Disassemble Heavy Joints
Sometimes you can get a joint together no problem. But getting it apart is another matter. With the joints for a heavy French workbench, disassembling a test-fit gives many beginning woodworkers [...]
Pare Odd Corners With a Homemade Jig
The sliding dovetail joint on the heavy French workbench is one of its most distinctive features. And if you mess it up, everyone will notice. So today I took an hour to pare the female part of [...]
Swords, Shields & Polar Bears
My school is throwing its annual Fall Fair this Saturday (Nov. 21). It’s a one-day open-house extravaganza where we open our doors to all to show our students’ achievements both in academics and [...]
Two Books (& a Free Plan) from Woodworking Icon Thomas Moser
One of the first things you see as you enter the terminal at Portland International Jetport in Portland, Maine, is a showcase of work from Thos. Moser Cabinetmakers – because along with lobster, [...]
How to Make Deep Mortises When You Aren’t a Timber Framer
One of the defining characteristics of the heavy French bench is its joinery – the top and legs are joined with a joint that is one-half through-tenon and one-half sliding dovetail. The sliding [...]
Q & A: Starting Pin
A starting pin helps prevents kickback when using a bearing-guided bit. It’s an important safety feature.
Sandpaper Sharpening & Honing, Part 2
In my last post, I showed how I use adhesive-backed sandpaper as a sharpening medium in our school classroom. Although adhesive-backed sandpapers have become the gold standard in tool sharpening, [...]
Make a Shaker Firewood Box, Part 1
With winter approaching, we’ve had a new wood burning stove fitted at home. Our joinery workshop (G.S. Haydon & Son) provides ample fuel and it’s a great way to save on the [...]
Eleventy-hundred Benches Later, a New Glue
I know that some day I’ll perfect building these simple French workbenches, but it won’t be today. After 10 years of making benches by myself and in groups, I’m finding new strategies for making [...]
The Best Jointer Fence I’ve Used
All stock jointer fences stink. No matter how tightly you crank them down or how gingerly you treat them, they won’t remain square to the tables. Why? Because they can be adjusted off 90°. [...]
Big Workbenches Need Big Machines
This week a team of 25 woodworkers is in Barnesville, Ga., to build 17 massive French workbenches using ancient oak imported from France and every bit of machinery muscle we can get. I love hand [...]
Why Woodworkers Should Use SketchUp
So what is SketchUp and why should woodworkers use it? Simply put, SketchUp is a 3D sketching, modeling, rendering and design documentation tool. However, SketchUp is much more powerful than this [...]
