Woodworking Posts

At this time a week from today, I’ll be setting up benches and classrooms in Kansas City, Mo., for Woodworking in America 2015 (unless something goes wrong terribly wrong with the truck…or we stuck in what appears to be a vexing amount of construction between here and there). The conference starts bright and early on Friday morning at 8:30 a.m., with six classes from which to choose: Christopher Schwarz on […]

The post One Week until Woodworking in America appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

When you start studying ancient woodworking tools, it’s the similarities that are most striking – not the differences. Saws, chisels and planes – the core tools of the furniture maker – are only mildly different in the East and West. While some people amplify those differences – pushing a saw vs. pulling it is one example – these are largely artificial. All cultures both push and pull tools. And using […]

The post Chinese Workbenches – a Little Bit Roman? appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

I can’t help it. And I don’t want to help it. Between projects, I really enjoy getting to know different tools and discovering what I like and why I like them. It’s good fun and this vintage chisel is no exception. I don’t think I’ve ever had that freedom within my job as a joiner, but when the working day ends and I can do things on my own terms, I […]

The post Vintage Chisel Bliss appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Though I find it darn-near impossible to believe, it has been more than five years since we published plans for a full-sized workbench. That was Christopher Schwarz’s “Return of Roubo,” the cherry-topped bench he built using mostly hand tools (you’ll find it in the August 2010 issue as well as on a  download, “Build an 18th-Century Workbench” that includes a bunch of additional resources). Chris is back to bench building […]

The post Cheap, Simple & Portable (Yes, Another Workbench) appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Shop organization is likely a recurring topic throughout anyone’s woodworking career. That’s why we devoted several articles to the topic in our Woodworking Essentials column in Popular Woodworking Magazine back in 2007. The column has returned as a new book compiling those articles into one handy volume, “Woodworking Essentials: Timeless Techniques for Woodworkers.” While some of photos from the book are vintage (see if you can spot some oldies, but goodies), the […]

The post Small Tool Organization appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

While I was at David Savage’s workshop I was delighted and surprised to see he used a “lump hammer” for assembling casework. David brought the hammer to my workbench when he helped me knock together my dovetailed tool chest carcase for a class. And when he saw me smile hugely at the lump hammer (instead of recoiling in horror, which is what I think he was expecting), he told me […]

The post In Praise of the Engineer’s Hammer (aka a Lump Hammer) appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.