylon. The polissoir features two knots – a constrictor knot and a decorative Turk’s head knot, which are both easy to make. Merritt drew up complete instructions for making the polissoir and provided a nice pdf that you can download and print out: Polissoir_Polisher2 So if you cannot afford one […]

The post Make Yourself a Nice Polissoir appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Lots of folks think that back in the day, good quality wood was in such great supply that the craftsmen gave little thought to its judicious use. I have the perfect example to show that they were not only frugal with their use of raw materials, but their time as well; Queen Anne compass- (or balloon-) seat chairs. The back legs (or stiles) extend from the floor to the crest […]

The post Furniture Details — Compass Seat Back Stiles appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Don Rosebrook, past-President of the Early American Industries Association (EAIA), a prominent member of the Mid-West Tool Collectors Association (M-WTCA) and author of “Wooden Plow Planes,” “American Levels and Their Makers” and “America Level Patents Illustrated and Explained,” died Monday following a brief illness. Carl Bilderback, a longtime friend of Don’s, said that in addition to his love for plow planes and levels, Don was an avid collector of high-end […]

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Last weekend during the Lie-Nielsen Hand Tool Event in Charleston, S.C., I completed three try squares and even applied the finish right at the bench using a polissoir (French for “polisher”). For the attendees who had never seen a polissoir or the surface it leaves behind, it was an eye-opener. Photographs don’t do the surface justice. It’s an experience that is both tactile and visual. Most people assume that the […]

The post Polissoirs: New Models & a Long-term Test appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

In the April 2014 issue, I reviewed the Magnetic-mount LED Work Light that’s carried by Lee Valley Tools (click here if you wish to read the review). I had only one complaint – and it was that my rechargeable batteries didn’t fit, and that non-rechargeable batteries lasted on average only five hours – so I use this otherwise excellent light sparingly. On Twitter (where you can find me @1snugthejoiner), a […]

The post Update: Magnetic-mount LED Work Light Review appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Here’s a basic trick for planing up the rails and stiles for your doors. If you use power sanders, move along quietly to some other blog entry. The random-orbit sander was pretty much invented to solve this problem that occurs in traditional work. So you’ve cut the joinery on your rails and stiles and are getting ready to assemble the frame, be it a door or face frame. Planing the […]

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