Shop Blog

Now that I’m no longer on the staff of Woodworking in America, I get to do three things: 1) Actually attend some of the really great seminars from people like chairmaker Curtis Buchanan, carver [...]

First, thanks to all of you who entered – I had a hard time deciding on a winner. In the end, I guess I’ll have to chalk up the winning entry to my sometimes-sophomoric sense of humor. And [...]

For centuries, woodworking skills and techniques were passed down directly from master to student. If you wanted to learn, you spent time with someone who had done it for a long time, followed an [...]

I’ve used a lot of different methods to add age to my hardware – everything from a propane torch to ammonia to gun blue to (yes) human urine. Whenever I discuss these methods, I get complaints. [...]

The second episode of “The Highland Woodworker” web TV show is out and if you haven’t seen this new show yet, it’s definitely worth a look. Produced in conjunction with Highland [...]

I like Morris chairs  – Lord knows I’ve built enough of them to change my middle name to “Morrie.” But this evening I finished up work on a chair that is lighter in weight (less than 10 lbs.), [...]

Old one was getting a bit beat up, one grandBRAT needed a desk for HIS computer.   Decided to make a new bottomhalf, and just re-use the small hutch from the old [...]

      i needed a few planes for the shop.   Decided to go visit a few “thrift stores” in my area.     Found a few rusty, CHEAP planes.     Just needed some work to [...]

  Is underway.   i started with some old, nail-sick, UGLY beams from a garage that fell down, old age.    enough for four legs and some other [...]

The last version of the hope-chest was the one that both my clients and I loved the most. It called for a frame and panel construction and a lid that once used to be part of a [...]

Because chairs take abuse like a rented mule, the simple mortise-and-tenon joint is sometimes not enough. In traditional Windsor chair construction, the legs and spindles are attached to the [...]

“Mastering Hand Tools: Basic Skills for Balanced Woodworking,” a new 2-disc video from Christopher Schwarz, contributing editor, introduces you to the basic hand-tool skills you need [...]