Woodworking Posts

The February 2016, featuring Jim Tolpin’s Standing Desk, mails to subscribers next week. I have just a couple “Online Extras” to push live, but most of them are now available (click here to see the full list). Among the things I coded for this issue is Jim’s August 2010 article, “Designing by Hand, Foot & Eye” – one of the first pieces he wrote on using one’s body as the […]

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Every year I recommend one tool that is a bit spendier than the rest, and this year it is the Lie-Nielsen Honing Guide. Thomas Lie-Nielsen first showed me the prototypes about eight years ago, and it was a long and involved path for the company to get this tool into production. Like the company’s chisels (which took just about as long), the wait was worth it. So you don’t like […]

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During the last few years as I have turned my back on finishes with lots of volatile organic compounds, I’ve begun looking for traditional high-quality finishes that won’t shorten my lifespan. I’ve bought a lot of beeswax from a lot of different sources, from national manufacturers to the individual beekeeper. They all work, but the nicest stuff I’ve found is from Don and Carolyn Williams at donsbarn.com. Don has spent […]

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Good nails have been used in fine furniture for centuries. But during the last 100 years, nails have earned a bad reputation among furniture makers. That’s because good nails (cut nails and forged Roman-style nails) disappeared and were replaced by wire nails. Wire nails are cheap, don’t need a pilot hole and don’t hold for crap – and that’s the nicest thing I can say about them. You can still […]

The post Anarchist’s 2015 Gift Guide, Day 7: Forged Roman-style Nails appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

So it’s been busy! I’m sorry that I’ve not had the time to write – but fear not, plenty on the way. I’m pleased to have the Shaker Firewood Box project done (read Part 1 here), and here it is loaded with waste wood from our shop. Bear with me; I know the merits of firewood storage are unlikely to stoke the fires of passion but the fact remains I […]

The post Make a Shaker Firewood Box, Part 2 appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

This year I have experimented a lot with using a soap finish on chairs and tables. Soap is a traditional Danish finish used on furniture and floors. It’s easy to apply, easy to renew, low on the toxicity scale and leaves a delightful low-sheen finish that is remarkably soft to the touch. The downside? It’s not very durable. After decades of using finishes that require bio-hazard gear, using a simple […]

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