A Faster Way to Assemble a Roorkee

Roorkee chairs are great fun to show customers – until they ask me to take it apart and put it back together for them. For the first year or so, I was pretty slow at putting them together because there are eight buckles to tighten up all while keeping the loose parts from falling down like a Jenga game. After thinking about it and working with the chairs for three […]

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An Intro to New Features of SketchUp 2015 for Woodworkers

On November 3, 2014 Trimble Navigation LTD released SketchUp Make 2015 and SketchUp Pro 2015. This was an exciting announcement for all SketchUp users, as there was something new for everyone; and rest assured the woodworker was not forgotten. The improvements in SketchUp 2015 are mostly performance related; so let me start with the most important changes. Polygon Modifier Key Added A modifier key (Ctrl in Microsoft Windows or Option […]

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Who Do You Most Want to See at WIA?

While I already have a couple of (virtual) handshake agreements with presenters for WIA 2015 (and a long list of potential presenters), next week (after the February 2015 issue is to the printer), I’ll be diving deep into the programming for next year’s conference (which is Sept. 25-27 in Kansas City, Mo.). And you can help. • What one presenter would you most like to see? • What one topic […]

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Woodworking Apprenticeships — A Family History

Utter the word “Apprentice” and perhaps for many it conjures up wistful emotions of times past, a master passing on knowledge and values consigned to history. However that most traditional sounding method of training still exists today and it’s doing rather well. I have personal experience of completing an apprenticeship and from my family’s perspective, we have throughout the last 105 years experienced the changing face of training the trades. […]

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2 Ways to Warm up For Dovetails (Without Cutting One)

My dovetails are always at their best if I warm up before sawing. But I’ll be honest – when I am pressed for time I have no patience to cut an entire joint, much less prep the wood for a practice set. So here are two things I do to get my sawing on track that don’t require extra material or significant time. Crosscut Your Rough Stock by Hand Even […]

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Keep Simple; Keep Sharp

While putting a new tool through its paces for a future review, I was reminded just how important the basics are and what a fine job a regular bench plane will do when sharp. I was delighted with the new tool I was using but I was equally delighted with my normal “go to” planes. I’m very pleased to see the options we have now regarding specialist planes for shooting […]

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How to Impress the General Public with Your Woodworking

The following blog entry might seem snarky. I assure you it is not. I’m interested in what impresses people when they view a piece of furniture. In fact, when a fellow woodworker shows off a piece of furniture, I observe the other people in the room as much as I observe the piece itself. So here is a short list of things that seem to really impress. Big Furniture To […]

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A Tailored Tea Table

In Colonial America, prior to Paul Revere’s famous midnight ride, colonists adopted many of the lifestyles of English citizens. One such behavior was afternoon tea. Of course, you couldn’t be of a wealthy class and partake in tea without having the necessary serving implements – including a tea table. Tea tables came into vogue in the early 1700s and were built in many designs such as tray-topped, round-topped and porringer-topped […]

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‘Is It Genuine?’

One of the things I enjoy in life is the experience of the under promise and the over delivery. I bought “Is It Genuine” (1971) while searching for good information about 18th-century furniture. I don’t worship what the 18th century has to offer but at its core it represents what I feel is the pinnacle of hand-powered woodworking. It’s a unique period of the pre-Industrial Revolution world that relied on […]

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Spring Cleaning (6 Months Late)

The shop at Popular Woodworking has been a bit of an embarrassment for the, oh, last year or so. We’ve made a desultory effort now and again to whip things into shape, but ever since our garage door was moved to the far end of the shop (as far away from as possible and around two corners and a fence from the dumpster and recycling bin*), we’ve been less apt […]

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Cabriole Legs Without a Lathe

How did woodworkers create beautiful, curved table legs without machinery? A technique used building this tea table (pictured left) will show you… Queen Anne-style furniture makers focus on curves and achieving a light, graceful look. Cabriole legs are all about curves, and to give a lighter look to the design, slipper feet were the choice for many tea tables. Forget the lathe. A slipper foot is shaped by hand. To […]

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I Need a Lathe

I found myself reviewing future projects that I want to do and on so many I’ve found some woodturning is. That’s an issue for me, I don’t own a lathe and I’ve never turned a thing. The most sensible thing to do would be make the project anyway and ask a local tuner to help me when required. That’s what we do at work and it’s always worked well. However, […]

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A Basque Planing Support

There are lots of ways to get around not having a sliding deadman – sometimes called a “board jack” – on your workbench. For the last 15 months I have been working on a bench without a deadman or a tail vise, so I am always looking out for novel solutions. This weekend a woodworker named Adrian from Toronto sent me some photos of a clever bench accessory he spotted […]

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Elipse P100 Respirator: First Impressions

I’ve been in the shop for about two hours this morning and the first task I faced was clearing out a jammed dust-collection pipe above the jointer. A dirty, dusty job, but it had to be done. So it was a good test of the Elipse P100 Respirator I recently bought from Highland Woodworking ($30 plus shipping). Then, I had some 3/4″ plywood to cut up for one last kitchen […]

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‘In the Shop with Roy’ (And a Close Look at Some Cool Stuff)

We’ve just put together a 10-hour collection of 17 of Roy Underhill’s shop projects from “The Woodwright’s Shop.” (“In the Shop with Roy: Workbenches, Tools, Storage & More” is available now to order on DVD; the download option will be up shortly). With this collection, you’ll get the following episodes: #402 A Spring Pole Lathe; #604 A Folding Lathe; #1402 The Carpenter’s Tool Box; #1412 The Williamsburg Blacksmiths; #1501 Sharpening […]

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How I Read Tool Reviews (And Write Them), Part 2

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 […]

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Federal Furniture

Editor’s note: For a better look at the images (and more of them), download the PDF of the article as it appeared in print (at bottom). Years ago I discovered Federal furniture and knew that with beautiful veneer, superb inlay and simple carving, this would be my furniture period of choice. by Rob Millard Federal furniture has much to offer woodworkers. In addition to the traditional joinery, there is veneering, […]

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When the Box is the Gift

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′ […]

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Lessons From Roubo

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 […]

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How to Read a Tool Review (And How I Write Them), Part 1

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 […]

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Making Linseed Oil Paint

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 […]

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Why You Should Work with a Blacksmith

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 […]

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