The Great Tool Tray Debate

One of the great controversies of modern times, right behind “what’s the best media to sharpen tools on?” and “why can’t/won’t somebody make great tools for [...]

SketchUp Classes in April

Some of my favorite times are when I get out of the office and teach classes on using SketchUp. If you thoroughly understand what you’re going to build, before you go out to the shop, time [...]

What Angle Is That, Precisely?

I try to be helpful when readers have a question, but there is one question I’m often asked that I usually refuse to answer. The question relates to some project or drawing I’ve [...]

History of the Morris Chair

In the mid-1860s a carpenter in Sussex, England named Ephraim Colman had a brilliant idea, to make a chair with an adjustable back. The idea was sketched by Warrington Taylor, and adapted by [...]

Changes in Online Woodworking Communities

Woodworking can be a solitary and isolating pursuit, and one of the big changes the Internet has brought us is the ability to form connections with other woodworkers from across the country and [...]

Sorry Grandma, But I’m Proud of That

I read a column about “professional blogging” the other day that mentioned a blog is the one place in journalism where it’s accepted practice to start with an anecdote about [...]

Two Million SketchUp Model Milestone

Earlier this morning, I added the SketchUp models of projects in the February issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine to our 3d Warehouse collection. We do this every issue, and no other [...]

Quartersawn Animation

Quartersawn white oak is one of my favorite woods, and we’re fortunate in Cincinnati that the largest source for this wood in North America is just a couple hours away. Frank Miller Lumber [...]

Match Mortise Size Without Measuring

Whenever I teach a class, at least one student will say to me “you really don’t like measuring, do you?” I don’t dislike measuring, but I try to avoid it whenever I can. [...]

Bob's New (Old) Favorite Tools of 2010

My favorite tools for 2010 are a couple of vintage Stanley planes, a No. 5 and a No. 3. There isn’t anything special about either one, except for recent history. My son gave me the No. 5 for [...]