Coping With Curves
Time for a show of hands. Have you ever said, “I can’t cut curves because I don’t have a band saw, a jig saw or an oscillating spindle sander?” If so, here’s a [...]
The Chisel-Hatchet and Scalpel In One
Here’s my theory: if you get good using one tool, learning the next tool you pick up will be easier. Good woodworkers connect a piece of wood on the bench and their brain through their [...]
New Features in Google SketchUp 8
Time to Go Pro? Every week, one million people around the world use Google SketchUp. Last week, I was one of 250 SketchUp users invited to Boulder, Colorado for 3D Base Camp. While there, the [...]
Google Releases SketchUp 8
I’m spending the next few days in Boulder, Colo., at the Google SketchUp 3D Base Camp. Base Camp is a gathering of 250 expert SketchUp users from around the world. It’s always fun to [...]
And Now for the Chisel
Working on this little block has been an interesting experience, and I hope you’ll give it a try. Explaining it on the blog has made me think about a lot of basic things that have become [...]
Mitered Door Frame in SketchUp
I received a question from a reader, concerning a problem he was having modeling a kitchen cabinet door. In my book and video I cover how to make a similar door using a cope-and-stick joint. This [...]
You Can Really Do That
One of the greatest moments in marketing history was the mass adoption of power tools following World War II. Before then, the standard thinking was that just about anyone could pick up a saw and [...]
Better Than a Knife
When you work with power tools, machine set up is everything. The quality of your joinery, and your entire project is based on your level of accuracy at that stage. With hand tools, layout is [...]
Winners of the Veneer Tech Craftsman’s Challenge
Earlier this summer, I made a series of posts on this blog about how veneer is made. The photos in those posts came from a trip I made in June to the Veneer Tech plant in North Carolina to serve [...]
Better Than a Pencil
One of the things that can overwhelm a beginning woodworker is the sheer number of choices to make about the simplest things. It doesn’t help that there is always someone waiting to tell [...]
Exercise in Layout and Marking
If you’ve taken the bait and are willing to make a Gottshall block, I suggest you ask yourself two questions before you start. What kind of woodworker do you want to be, and how will you [...]
One Old Exercise for Growing Skills
Yesterday’s post on developing basic skills generated a lot of response. In addition to the comments, I received several e-mails. One that got my attention came from saw-maker [...]
