By combining paint, metal leaf, and some chemical reactions, you can create interesting effects on a variety of surfaces. Creating a Patina finish can transform any object into a work of art. I have used these methods for over 3 decades with excellent results. My art pieces have sold for thousands of dollars and won…

Linseed paint will change the way you approach painting a project, but this wonderful finish takes a different approach than modern paints. The world of finishes is a complex one. When I find a finish I like, I tend to stick with it. For the last several years, I’ve relied pretty heavily on both acrylic…

A Disposable Brush And A Few Rags Build An Awesome Finish. Finishing is a challenging aspect of woodworking. There are many finishing materials and methods of application; within a single piece there may be several conditions requiring different approaches. It is one thing to get a nice finish on a small flat sample board but…

Stop measuring and simply learn how to saw straight. The dovetail is an ancient joint widely used in cathedrals, barns and Egyptian furniture. It is the right joint for many items including fine furniture, carcases, drawers and jewelry boxes. They are all dovetailed together. I was only 27 years old when I came to this…

Learn to set up and wield one of the most useful (and inexpensive) handplanes. Also check out: A primer on adjusting wooden planes. Kevin Drake, a furniture maker who trained under James Krenov, stood before his wonky-topped workbench one day many years ago and hesitated. His urge was to start flattening the benchtop by planing across…

Basic steps for beautiful joints. Dovetails. They get put on a pedestal as a sign of quality. And while not every project or furniture style warrants them, I enjoy sitting down, listening to an audiobook, and cutting them by hand. Once you break down dovetails into a series of basic steps, I think you’ll find…

One of the most popular projects my students ask to build is a sword. Alongside boatmaking or crafting a gnome house, swordmaking has become one of the signature fourth-grade projects we do once the required curriculum is complete. I tailor each sword’s complexity to the student’s skill level. Most are based on the Roman form,…

Stop measuring and simply learn how to saw straight. The dovetail is an ancient joint widely used in cathedrals, barns and Egyptian furniture. It is the right joint for many items including fine furniture, carcases, drawers and jewelry boxes. They are all dovetailed together. I was only 27 years old when I came to this…

Sam Maloof is a midcentury craftsman most famously known for his sculptural chairs. This is evident in the rounded corners, molded seats, and curved arms and backrests. His joinery also embodied this sculptural motif. I recently took a trip to Iowa to build a Maloof inspired sculpted rocker with my mentor, Tim Fuller. While I…

When using my miter saw, I’ve found that the easiest way to sneak up on a line is to use a stack of sticky notes. First, set a stop block to cut your part slightly oversize (1/16″ is plenty). Attach a thin pile of sticky notes to the stop block, make a cut, and then…

I use a portable circular saw to break down plywood and other sheet goods into manageable pieces before bringing them to the table saw for final sizing. I prefer to do the job on sawhorses rather than crouching on the floor. Unfortunately, you normally need three or four horses to provide enough support to prevent…

The next time you use your jigsaw, forget about hauling out the sawhorses or cantilevering a hard-to-hold workpiece off your bench. Extruded polystyrene insulation board, the rigid pink sheets used in housing construction, makes sawing easy, whether you’re cutting a small piece of hardwood or a full sheet of plywood. During the cut, the workpiece…

  These furniture maker’s symbols are an international language. They have been used for generations because they’re easy to make and easy to understand. A board’s working face and edge are the surfaces that all measurements are taken from. This dates back to when boards where planed by hand. You couldn’t count on every side…

I have a couple tools from which I frequently remove the dust collector hoses. I got tired of getting out my screwdriver and cranking out the adjustment bolt every time. After a bit of experimenting I came up with this quick-release solution that uses a wire hose clamp and a plastic spring clamp with removable…

In order to keep my bench clear for working, yet have the tools I need close at hand, I came up with this stowable mounting system. Each of my bench tools is mounted on a board with slotted guide bars that ride on dowels. When the tool is in use, the board locks in position…

  These furniture maker’s symbols are an international language. They have been used for generations because they’re easy to make and easy to understand. A board’s working face and edge are the surfaces that all measurements are taken from. This dates back to when boards where planed by hand. You couldn’t count on every side…

Tapping a New Thread When you can’t find the right thumb screw for an old tool (see Part 1 here), your best option is to drill and tap a new hole to accommodate a modern fastener. In the case of our antique divider, I found an old thumb screw from a lampshade retaining ring that…

Tool: No. 444 am Shop Now  Manufacturer: Skunk Tool Works MSRP: $129 As a rule of thumb, if something doesn’t have multiple uses in my shop, I don’t generally keep it around. That even goes for hand tools. The new No. 444 dovetail marker from Skunk Tool Works is an adjustable dovetail marker that covers…