Woodworking Posts

I just returned to the PW offices after a nice lake vacation. I’m still in the mood for swimming, fishing, BBQs and s’mores. So I thought this week’s book giveaway should be a fun one. Treehouses sort of scream summer fun, don’t you think? This week I’m giving away a copy of “The Perfect Treehouse” by Django Kroner. It’s a book filled with treehouse building advice and common missteps to avoid. Django […]

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I’ll probably get pushback for this post, but I’m posting it anyway. Three decades ago I had a unique opportunity of being considered for a conservator’s position in the magnificent furniture collection at the Winterthur Museum and Gardens in Wilmington, Delaware. How that came about is another story. Here, I want to relate some of what I came to believe after touring the museum during the interview. (If you ever […]

The post Conservators – How Some Hide Glue Changed the Trajectory of my Career appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

I don’t actually remember how long ago I discovered figure-eight fasteners (ten, fifteen years?), but it was one of those moments when I felt like someone had answered a wish. I was struggling with how to attach something vertical to something horizontal and I wanted it nearly invisible. Then I found the figure-eight fastener. They’re not really a tip or a trick, more like someone showing you that ice cream […]

The post Handy Figure-eight Fasteners appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

On June 23-24, 2017, a bunch of YouTubers converged on a field in Oklahoma to abandon technology and go old school. The “Skiatook Adventure” differentiated itself from other events via its complete lack of agenda. There were no tool vendors, no pitchmen, no schedule. Visitors weren’t coming to buy, learn or try new things. The event was all about getting past the information highway and socializing “IRL.” The event was […]

The post VideoWoodworkers – Skiatook Adventure with Shawn Graham appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

When I wrote about the 50 or so essential hand tools you need to make furniture in “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest,” I neglected to include my cork sanding block in that list. I think the reason I forgot was that the block is as essential as my marking knife. I know the tendency today is to eschew abrasives and finish projects straight from the tools, but that’s a pretty new […]

The post In Praise of the Cork Sanding Block appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

As some readers will know, I’m working on a book about English Arts and Crafts furniture for the books division of Popular Woodworking. As the deadline gallops toward me, alternately provoking bouts of insomnia and hyperventilation, my work schedule has finally allowed me to start on the book’s final project, a hayrake table designed by Ernest Gimson in 1908. It’s a simple design with the usual parts: four legs, a stretcher […]

The post How I Made a Notched & Tenoned Joint for the First Time appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.