Woodworking Posts

Among the first woodworking tools that I bought were two marking knives. In this entry I will talk about those first knives and the way I use them. In the coming entries, I will show other knives that I own and demonstrate how even a simple utility knife can do a good marking job, in case you don’t own a dedicated tool. I first learned about marking knives 19 years […]

The post An Intro to Marking Knives: Part One appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

For Kevin Drake, founder of Glen-Drake Toolworks and creator of the Tite-Mark marking gauge, the most important factor for successful woodworking is what happens before the tools touch the wood. Understanding how tools work, and constant practice, is the real secret to becoming a better woodworker – and it took careers unrelated to woodworking for Drake to learn that. “I worked in and out of Los Angeles for 30 years, […]

The post Woodworking in America 2015: Kevin Drake appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

For many woodworkers, mid-century modern furniture seems a mass-manufactured mystery. We remember the excesses of the style – the kidney-shaped everything, the peg legs and the crappy dowels. But like most furniture styles, mid-century modern is far more complex, interesting and tied to the great tradition of well-built beautiful things. Michael Crow has a new book out on the style that is an excellent introduction to mid-century modern that focuses […]

The post ‘Mid-century Modern Furniture’ by Michael Crow appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Most of last week, I was in Connecticut to film a video with teacher, sculptor, author, artist and woodworker Toshio Odate, along with our video editor, David Thiel, and studio manger Ric Deliantoni. I’d prepared (of course) a long list of questions and subjects to discuss with Toshio…but when we turned the cameras on, Toshio started talking, and I could barely get a word in. And that’s great – because […]

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Editor’s note: During his time design director for Herman Miller, George Nelson recruited a series of talented designers including Ray and Charles Eames, Isamu Noguchi, Robert Propst and Alexander Gerard. During Nelson’s tenure, Herman Miller produced numerous iconic designs including, the Eams Lounge Chair, Marshmallow Sofa and Noguchi coffee table. And, as the literal foundation for the modern cabinetry system featured in Herman Miller’s 1948 catalog, George Nelson’s own platform bench is […]

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When I have a visible split in a large slab tabletop, I’ll stabilize it with a wooden key, like I described here last week. But when it comes to the underside of a slab, I prefer to use a little pocket-hole jig to make a fast repair that is adjustable and easily removed if need be. Keep in mind that I’m not trying to close the split – just keep […]

The post Fixing Splits with Pocket Screws appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.