Woodworking Posts

In previous posts, I drew the basic 2D curved shape for the BARN Workbench vise chop using CAD software. Because I was still at the beginning stage of the project, I also designed and built a jig that holds the blank stock during machining on a CNC. Now that the basics are out of the way, it’s time for the fun part: Turning a simple 2D shape into a 3D vise […]

The post CAD to CAM to CNC: Part Three — From a Simple 2D Drawing to 3D Design appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Strategies to have more control while removing rust with abrasives One of the best ways to give you more control when sanding rust and to make sure you only engage the corroded areas is to back up the sandpaper with a hard and flat backing plate. If you were to hold a piece of sandpaper or an abrasive pad with your fingers instead of a cork or rubber block while […]

The post Treasure Hunting & the Restoration of a Starrett Sliding Bevel – Part 3: How to Sand Rust Off Your Tools appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

I received a question from a woodworker who had made an end table from quarter-sawn white oak and had a problem with the stain penetrating unevenly. The problem showed up just on the end grain, not the long grain. And it showed up on both ends of the board. The woodworker explained that he had tried to fix the problem by cutting off a little of the end grain (hand-planing […]

The post What to Do When White Oak That Won’t Take Stain Evenly appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

I often feel like sourcing wood takes on two aspects for me. It can be an annoyance, where I can’t find the board I’m looking for, and everything is checked, warped or has too much runout. On the other hand, I go out of my way on every vacation to visit lumberyards, to see what treasures another part of the country or world possesses, and to take a chance on […]

The post Slabs From the Sawyer appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Every so often I do something dumb. A few weeks ago I was drilling 1/4″ holes to peg the tenons for a table’s apron. I started with a brad point bit but switched to a Forstner after finding that the first bit had torn the grain at the edge of the first two holes. I glued the pegs into those holes anyway, hoping to scrape out the tears when I […]

The post Dutchman to the Rescue: How I Patch Wood appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

When we moved out here to Covington, I refused to do two things. For one, I didn’t want to bring some of the beater furniture that has been following us around since college. And two, I didn’t want to buy any cheap furniture when we got here, with the plan of replacing it. This led to the need to build nice, hard-wearing furniture with some speed, and a few meals on […]

The post Kitchen Worktable appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.