Understand & Use a Bowsaw

These traditional tools are woefully misunderstood by modern craftsmen. Here’s a primer. Video: See a video of Mike Dunbar using a large and a small bowsaw. Article: Read Frank Klausz’s [...]

Houndstooth Dovetails

This joint adds strength and beauty to any corner. And it’s easier to cut than you might suspect. I first saw this joint illustrated in “The Encyclopedia of Furniture Making,” by Ernest Joyce [...]

Swing-Under Bench Tools

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 [...]

The Case for Bevel-up Planes

A craftsman makes the argument that bevel-up planes are easier to tune for end grain and difficult woods. I can clearly remember my first experience with bench planes. I was in high school shop [...]

How to Make Banding Inlay

A mark of true craftsmanship, bandings are much more than just decoration. Stop for a moment and take a good look at a piece of furniture that you admire—say, a card table from the Federal era. [...]

Mini Router Tables

I’ve acquired a bunch of routers over the years—enough so that I can afford to keep a few permanently mounted in these mini router tables. For lots of jobs, you don’t need a large table or a [...]

Setting Up Your Band Saw for Resawing

Set your bandsaw up for accurate resawing by following these simple setup tips. A bandsaw is a versatile tool. In fact, I know many woodworkers that use a bandsaw as their primary saw in their [...]

A Slick Digital Angle Gauge Trick

I’ve found that my new digital angle gauge is a great tool for setting an accurate angle on a miter gauge. To set the desired angle, first stand the miter gauge on its face on the rip fence’s [...]

Using Your Noodle

While lounging at the pool one afternoon, I had an inspiration. I “borrowed” one of my kids’ floating pool noodles, cut it into sections and used the pieces as universal connectors for vacuum [...]

‘Bookend’ Inlay

Make four variations of Federal inlay with heat and a few simple tools. While one revolution was winding down, another was gaining force. The Federal period, from about 1780 to 1820, saw both the [...]

Buffing Station in a Box

My sharpening procedures involve a lot of buffing with compound. On one side of my buffer I’ve mounted a hard felt wheel, and on the other a paper wheel shaped to buff concave bevels. To prevent [...]

Shop-made Flip Stop

Over the years, I have often clamped stops on my drill-press fence to register hole locations in workpieces. Unfortunately, I always seemed to lose the stops. Flip stops always seemed like a good [...]