Woodworking Posts

When wedging through-tenons, I prefer to orient the wedge diagonally across the tenon. This is a somewhat atypical way to work, so an explanation is in order. A diagonal wedge has the advantage of closing up any gaps on all four edges of a rectangular mortise. That’s because it pushes the tenon against all four walls of the mortise. The more typical wedge, on the other hand, will push against […]

The post Diagonal Wedges: The How & Why appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

I just finished a desk commissioned by some clients who wanted the piece to be made from a walnut log they’d had lying around a few years – in other words, longer than ideal. They had it sawn and kiln-dried this summer and brought the boards out to my shop in September. My clients wanted to keep the live edges on the desktop, which posed a challenge: Their log had […]

The post Live-Edge Keyboard Tray appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

I came across David Thomas Brown’s coffee table build on Reddit last week and thought it was a great build. If you spot a build that has great photography and solid technique, send me an email! – David Lyell I remember the glory days of unlimited garage/driveway space and access to my dad’s tools that I had as a kid in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Scrap wood in the backyard became […]

The post Rising Coffee Table Built in a 500 sq ft NYC Apartment appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

It’s getting to be that time of year. Halloween is in just a couple weeks and before you know it the shelves will be stocked with holiday stuff – heck, some stores already are. The weather’s turning cool and its the perfect time to get in the shop and make gifts for your friends and family. With the holidays in mind, I thought it would be nice to focus the […]

The post Book Giveaway: Woodworking Projects for the Kitchen appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

The trick to fitting wooden pieces into impossible recesses is to learn about “ticking sticks.” These simple sticks – plus a sheet of paper – can make monstrous tasks into a easy job. Here’s how they work. “Ticking sticks” go by many names in the historical record, but they are the best technology for cutting a piece of wood to fit an odd opening. All you need to perform this […]

The post Fit Irregular (Impossible!) Shapes with ‘Ticking Sticks’ appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Every woodworker who sees a downed tree quickly says a short prayer to the gods of nature and immediately thinks of turning that log into lumber. It’s just natural to want to see a natural resource being utilized and not wasted. And, of course, procuring some inexpensive lumber doesn’t suck either! But what does it take to rescue a downed tree? Well, a mill and some friends (with trucks!) would […]

The post Mill a Log into Lumber with Ron Herman appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.