Roy Underhill’s Shop at Home

As you pull up the leafy driveway to the mill Roy and Jane Underhill call home, off to the right is the cottage where I was lucky enough to stay on my recent visit (you can take a look at it here). To the left is a barn in which Roy has his home shop. Many students who have taken classes that move from log to project at The Woodwright’s […]

The post Roy Underhill’s Shop at Home appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

from Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/1r7J8Gx



Find More About Teds Woodworking Plans & Project

Furniture Details: Here’s What’s New

In Friday’s “Furniture Details” post I tossed out a photo of a Newport dressing table (or lowboy if you prefer), but shot from below. The idea was to get you looking at not only how the piece was made but how things had been repaired/replaced over time. I made the post into a little contest to see who could pick out what was wrong on the piece. And, we had […]

The post Furniture Details: Here’s What’s New appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

from Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/1mMYRbf



Find More About Teds Woodworking Plans & Project

North Salem High School Students Rule in Montana

It isn’t unusual for a member of the Popular Woodworking Magazine staff to spend vacation time to attend a woodworking class. Usually I go to teach, but last week I found myself in Montana learning at the Chidwick School of Fine Woodworking in Stevensville, Montana. I was there on my own dime to meet Dean Mattson and to see the top five students from his woodworking program at North Salem […]

The post North Salem High School Students Rule in Montana appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

from Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/1k3jXxo



Find More About Teds Woodworking Plans & Project

Furniture Details: What’s New?

In order to know, and understand, how things were made in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries you’ve got to spend a lot of time on the floor (no Bender jokes, please). Looking at pieces from the top down, or outside in, only gives you a small part of the picture. And that’s why you can only learn so much by looking at books and magazines. Sure, you can read […]

The post Furniture Details: What’s New? appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

from Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/1jVM6Xf



Find More About Teds Woodworking Plans & Project

Guy Clark: Luthier, Singer, Songwriter

On this way to work this morning, I heard Guy Clark’s “Step Inside this House” (it was Lyle Lovett’s version off his album of the same title). It reminded me that I’ve long been meaning to post my favorite article I’ve written while with Popular Woodworking: “Songs from the Workbench” – an interview/article about Clark that appeared in our June 2007 issue. It represents one of the few times I’ve […]

The post Guy Clark: Luthier, Singer, Songwriter appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

from Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/1wGNNzG



Find More About Teds Woodworking Plans & Project

Songs from the Workbench: Guy Clark

Singer and songwriter Guy Clark builds both melodies and guitars in the woodshop of his Nashville home. by Megan Fitzpatrick Songwriter, singer and luthier Guy Clark doesn’t like technology. “I put away all my recording stuff, built this workbench, ordered some wood and started building stuff,” he says. The most high-tech machines on display in his workshop are a Delta band saw, a Craftsman drill press, a stereo receiver and […]

The post Songs from the Workbench: Guy Clark appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

from Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/1qBloZ6



Find More About Teds Woodworking Plans & Project

Period Mouldings Compared

Whether applied or integral, recessed or relieved, mouldings bring style to a structure. Different combinations of these concave and convex surfaces, or profiles, play with light and shadow to create the overall visual effects that define a piece of furniture. Mouldings please the eye by easing transitions between parts and surfaces, by dividing large open areas into subsections, and by refining edges, corners and other borders. The size and overall […]

The post Period Mouldings Compared appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

from Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/1vd8iBs



Find More About Teds Woodworking Plans & Project

Meet Tom Calisto, N.C. Woodworker

You may recall Tom Calisto (pictured above holding a Shaker chair he made; Ozzie is holding a sock), a woodworker in Chapel Hill, N.C., from his April 2013 Popular Woodworking Magazine article on cutting compound dovetails for a small, handled tote, or perhaps you saw his cherry kitchen table build in Fine Woodworking‘s December 2000 issue. Maybe you’ve even taken a class from him on sawmaking or compound dovetails at […]

The post Meet Tom Calisto, N.C. Woodworker appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

from Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/1mi2kd8



Find More About Teds Woodworking Plans & Project

Storage Solutions for Router Bits

I’m working on an upcoming article for Popular Woodworking Magazine that includes router-bit storage. There are scads of ways to store router bits; some are worthy of discussion and keep the bits out of harm’s way while other solutions are simply a jumbled mess. But before we get into how bits are stored, I’d like to find out how many router bits our blog readers actually own. Do you have […]

The post Storage Solutions for Router Bits appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

from Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/1mhp8d4



Find More About Teds Woodworking Plans & Project

Wierix Square, Part 3

With the glue dry, it’s time to see if your square is square – or if it’s a doorstop. Squaring a wooden square is a simple operation if you plan to use it for woodworking – not for building equipment for a nuclear reactor. It’s easy to go overboard with squareness. Here’s how I do it. I get a big sheet of termite barf (MDF), which is what I use […]

The post Wierix Square, Part 3 appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

from Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/1o4WaBv



Find More About Teds Woodworking Plans & Project

Build a Wierix Square, Step 2

Making the blade of the Wierix square is the most creative part of the construction process, when you can get in touch with your inner fledermaus (aka bat). While you can argue about whether or not the curves on the blade have any purpose, I am pretty certain of the reason the overall blade is triangular: to conserve wood and make the square easier to use. You can easily saw […]

The post Build a Wierix Square, Step 2 appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

from Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/1mf6KBt



Find More About Teds Woodworking Plans & Project

Build a Wierix Square, Step 1

A customer asked me to make a Wierix try square for him this week, and because it’s silly to make just one wooden square, I’m making a batch of five this week and am documenting the process here on the blog. If you don’t know what a Wierix square is, it’s an old style of try square that shows up in drawings of “The Childhood of Jesus” by Hieronymous Wierix, […]

The post Build a Wierix Square, Step 1 appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

from Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/1yKuabP



Find More About Teds Woodworking Plans & Project

Vote Now in the 2014 PWM Excellence Awards

The entries are in; it’s now time to cast your votes in the 2014 PWM Reader Excellence Awards. Your picks in each of the five categories will be featured in the November 2014 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine, and the overall Readers’ Choice winner gets a $100 gift certificate to ShopWoodworking.com. Plus, we take your votes into consideration when selecting the Editors’ Choice winners, and the Grand-Prize winner. You can […]

The post Vote Now in the 2014 PWM Excellence Awards appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

from Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/1v29iIl



Find More About Teds Woodworking Plans & Project

Woodworking in America Speakers

As September approaches, we are getting revved up about Woodworking in America (WIA) which is held this year in Winston-Salem, N. C. (here’s all the information). New speakers this year include such big names in woodworking as W. Patrick Edwards, Will Neptune, Phil Lowe, Drew Langsner, Dale Barnard, Jerome Bias, Matt Bickford, Wilbur Pan, Matt Cianci and Brian Coe. As a result, the programs presented are fresh and well worth […]

The post Woodworking in America Speakers appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

from Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/1nziZew



Find More About Teds Woodworking Plans & Project

Painting Wood Furniture Like a Professional

This time-honored finishing approach helps highlight – not hide – the beauty of your workmanship. Painting wood furniture isn’t quite like slapping a new coat of color on your living-room wall. First, you need to make sure you have the correct tools. And it doesn’t pay to skimp – spend the extra dosh for top-quality paintbrushes. Assuming you clean them correctly after every use, they’ll last for years to come […]

The post Painting Wood Furniture Like a Professional appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

from Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/1iqG9Xn



Find More About Teds Woodworking Plans & Project

JET Band Saw Sweepstakes Winner

Congratulations to Jim Pirkle, of Winston-Salem, N.C. He’s the lucky winner of the JET 14″ steel-frame band saw (model #714500) in our recent sweepstakes. Jim has been woodworking for about 30 years and recently finished building a workbench using a design from Popular Woodworking Magazine. His next project is a Shaker-style bookcase for his grandson and a Shaker-style cupboard for his daughter. Jim says the band saw will be a […]

The post JET Band Saw Sweepstakes Winner appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

from Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/1rqEKzL



Find More About Teds Woodworking Plans & Project

Roy Underhill’s Antique Shave Horse

As you would expect, Roy Underhill’s shop at the 19th-century mill he and his wife, Jane, call home, is chock-full of interesting vintage tools for all aspects of the woodworking trade. This morning, he moved a 19th-century shave horse out to the shop’s back porch so I could get a good look at it and snap these photos. More than an appliance, this horse is a clever bit of engineering […]

The post Roy Underhill’s Antique Shave Horse appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

from Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/1lfppl8



Find More About Teds Woodworking Plans & Project

The Dutch Campaign Tool Chest

This week, I built a lower cabinet for my small Dutch tool chest, a project featured in the October 2013 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine. The unit I just built sits below the tool chest proper and does a few nice things. 1. It gives me extra space for tooling and hardware that I sometimes need to drag along to classes I teach. 2. It raises the main tool well […]

The post The Dutch Campaign Tool Chest appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

from Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/1wbByLi



Find More About Teds Woodworking Plans & Project

Turn a Coffee Scoop

This time on Woodturning with Tim Yoder, you’ll learn how to make a two-piece coffee scoop that will look beautiful in your kitchen or in a gift basket for family or friends. Tim starts by laying out the parts, using a piece of curly maple for the bowl and walnut for the handle. After bandsawing each piece to rough shape, it’s time to head to the lathe. First, he mounts […]

The post Turn a Coffee Scoop appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

from Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/1lLDtOH



Find More About Teds Woodworking Plans & Project

What’s Your (Bench) Style?

There are almost as many workbench types in existence as there are woodworkers. Many of the examples on our website, like the one Roy Underhill displays in the above video excerpt, are variations on the Roubo workbench. I’ve seen some pretty awesome portable bench varieties, such as the Paulk bench, elsewhere on the web. And then, of course, there is the combination Workmate-plus-laundry-machine (and whatever other horizontal surface you have). […]

The post What’s Your (Bench) Style? appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

from Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/1oHLrQH



Find More About Teds Woodworking Plans & Project

Design in Practice: Stylin’ Finis?

In the last installment I got to Chippendale furniture but I didn’t cover all the changes that took place. The cabriole leg was actually on its way out in terms of fashion (in England, at least). Chippendale included many designs for pieces with straight, or Marlboro, legs in his “Gentleman’s and Cabinetmaker’s Director”. Some had the entire face of the leg moulded while others were flat with a simple bead […]

The post Design in Practice: Stylin’ Finis? appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

from Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/1nflOQw



Find More About Teds Woodworking Plans & Project

Dutch Tool Chest with a Lower Storage Unit

The Dutch Tool Chest from the October 2013 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine has proven to be a popular project – I’ve been asked to teach classes on building this chest all over the world this year. In that article, I provide plans for building two versions of the chest. The small chest has a single lower compartment for tools. The larger chest has two compartments for tools. During the […]

The post Dutch Tool Chest with a Lower Storage Unit appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

from Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/U3FhMY



Find More About Teds Woodworking Plans & Project

‘Roubo’ Kitchen Island

I’ve finally decided on a design for a kitchen island that will hold a mid-sized microwave and cookbooks, and serve as a table with room for stool storage underneath. The design parameters are quite rigid due to window, door and vent locations…plus the dimensions of microwaves of useful size. (If you wish to read more about the specs, and see my design progression – plus pictures of my cats – […]

The post ‘Roubo’ Kitchen Island appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

from Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/1lCQ7UP



Find More About Teds Woodworking Plans & Project

Museum Photography Tips for Accurate Reproductions

The first step in creating accurate reproduction furniture is usually taking good photographs of the piece you are replicating. That doesn’t mean you have to be a professional photographer. It just means you’ll want to follow a few basic tips in your camera work, especially museum photography. Museum Photography 101 1. Ask for permission and a list of rules. Most museums will not let you get closer than 12 inches […]

The post Museum Photography Tips for Accurate Reproductions appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

from Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/1l981iX



Find More About Teds Woodworking Plans & Project

Furniture Details: Shoes

In my last “Design in Practice” post I talked about how, as furniture transitioned from William & Mary to Queen Anne, the bottom back rail moved down and because the shoe on top of the back seat rail. It occurred to me that some folks may not know what a shoe is (and I’m not talking about the things you wear on your feet) or that there are a variety […]

The post Furniture Details: Shoes appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

from Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/1kTdF7A



Find More About Teds Woodworking Plans & Project

Workbench Day 2: The Case for Workbench Classes

Building a workbench at a school is, in my calculation, a wise investment. Good schools have huge machines – wide planers, beefy mortisers and sliding table saws – that can make difficult jobs a breeze. You also have lots of help – another 10 to 20 people who can help you muscle the stock. And you get it done in a week, so you can get on with building furniture […]

The post Workbench Day 2: The Case for Workbench Classes appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

from Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/1hHZKBy



Find More About Teds Woodworking Plans & Project

Workbench Day 1: Grab the Ash With Both Hands

The hardest part about teaching a class on building a workbench isn’t the teaching part at all. It’s finding good material that makes the class a pleasure – instead of a battle against the material. This week I’m teaching a class on building a traditional French workbench at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking. All 16 students are using ash bench bundles from Horizon Wood Products. This is, without any […]

The post Workbench Day 1: Grab the Ash With Both Hands appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

from Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/1uOEywq



Find More About Teds Woodworking Plans & Project

Some Incredible Shaker Pieces Up for Auction

Skinner Auctioneers, in Marlborough, Mass., has an astounding collection of Shaker pieces from the Andrews Shaker Collection up for sale in a June 15 auction. Unfortunately, the pieces to which I am particularly drawn are estimated to go for far more than my car would be worth brand new – bells, whistles, undercoating and extended warranty included. So, I’m looking at the pieces in this auction as a source of […]

The post Some Incredible Shaker Pieces Up for Auction appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

from Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/1oO5dpo



Find More About Teds Woodworking Plans & Project

Pembroke Table Plans – A Little History, a lot of Fun

Rob Millard knows a little about furniture history. But what I discovered in talking with Rob last week is that he knows even more about enjoying the craft. Rob makes authentic reproduction furniture with a minimum of fuss, employing some innovative and simple tactics. Here’s our interview. Dan: What’s the history of the Pembroke table? Rob: I’m not entirely sure about the origin of the name. Some say it was […]

The post Pembroke Table Plans – A Little History, a lot of Fun appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

from Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/1qiCie7



Find More About Teds Woodworking Plans & Project

Period Trippin’

I got a request recently in the comments section of my “Design in Practice:Stylin’ Too” post (read it here) about museums to visit for those interested in period furniture from Boston to Williamsburg. There’s a bunch, but I’ll list some of my favorites. Of course, by limiting my northern exposure to Boston, you’re forcing me to leave out some of the treasures in Vermont (The Shelburne Museum, which not only […]

The post Period Trippin’ appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

from Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/1kKPLeH



Find More About Teds Woodworking Plans & Project

Workbench Joinery: 10 Years of Tenons

Tomorrow morning I start a new workbench class at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking. While I’ve lost count of the number of workbenches I’ve built or midwifed into this world, I never tire of the grueling and exhilarating labor they require. For each class, I design a new workbench from scratch that is suited to the material I have gathered for the class, the needs of the students and […]

The post Workbench Joinery: 10 Years of Tenons appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

from Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/TwrfDw



Find More About Teds Woodworking Plans & Project

Scrap Moulding Construction Contest

My mother, Elizabeth (Penny) Jones, is an architectural historian and collector of all things historic…and not. When I was a kid, she was one of the driving forces behind the preservation of countless old buildings in Louisville, where I grew up. After moving to the Washington, D.C., area when I was in high school, she joined the National Trust for Historic Preservation as director of Preservation Programs, and was later […]

The post Scrap Moulding Construction Contest appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

from Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/SDrETG



Find More About Teds Woodworking Plans & Project

Working with Veneer for a Patterned Table Top

The magazine’s August 2014 article by Mario Rodriguez on building a mid-century coffee table features a terrific section about working with veneer for a patterned top. You can read Mario’s technique description below. Subscribe to the digital version of the magazine for fastest delivery of all our wonderful content. –Dan Farnbach The veneered top for this coffee table is arranged in a pattern of squares, with each square’s grain running […]

The post Working with Veneer for a Patterned Table Top appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

from Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/1q1ffEL



Find More About Teds Woodworking Plans & Project

Furniture Details: Philly Explained

A couple of weeks ago I posted why Philly chairs were just better (read it by clicking here). In the comments pmac mentioned including a SketchUp drawing in future posts to illustrate the joinery I discussed in the body of the post. Even though pmac understood the joinery I mentioned, I thought it would be a good idea to post a follow-up with the SketchUp drawing for those who still […]

The post Furniture Details: Philly Explained appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

from Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/SgiT1u



Find More About Teds Woodworking Plans & Project

5 FAQs on Routing Wood

Woodworkers ask me a lot of questions on routing wood, and many of the questions are similar, so here’s a short list of FAQs and answers to help you. Question #1 – I just purchased/inherited a router that only takes 1/4″ bits. Can I put 1/2″ bits in this router? Answer – If the router does not come with a 1/2″ collet, probably not. The best way to know if […]

The post 5 FAQs on Routing Wood appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

from Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/1p2e0HK



Find More About Teds Woodworking Plans & Project

Design in Practice: Stylin’ Too

Last week I started down the slippery slope of defining some of the differences between the various periods of furniture. This week, I’m just jumping off the cliff. Even if you’re not into period furniture, this series of posts can help you understand where your style of furniture came from. The whole idea is, everything is based on what has come before and everything is recycled somewhere. Picking up from […]

The post Design in Practice: Stylin’ Too appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

from Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/1p6uD2B



Find More About Teds Woodworking Plans & Project

Free Plans: Ancient Squares for Ancient Scraps

I don’t turn pens much, and the word “fireplace” is a dirty word in our house (thanks to an incident involving a flaming log and full nudity). So my scrap pile is always overflowing. I give away scraps for kindling to my neighbors or I burn them in our outside firepit, but that is a hard sell during the hot humid months. Recently I’ve been building ancient layout tools with […]

The post Free Plans: Ancient Squares for Ancient Scraps appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

from Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/1pAJzs9



Find More About Teds Woodworking Plans & Project

How to Fix Your Current Workbench

You don’t have to build or buy a new workbench if you’re frustrated with the one you have. There are ways to improve your bench so it will be more useful. Here are some strategies. Problem No. 1: My bench is too lightweight. I chase it around the shop when working. Add weight by building a tray below the bench and fill it with sand. Or rebuild your bench base […]

The post How to Fix Your Current Workbench appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

from Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/1nYSAt0



Find More About Teds Woodworking Plans & Project

There is Hope for High School Woodworking Programs

These days when you read about high school wood shops, it’s almost always in the context of a program shutting down, the equipment auctioned off and resources diverted to sending every kid that graduates high school to college. That makes sense if you think we don’t need to make anything domestically and that blue collar jobs are dead-end jobs. In spite of this, there is a high school wood working […]

The post There is Hope for High School Woodworking Programs appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.

from Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/1hs4xHH



Find More About Teds Woodworking Plans & Project