Woodworking Posts

File this simple project under quick things to do with a couple of offcuts. A martial artist friend of mine asked for a candle holder for the sword class she teaches at Cincinnati Taekwondo Center. Students are challenged to put out the candle flames with their sword without striking the candles. The holder needed to accommodate 7 candles and include a way to adjust each candle’s height (the tops need […]

The post Martial Arts Candle Holder appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

I often come across people who are confused about the difference between a stain and a finish. They’ll use a phrase such as “I want to stain the wood,” or “would you stain the wood for me?” when what they really want is some color added to the wood and a finish applied to deepen the color and protect the wood from moisture. They’re including the finish within the word […]

The post Wood Stain is Not Wood Finish appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

It will come as no surprise that we like hand tools – we do, after all, show you how to use them in just about every issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine. But we promulgate “hybrid woodworking” – using both hand tools and power tools – depending on your preferences, and we show you how to make the most of both. “Mortise & Tenon Magazine” is dedicated to pure hand tool […]

The post Mortise and Tenon Magazine: Issue 3 appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Black and grays are the stars of today’s architecture and furniture design. Most of the black in today’s wood furniture and cabinetry is painted or produced by means of stains and dyes, but another way to turn a piece black is by charring. Charring involves no solvents and requires no drying time. When topped with a low-luster finish such as Osmo Polyx oil, it produces a velvety appearance that highlights […]

The post Blackened Wood: Designing with Fire appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

More than a year ago, before I joined the staff, Megan Fitzpatrick and I talked about an article that I wanted to write about lumberyards and the perennial discussion about domestic versus exotic lumber. At the time, I was also working on an interactive map of New York City’s neighborhoods, and I floated the idea of creating a map of local lumberyards that would accompany the article. The article is […]

The post A Lumberyard Map: Find a Lumber Yard Near You! appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

I came across Andrew’s work on Instagram and Reddit and thought it was a creative build. Andrew uses skateboards that were broken or headed to the garbage to create colorful projects. In the video above he turned a baseball bat – on his Instagram feed you’ll see canoe paddles, drumsticks and coffee stampers. He’s creative and learning fast. I enjoyed his story, I captured part of it for blog post found […]

The post How to Make a Baseball Bat Out of Recycled Skateboards: Interview with Andrew Szeto appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.