Woodworking Posts

Most tool reviews aren’t really reviews. They’re press releases dressed up with a lab coat and a clipboard to look respectable. For experienced woodworkers, these faux-reviews are easy to spot and ignore. What are the signs? They’re missing key information about the tool’s place in the market compared to its competitors. Even more telling, the writer wields statistics to discuss the tool (14.4-volt batteries with an intelligent trickle-charger) but omits […]

The post How I Read Tool Reviews (And Write Them), Part 2 appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

If you think about it, most woodworking is just building boxes. Chests, cabinets, drawers – all boxes. It’s one of the first things we build when we start woodworking, and a task in which we build our skills. One of my very first things I made when I started woodworking was a simple box, about the size of the classic El Producto cigar box. I had some 1/4″ x 3′ […]

The post When the Box is the Gift appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Saturday mornings are among the best hours I get all week. My wife and daughters all like to sleep in late, but I get up early, make coffee, and use that quiet time to read, draw or write. It was a Saturday morning when I turned to Plate 280 of the new translation of “To Make As Perfectly As Possible: Roubo On Marquetry” (Lost Art Press) and found a representation […]

The post Lessons From Roubo appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

If I never write another tool review, I’ll be happy. But due to changes at Popular Woodworking Magazine, I’ve agreed to write a few for upcoming issues. Because I like nothing better than to pull down my pants and walk around in public, here is a guide to reading (and writing) tool reviews. Before I start, let’s dispel some myths about tool reviews. Only Consumer Reports does it the right […]

The post How to Read a Tool Review (And How I Write Them), Part 1 appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

When I made my tool chest I opted for an-off-the-shelf powdered milk paint that you mix yourself. I was pleased with the finish once it was sealed with a couple coats of linseed oil. However one thing nagged at me. Due to the nature of powdered milk paint, it was not good fun trying to cut in and get a crisp edge. I reflected also that perhaps it was a […]

The post Making Linseed Oil Paint appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Up until 1999, I didn’t think it was even possible to get blacksmith-made hardware for my furniture pieces. Today I rarely build a piece that doesn’t have some part that was made by a blacksmith or whitesmith. In 1999 my then-boss Steve Shanesy took me to a blacksmith in Cold Spring, Ky., named Marsha Nelson. I spent an afternoon photographing her work and was amazed at how quickly she could […]

The post Why You Should Work with a Blacksmith appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.