Woodworking Posts

I have often found it beneficial to sketch furniture while examining it.  Unlike a photograph, a pencil insists a form be understood to be reproduced. But my sketches don’t always look like my subjects.  My failing can be attributed to both my lack of skill and lack of understanding of the subject. I’m not convinced … Read more »

The post Art History v. Experimental Archeology appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

While I like and appreciate strict reproductions, I’ve always preferred to design my own stuff. How do I design a piece? In the only way I know how. It’s not easy. There are no formulas or rules or ratios. It is by a process I call “saturation and feedback.” Step 1: Absorb everything you can … Read more »

The post The Dumb Way to Teach Design appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

I probably shouldn’t share these here, because I copied the images from another site: Flavorwire (my daily stop for cool stuff on the Interwebs). But I couldn’t resist, because these two workplace safety posters about woodworking tools are awesome. I wonder what they say? Not that it matters – the point is clear. (See 10 … Read more »

The post A Safety Message from the Netherlands (You Needn’t Know Dutch) appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

OK, I know I wrote that I would tell more about the Darlington chest (June 2013 cover project) next week. But I have three big reveals, so I had to share another bit yet this week. And this post should give you a little insight into the world of museums and high-priced antiques. Here goes. … Read more »

The post A Day at Winterthur: Part 2 appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

Woodworking, like fishing covers a lot of territory, so the audience for our magazine and website is a diverse lot. When I learned how to make stuff out of wood, the internet didn’t exist and there was only one magazine and few books available on the subject. Lacking these modern resources, I was forced to … Read more »

The post Hand Tool Maintenance-Don’t Ruin Your Tools! appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

All woodworking stories are – by definition – somewhat sappy. This one is even more so. The day I met Steve Shanesy I was a burned-out writer, designer and editor. I was managing a newspaper that was swirling around the rim of the toilet bowl. I was writing about politics – something I didn’t care … Read more »

The post On Steve Shanesy’s Last Day appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.