Woodworking Posts

After 20 years, I finally wore out my grandfather’s Japanese-made trammel points. They were things of beauty, but the micro-adjustable friction mechanism began to slip and nothing could be done to fix it without the help of a machine shop. I’m going to get them repaired, but in the meantime I have lots of arcs to scribe. Megan Fitzpatrick, in a moment of pure generosity, ordered me this set of […]

The post Anarchist’s 2015 Gift Guide, Day 5: Veritas Trammel Points appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

If you use only hand tools, this isn’t going to interest you much. If you use machines, read carefully. Lubrication makes a huge difference when you work alone. Moving heavy slabs across a jointer, table saw or through a planer can be difficult if you are on your own. For me, the difference between sore muscles and not sore muscles is B’laster Dry Lube, essentially Teflon in a can. No, […]

The post Anarchist’s 2015 Gift Guide, Day 4: B’laster Dry Lube appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

I promise this is not an all-Starrett Christmas. Truth is (I hate to say) the last few things I’ve bought new from Starrett have been disappointing (especially a small pair of dividers). This tool, however, has not been a disappointment. Quite the opposite. For years I struggled with compasses in the shop. They were not hardy enough. They lost their settings. Even the expensive German ones I bought were just […]

The post Anarchist’s 2015 Gift Guide, Day 3: Starrett No. 92 Compass appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

When I started seriously into building campaign furniture, I found that I was driving hundreds (no lie) of screws each week when building a typical piece with all the brass hinges, stays, corner guards and straps. To speed me along, I bought a Starrett 819 centering punch, and if you have ever struggled with installing hardware, you will love this thing. Like many woodworkers, I’ve tried all the silly gizmos […]

The post Anarchist’s 2015 Gift Guide, Day 2: Starrett 819 Centering Punch appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Every woodworker needs an oily rag to wipe down tools after sharpening or use. For years I used a bit of an old sweatshirt until it fell apart. Now I use a microfiber cloth, which holds more oil and is far more durable than the sweatshirt. You can get these cloths at home centers, stores that sell kitchen supplies or (if you want to buy enough for the entire neighborhood) […]

The post Anarchist’s 2015 Gift Guide, Day 1: Microfiber Cloths appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Earlier this afternoon, Christopher Schwarz (contributing editor to Popular Woodworking Magazine and editor at Lost Art Press), Andy Brownell (Brownell Furniture) and I were on WVXU’s weekly talk show “Cincinnati Edition” discussing the art and craft of woodworking with host Mark Heyne and callers. Click here to listen. Among the things Mark asked was to tell listeners about our first woodworking projects. Mine was a stick. As you can see […]

The post ‘Cincinnati Edition’ on Woodworking appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.