Woodworking Posts

For many years I’ve used the following trick to plane irregular-shaped objects: Screw a square block to the underside of the piece and then clamp that block in my face vise. It’s a trick that I showed in my 2007 book “Workbenches: From Design & Theory to Construction & Use.” (Psst, the second edition is coming out later this year.) I find it especially useful for planing up the seats […]

The post A (Still) Better Way to Plane Chair Seats appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Thanks to Bill Lattanzio, we now have a collective noun to describe a gathering of woodworkers – a “grove.” Bill was the first of several readers who suggested “grove” as the most appropriate term for a group of woodworkers. The blue-ribbon task force advisory panel steering committee I chaired also selected “grove” as the winning entry. Webster’s New World College Dictionary (The official dictionary of Popular Woodworking) defines a grove as: […]

The post What Do You Call a Group of Woodworkers? A ’Grove!’ appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

In case you don’t follow rarewoods.us (also known as Travis Knapp) on Instagram, I share with you this cool (and inexpensive) tool lube solution he’s now offering: mutton tallow in a tube. For just $5, you get the convenience of keeping your hands clean while swiping greasy tallow (greasy is good!) on your plane, sawplate…whatever you have that needs to get slickery for better work. Tallow doesn’t interfere with glue […]

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  What is the best design for a round mallet? It has to do the job, feel good in your hand and remain comfortable as you use it. Three weeks ago, while at Peters Valley, I had a chance to make a few mallets and try out their feel and comfort levels. Round mallets are easily turned on the lathe (although the 4th graders in my school carve them out […]

The post The Best Design For a Round Mallet, Part 1 appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

We all know that Joseph Moxon didn’t invent the Moxon vise. But perhaps the Italians did? I spent a fatigue-fueled weekend researching some red herrings and stumbled on this circa 1300 hand-drawn illustration of the construction of Noah’s Ark. I found the plate in “Les Rabots,” a fantastic modern book on handplanes in French. (Someone should really translate it; please don’t ask me to do it.) The drawing from Northern […]

The post You and Your Puny Moxon Vises appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

I came to the Popular Woodworking team with an interest in woodworking, but since working here, I seem to have been drawn specifically to woodturning. I find it fascinating, and as with any craftsmanship, it is inspiring to see the passion and care someone puts into a piece, regardless of its use or size. In fact, ever since Editor Megan Fitzpatrick offhandedly mentioned bringing in an experienced turning teacher to […]

The post Turn a Paper Towel Holder & More with Tim Yoder appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.