Years ago I was asked to judge a building contest put on by Bosch that pitted young technical students against one another for a big cash prize and a whole bunch of tools. For the contest, the students were given a plan, some wood, some tools and a certain number of hours to get it [...]
Anyone who has ever read Joseph Moxon’s “Mechanick Exercises” (1678) has puzzled over his pictures of saws. There are some frame saws, a whipsaw and a fancy handled saw without a back that Moxon, as far as I know, doesn’t discuss in his text. That fancy saw has always caught my eye. What was it [...]
The editors were meeting recently to plan articles for future issues and it was decided that each of us would contribute to an article by sharing a favorite box we’d made or will make. I had just the candidate, a rectangular box I made several years ago from a spectacular piece of walnut I’d been [...]
This week Christopher Schwarz’s “Mastering Hand Tools: Why Learn Hand Tools?” video is available on our ShopClass site. In this first of 10 videos, Schwarz explains the benefits of using hand tools and how they will they will fit into your shop. Here’s the link to buy it. “Building a Goddard Table Part [...]
In the April 2012 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine, I included an (obscure) visual jape (though I’m likely the only one who finds it amusing). The first person to correctly identify said tomfoolery and post a comment about it below wins a copy of the Woodworking Magazine 1-16 CD (which includes all the issues we [...]
We’ve just added to our store what I think is one of the most important woodworking books I’ve seen in some time: “Make a Joint Stool from a Tree: An Introduction to 17th-century Joinery,” by Jennie Alexander and Peter Follansbee (Lost Art Press). Sure, given my interest in all things early modern, I’m partial to [...]
As some of you might know, The Wood Whisperer.com (Marc Spagnuolo and family) has been besieged by a DDoS attack this week. In fact, as I write this, I can’t even get onto his site. As a survivor of Internet malice – remember when the pornographers took over the Woodworking Magazine site for three long [...]
I use cut nails in my furniture projects. They hold better and look better than common wire nails. They do have a couple downsides, however. They are more expensive than wire nails and more difficult to find. You cannot walk down to the local hardware store and buy a bag. Well, let me qualify that [...]
I’m building cubbyholes for the gallery in the Campaign Secretary I’m constructing for Popular Woodworking Magazine. I’m now down to the seven little interior drawers and installing the hardware. Though I am deep into this secretary, my mind is already racing ahead to the next Campaign-style projects I’ll be building this year. The reason for [...]
It is with great pride that I introduce myself as the newest member of the Popular Woodworking Magazine team. As the Online Community Editor, I will be your contact for all things web and eMedia. Have a question about the web site or our digital content? Just ask me! A little bit of background: I [...]