Woodworking Posts

It’s a shame customers don’t know as much about woodworking as woodworkers. They run their hands over your work and if it’s smooth they think it’s good – whereas you know that’s just the temporary wax on top. It shows the customer nothing about the weeks you spent oiling it daily or the high number of light coats of shellac used to create a deep and repairable finish. Customers can also […]

The post Mushroom Your Drawbore Gaps appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Design has always been one of my biggest challenges in woodworking. To be frank, I didn’t know how to create my own designs. I’m always amazed by the innovative designs of other woodworkers, but aside from copying, creating my own seemed beyond my capacity. How woudl I begin to create a vision? Where would I get ideas? And how might I create something that is coherent, makes sense, has “style”? […]

The post Creativity Step by Step: Furniture Design appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Want to be a hero with friends and relatives? Here are two tricks that are surprisingly little known but are worth a lot to your reputation: how to remove crayon and candle wax. Crayons are made of wax, of course, and wax dissolves in turpentine, mineral spirits (paint thinner) and naphtha. None of these solvents damages any finish (except, of course, a wax finish) when used in moderation. So to […]

The post How to Remove Crayon and Candle Wax appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Shop set up is always a popular topic of discussion among woodworkers. We have a book coming out in few weeks that covers exactly that. “The Practical Workshop” is a compilation of some of Popular Woodworking Magazine’s best articles on setting up a sensible shop with an efficient workflow. Whether you have a fully equipped shop or you make do with a tiny corner of the basement or garage, this book […]

The post Book Giveaway: The Practical Workshop appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

In this video excerpt from “No-Fear Chairmaking,” Christopher Schwarz shows you how to use soap flakes (or grated soap) and water to make two varieties of traditional Danish soap finish. This finish is fast and easy to make, there are no VOCs about which to worry, and it is quite easy to apply. Plus, you’ll walk away with cleaner hands than when you started… If you’re interested in the building […]

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I sharpen a curve on the cutting edge of all my bench planes and block planes. The curve prevents the corners of the iron from leaving behind “plane tracks” – those ugly little steps. But there are many other benefits to using a curved iron. Here’s one more: It can make your mortise-and-tenon joinery tighter. This might sound improbable, but it’s something I achieve with every mortise-and-tenon joint in my […]

The post Another Benefit of a Curved Plane Iron appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.