Techniques

With a router, straight bit and plywood scrap, turn a weak joint into a superhero of strength. One of the strongest joints in woodworking is a properly fit mortise-and-tenon and the opposite in [...]

Universal Drawer Holder When I make dovetailed drawers, I usually plane the sides to even up the joints and fine-tune the drawer’s fit. Years ago, I found that you can’t accurately [...]

A Backer Board Prevents Chip-Out Chip-out is always an issue when you even up the stiles and rails of a door with a plane. If you plane all the way across the door, from one end to the other, [...]

A trip to the hardware store yields clamps that put the bend in inlay. Inlaid bandings are a time-honored technique to embellish furniture, as are curves. Combining the two is surely a way to [...]

  Discover how and why this age-old hide glue technique works – and works best. One of the great hurdles for many woodworkers new to traditional craftsmanship is applying veneers to a wooden [...]

Choosing and using this must-have measuring and layout tool. In 1878, Laroy S. Starrett designed and patented the combination square. His invention was a multi-purpose layout and measuring tool [...]

Everything you always wanted to know about screws, but were afraid to ask. Many of the tools and fasteners we use in woodworking have been around for thousands of years. The concept of the screw [...]

1. Paraffin Lube When you rout a dovetail joint, your sense of feel is important. Your router should slide easily around the jig’s fingers, without hesitating, so you can tell which [...]

One of my favorite Arts & Crafts details is the through-tenon at the top of a table, bookcase or chair. When I was considering adding a joinery class to my curriculum at the Barnard [...]

We may receive a commission when you use our affiliate links. However, this does not impact our recommendations. An exercise in dowel-making without a lathe During my formative years as a [...]

1. Lubricate a Bandsaw Blade It’s safe and easy to cut brass and aluminum with a bandsaw and a regular woodworking blade. Using a miter gauge, you can make a very straight cut. Be sure to [...]

Perhaps woodturners should sell naming rights. The field has never standardized the names of woodturning tools (or measurements of their widths or how to describe their angles), so they often go [...]