Shop Blog

Once you finish creating a nice miter joint, then comes the time to think about making the joint stronger. As glue alone will not suffice, adding splines or keys in between the two banks of the [...]

The Veritas Workshop Striking Knife (I just call it a “marking knife” or “knife”) is my new Fridge Super Magnet. Huh? Well, on the rare times I actually remember to place [...]

Yes, yes. It might seem self-serving for me to recommend a subscription to Popular Woodworking Magazine as a holiday gift, but I firmly believe that what we publish is worth reading. If I [...]

The following statement contains 99 percent corn, but the remaining 1 percent is what gets me moving in the morning. The greatest woodworking gift isn’t a tool or a shop accessory. It’s watching [...]

I’m sure you’ve heard the admonition to measure twice before you cut once. If you haven’t, take it from me that it’s very good advice. You’ll save a lot of wood and grief by doing this. But what [...]

I have worked out of an 18th-century-style tool chest since 1997 or so, but I still love a good metal toolbox. They are great for moving tools to a jobsite or storing a dedicated set of wrenches [...]

I know, I know. If you’ve been reading this blog, my blog or following me on social media for while, you’re already familiar with my deep-seated love for the Benchcrafted Skraper [...]

The weather is lukewarm and rainy at the shop today so that can only mean one thing. It’s the holiday season! OK, you can’t really predict what time of year it is by measuring the [...]

Jameel “Jamal-Alabama” Abraham of Benchcrafted introduced me to these bits, and I still need to repay the favor with beer and/or bratwurst. These bits are the cat’s meow, knees and pyjamas. Made [...]

Christopher Schwarz has commenced his annual “Anarchist’s Gift Guide” on his PWM blog, and though he and I have many of the same tools, products, likes and dislikes (he is, [...]

In my last post, I covered some of the big issues in learning to use CNCs. Woodworkers first starting to use CNCs in particular benefit from in-person learning because of all the idiosyncrasies [...]

I have burned through a lot of burnishers, from the ones I’ve made myself out of carbide rod to very expensive variants. My favorite is the French-made Arno burnisher. Everything about the tool [...]