Woodworking Posts

I better start off with a warning. If you haven’t already figured it out, I’m kind of a nut about patterns. Long before I owned a CNC, I made hundreds of them. As a furniture maker, I really use and rely on them. The rule in my shop is that if you need to make two of anything or if there’s even the slightest chance you might make something again, […]

The post Turn Patterns Into Super Story Sticks appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

This problem comes up a lot at this time of year. You’ve been finishing a large project for several weeks without problems. Then the finish starts sagging on vertical surfaces and the cabinet doors begin sticking together when you stack them. It’s important to remember that all finishes dry slower in lower temperatures. Unless you keep your shop heated (and cooled in summer) to a fixed temperature, you’re likely to […]

The post Reminder: All Finishes Dry and Harden Slower in Cooler Temperatures appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

For several years I used CompWood for furniture parts that needed to be bent precisely. It’s a wood that has been compressed in its length under heat and with moisture. When the wood cools, it can be bent cold. No steambox. And I have yet to encounter wood failure with the stuff. The only downside? It’s expensive compared to cutting down a tree, riving out the stock and bending it […]

The post A Return to Cold-bend Hardwood appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

One of the unique pieces built during my weekend workshop at Snow Farm was a live edge coffee table. Lisa’s “Cape Cod coffee table” began as a 1” cross cut of a cherry tree that showed an attractive burl, intriguing insects cavities and some natural cracks. Our plan was first to fill the imperfection with colored epoxy. Then re-turn four reclaimed furniture legs that Lisa had found on the street. […]

The post Live Edge Class at Snow Farm, Massachusetts – Part 4 Lisa’s Cherry Table appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

There are numerous jigs for cutting dovetails with a router. My go-to is the Keller pro series model 1601. It’s simple to use, though unlike jigs that cut pins and tails in one fell swoop, it takes two operations (and two different cutters) — one for tails, another for pins. The resulting joint is so attractive, with wide tails reminiscent of hand-cut joints, that I think it’s worth the extra time. […]

The post How to Cut Dovetails with a Keller Jig appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

We are featuring a set of tables by Kerry Pierce in an upcoming issue of PWM and we needed to ship them back to his home in Lancaster, Ohio. So instead of paying over $100 for shipping, we jumped in the car to make the delivery. Kerry repaid us with a shop tour and we spent some time in his home talking about what he likes in furniture style. It was a great […]

The post Shop Tour with Kerry Pierce: Part 1 – Handplanes appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.