Krenov Foundation Professional Development Award

Professionals in the field of fine woodworking, with a minimum of four years of experience, are invited to apply for a $2,500 grant from the Krenov Foundation to use for a stint as an artist-in-residence or visiting scholar or faculty collaborator at a nationally recognized woodworking school or craft center. Applications are available at http://ift.tt/2vZ9DnX must be submitted along with a statement of purpose, resume, financial forms, digital photographs of […]

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Rosin – Your Sticky Friend in the Workshop

Woodworkers use waxes (and other things) to decrease friction, but what about when we want to increase friction? Lately I’ve been trying inexpensive rosin – intended for the bows of stringed instruments – with excellent results. Rosin is a byproduct of heating tree sap to make turpentine or a variety of other products and has a variety of uses in industry and the arts – everything from ballet dancers to […]

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Milk Paint Pickling Technique for Oak – Reclaimed

Several years ago I made a bookcase in red oak as a birthday gift for my husband. I wanted to make it looked like old wood that had been painted, then stripped…poorly. (Yes, some readers will conclude that I have a warped aesthetic.) I decided to use milk paint because the relatively brittle finish seemed like a good candidate for easy sanding. So I mixed up the paint as usual and started […]

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On the Right Track

Track saws are a favorite among on-site installers and carpenters, for breaking down sheet goods, trimming floors, and other operations common on the job. Their portability and accuracy make them a godsend for contractors. Many woodworkers have a circular saw in their shop and use it for crosscutting, kerfing out large joinery or cuts where the tool needs to be brought to the work. The addition of a track (made at home […]

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Week in Review – July 23-29

July 23–29 There was a lot to talk about this week after AWFS. David Thiel represented Popular Woodworking and brought back an incredible amount of information and stories from the show floor. He shared several videos on our YouTube channel and compiled all of it into a post. Scott Francis, our books editor, decided to give away a copy of Woodworking Essentials over the weekend – to enter, just leave a comment […]

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Treasure Hunting & the Restoration of a Starrett Sliding Bevel – Part 2

Rust, the mortal enemy of steel and iron can be removed a few different ways. You can remove rust by eroding it with abrasives and steel brushes, you can use chemicals or acids, you can submerge rusted objects in a bath of baking soda and water and reverse the corrosion through a process called electrolysis. And if this is not enough, I have recently learned about a cutting edge technology […]

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Free Sh*t Friday! – Friday Live!

Today we’re showing off some awesome stuff sent to us by our online friends! You guys are awesome. We also decided to return the favor by giving away a free Guild project to everyone who had a question answered live! Here’s the rundown:

2:10 – WW Thread tap holder
3:02 – Why are your arms shiny? – Saniderm Tattoo Bandages – Check out OhItsTeddy (NSFW)
6:10 – Solution to Nicole’s challenge coin problem.
7:18 – Marc and Nicole’s goodies
8:36 – Fuji spray conversion gun
10:55 – What was your biggest screw up?
13:50 – Are there any considerations to make for router bit speed?
15:44 – How do I keep my router from falling off at the end of the cut?
17:13 – Why do you sometimes apply glue to one piece and other times apply glue to both?
19:09 – Can you help me decide between a mortiser and a domino?
21:31 – Would there be too many limitations using the Festool MFT system with S4S lumber in a mobile situation?
22:22 – What’s so great about the MFT?
23:48 – Why do you now sand to higher grits vs what you used previously?
26:14 – Should I store my lumber in my basement instead of in my carport where I normally work?
28:55 – If you could only have 10 tools what would they be?
30:36 – Do you ever use screws in your joinery?
32:10 – How would you convince a beginner to stop buying wood from a big box store?
33:00 – What blade would you recommend instead of a stock table saw blade?
34:22 – What is the best method to repair a 45 miter joint that is separating after the finish is applied?
35:47 – Do you like tacos?
36:50 – Do you know the difference between the difference of the blades available for LV planes? – http://ift.tt/2v6e7eG – http://ift.tt/2uKOxcB
38:30 – Dust mask recommendations for kids?
40:14 – I’m building a table for family and they want something dark, what wood should I use if I can’t afford walnut?
42:02 – When choosing a glue is it important to factor in the species of wood?
44:35 – If you didn’t have your Leigh dovetail jig, would you hand cut your dovetails?
47:15 – What tools or techniques can increase my shop efficiency.
50:53 – Have you guys made a kids workbench?
51:55 – Do you use Bloxygen on glue?
52:36 – Are all your tattoos black and white and do you have a favorite style?
53:45 – Do you have a favorite bandsaw blade for hardwoods?
54:58 – What angle do you sharpen your bench chisels to?
56:10 – What’s your opinion on radial arm vs chop saw?
57:10 – Is there a market for home made tools?
58:32 – Are guild projects worth the money?
1:00:01 – I’m having trouble finding good used power tools, do you have any tips?
1:01:10 – What’s a good tooth count for a 12″ miter saw blade?
1:03:30 – What bits are a must have for your first router?
1:06:46 – Do you have any experience with cut quality on different types of cutterheads?
1:08:00 – Can I join the guild outside the US?
1:08:33 – Information on Matt’s visit
1:10:11 – New Patreon supporters
1:12:45 – The local fat doberman

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Book Giveaway: Woodworking Essentials

One of the first books I edited when I joined the Popular Woodworking team a few years ago was a compilation based on the long-running “Woodworking Essentials” column from Popular Woodworking Magazine. It turned out to be an amazing jumping off point for me as I learned a ton of fundamental woodworking information right off the bat. The book helped me quickly become familiar with fundamental techniques, joinery terminology and instructions for safely using […]

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Poor-man’s Saw Tooth Setter (tutorial and video)

In a fix recently a small toothed dovetail saw needed setting before I could use it and I had no access to the usual nail punch (set USA) I use. I looked high and low for an alternative possibility but found nothing remotely suitable until I found a 2″ long wood screw. Perhaps, I thought …

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From Design to CAD to CAM to CNC: Part One

3D Design and 3D Carving using Digital Tools I’ve been writing about Digital Woodworking and CNCs for a while now and when it comes to techniques, for the most part, I’ve kept the topics focused on introducing basic processes and concepts that are useful to woodworkers who are new this world. There’s a lot more digital woodworking basics still to be covered, but that can wait. It’s summer and time […]

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Tricked Out Bandsaws Featuring Carter Products

The bandsaw is one of my favorite tools and if you treat it well, it will quickly become one of your favorites as well. While most modern bandsaws come with decent components, to begin with, there are companies like Carter Products who make high-quality after-market add-ons that can make your bandsaw better performing and easier to adjust. One of the best upgrades you can do is replacing the guide system. Alex Snodgrass from Carter Products came out to my shop and helped me install new guides on both my Powermatic PM1500 Bandsaw and my Powermatic 14″ Bandsaw. He also included their unique Blade Stabilizer for cutting tight curves with small blades.

So I hope you enjoy seeing the upgrade process and don’t forget to check out the Bandsaw Setup Video I referenced in the video.

Disclosure: Carter funded Alex’s trip to my shop and supplied us with the components I needed to upgrade my saws. 

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Power Tool-Friendly Workbench

Sometimes a workbench isn’t about planing a board. That’s when a power tool-friendly bench can be your friend. For woodworker’s that have a garage shop, space is a premium, and that’s when storing tools, and having a place to use tools are paramount. With this clever bench you can store and then have a place to use shorter (router table, table saw, jointer) power tools and taller (spindle sander, benchtop […]

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An Apron for Woodcarving (Or, How to Not Annoy the Person Who Cleans Your House)

I posted on my Instagram yesterday (and above here) a duck my grandfather, Emmett, carved shortly before he died. He trained as a cabinetmaker in high school (at Manual in Louisville), and worked briefly as a woodworker for the L&N Railroad (I have his railroad hatchet) before World War II intervened. He joined the Army Air Corps and served in Europe. After the war, he became a jewelry salesman (I’m sure […]

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Wilde Got it Wrong (Plus Plans for a Child’s Step Stool)

I wrote the post below in…I’m not sure – 2010 maybe? I was reminded of it last weekend when Kathy, a second cousin (I think I’ve got the relation right), asked if I still had the plans for the stools my grandfather used to make for all the kids in the family. I think it’s her husband who wants to make one for their grandchild.  I made the stool as shown […]

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Big Ol’ Sliding Dovetails

In the next few months, I’ve got a lot of furniture to make, as Josselyn (my partner) and I just moved to Cincinnati from Maine. Last week, I built a new coffee table for our place. This week I’m building us a new kitchen table, in between getting settled in my new job here and figuring out where to buy lumber (and food, clothing, etc.). Later this week I’ll post […]

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Like Your Woodworking Teacher? Maybe You Shouldn’t

Last month I taught two short classes in Germany – a rare exception to my vow to avoid teaching and instead focus on new furniture designs. The reason I taught those two classes is quite personal, so I won’t discuss it here. But during the classes I was struck by an odd question I’ve struggled with for 30 years: Is it a good idea for students to personally like their […]

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Suspicions Confirmed: Zero VOC Claims Exaggerated

Ever since water-based paints and finishes began carving out a market for replacing solvent-based products, claims for the amount of solvent these products contain have been getting increasingly lower. That is, until a few years ago when some products actually began claiming zero VOCs. I’ve been suspicious of this claim ever since I first saw it. Even though resin manufacturers have been getting better at making resins that form a […]

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Autodesk Fusion 360 Roadshow

I had a peculiar childhood, I grew up running CNCs and robots before I got my drivers license. Perhaps it was that experience that led me to believe that every other woodworker was as interested in the future of automation as me – I think I may have gotten ahead of myself. Before I attended the AutoDesk Fusion 360 Roadshow in Columbus, Ohio, I wrote a post and asked our […]

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In the Morning New Beginnings

In the morning they arrive and we will be together for nine days. For some it is all new. For some a new career path will begin. We will all be excited and wide eyed. In my mind I will be unlocking doors into the lives of people I may have never met or met only …

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How to Attach a Table Top with Traditional Wooden Buttons

There’s more than one way to attach a solid wood table top. The most important requirements of any method are (1) to keep the top firmly in contact with the undercarriage, preventing it from warping more than minimally, and (2) to allow the top to move across its grain as the wood expands and contracts with changes in humidity. Table top fasteners are one attachment method. They’re roughly Z-shaped, with […]

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Another AWFS Show in the Books

Every two years the woodworking world gets to spend time looking at the newest if high-tech woodworking and even hand-tool woodworking. It’s a great few days and we’ve enjoyed sharing what we say with you. Here’s a short recap: One of the more popular stops at the show is the Fresh Wood Student Competition. Always inspiring to see what the newest and brightest woodworkers are creating. The entries ranged through […]

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Week in Review – Week of July 17

This week our new managing editor, Brendan Gaffney, posted his first project completed in the Pop Wood shop, a staked leg coffee table. Bob Flexner takes us inside a hide glue factory (you can thank me for deactivating the smell-o-vision on the post.) Chris Schwarz shares how a doe’s foot helps him avoid a tail vice. Nancy Hiller details her decorative gouging technique on a hayrake table. Be sure to catch up […]

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Meet Our ‘Young Makers’

In “Young Makers’ Bookshelves” (coming in the October 2017 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine), Rodney Wilson offers a brief profile on 10 of today’s rising woodworking stars, then asks them about the books that have influenced their lives and work. Below, you’ll find links to their personal websites and Intagrams accounts (where applicable.) – I encourage you to check out their work! Laura Zahn Personal website: http://offthesaw.com/ Allied Workshop website: http://ift.tt/2vKYTss Instagram: @alliedwoodshop Joshua Klein Personal […]

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Post AWFS – Friday Live!

Today we’re doing a quick review of our AWFS experience and then it’s on to questions. Here’s the rundown:

Rundown is under construction.

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Your Tenon Tightening Technologies

Tenons can simply be glued. We do it all the time and gluing them lasts just fine. Mostly we rely on clamps to seat shoulder lines and and keep the two parts married until the glue dries. When this has taken place it is unlikely you will ever be able to part the union without …

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A Different Way to Use a Doe’s Foot

During the last few years, the doe’s foot has become one of my most important workbench appliances. Paired with a holdfast, the doe’s foot can eliminate the need for a tail vise on a workbench. I have about four of these doe’s feet at my bench, and I’ve found some surprising ways to use them. I’ve just finished an article for Popular Woodworking Magazine on the topic for a future […]

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CNC Mills for 3D Carving

Cutting parts with a CNC is a 2.5D process. It’s not quite 3D and a bit more than 2D. When you’re cutting parts, the third axis on a CNC —the Z axis, just needs to cut at selected depths. You can start with two-dimensional drawings and add tool path instructions for how deep the router or spindle needs to cut. After cutting parts on a CNC, nearly everyone interested in […]

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Tool Giveaway: OmniSquare

In the August 2017 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine we reviewed the OmniSquare Multi-function Layout Tool, a clever tool made from lightweight aluminum. It functions as a try square, miter square, bevel square, T-square, combination square and (in a pinch) a compass. You can read our full review here, and visit the company’s website here. Well, we have one, lightly used OmniSquare to give away (pictured above, and in the magazine!). […]

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Proposed Safety Rules for Table Saws – Your Comments Requested

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is currently considering requiring “active injury mitigation” (AIM) technology on all table saws that, writes the Power Tool Institute (PTI) in a press release, would more than double the costs of these products. PTI is concerned that the price increase would make a table saw out of reach for many consumers, and contribute to job losses if makers are as a result able […]

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Chad Stanton, Not Just a Pretty Face

Flemish? Jacobean? Nope, Chad Stanton. For many that name means working on the cheap and making something clever from not enough (tools, wood…you name it) in our I Can Do That! video series. Turns out that if we gave him more than 30 minutes to build something and a full set of tools, Chad has skills! Actually, to those of us who have the pleasure of working with him, that’s […]

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Which Bench Plane?

I use a variety of hand planes, bench planes actually, in the day to day of making, writing and filming because on the one hand I want to use what people can get hold of and afford at a reasonable price and I tend feel a little nauseous when snobbism displaces proven technologies that worked …

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Low Stakes Coffee Table

When I lived in Maine, I had a wide array of projects and furniture that I wanted to build for our house. When it became clear, however, that we were going to move down here to Covington, Ky., I put the designs and wood aside, not wanting to build a bunch of furniture only to pack it into a van and move it – lumber is easy to move, furniture […]

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Treasure Hunting & the Restoration of an Old Starrett Sliding Bevel – Part 1

If you happened to see a pile of free stuff outside of a neighbor’s house, or on the side of the road, or on the sidewalk of a busy street, would you stop by and sort through it? If it were me, the answer would most likely be YES!  And, I hope that by the time you finish reading this story you will join me in this mindset. It is […]

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Hide Glue – Part 4: Factory Pictures

When I wrote my posting on how hide glue is made last Dec. 5, I knew I had pictures from the Milligan & Higgins hide glue factory, but I couldn’t find them. Now I have, so I thought it would be a good idea to share them with you. There’s no point is repeating everything I said in the original posting. You can find it easily just by going back […]

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Decorative Gouging: A Traditional English Arts & Crafts Technique

Many pieces of English Arts and Crafts furniture, especially those of the Cotswolds school, feature a cheerful detail known as decorative gouging. It’s a simple technique and amenable to endless variations depending on the combination of gouges used, the spacing and depth of elements, and so on. Here’s an introduction based on the legs for a hayrake table. Decorative gouging gains as much of its effect from its context as […]

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Week in Review – Week of July 10th

 Week in Review   At Pop Wood, we create a lot of great content and I think it would be downright tragic if you missed an article, social media post or YouTube video. So I have compiled all of our content in this post for your reading pleasure. Not included is the outstanding content that Megan Fitzpatrick curates on our Instagram account, find that here. Have a great Sunday! – David […]

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When To Use Various Glues – Friday Live

On today’s PM Edition of Friday Live!, we’re talking about the various glues and when to use them! Of course, we have a bunch of other Q&A and antics. Here’s the rundown:

Show notes in progress

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Beyond Noise—Silence

In the noises of my working I find silences that still any disquiet in my soul. The mallet of wood strikes wood and something inside me seems able to find the things that resonate in a kind of private silence. The striking blows become measured pulse beats that sever away the unwanted waste that tumbles …

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New Collection: Ship-Shape Shop

We just compiled a new collection over at shopwoodworking.com! I am in the midst of setting up my home shop, so the pain of sorting out layout and storage is very real for me. I have leaned on The Practical Workshop for several ideas already. This collection is a great value and won’t be around forever. If you’ve considered picking up a couple of these titles, this may be a great […]

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Book Giveaway: SketchUp

Earlier this week our online content director David Lyle raised the question of which modeling software seemed to be most popular with woodworkers. There’s been growing interest in Fusion 360 – David attended a “roadshow” event for the software this week. It seems like SketchUp is still king for the moment, but there always new makers out there with new ideas and ways of designing things. Of course, there are some woodworkers who still swear […]

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Born to Fail at Woodworking

No matter how long I work in this craft, there are days when I feel incapable of doing anything correctly. Such as today. Readers love to be reminded that even people who do this every day suffer regular failures. If you like to wallow in other people’s misery, this post is for you. (Also, it shows you how I deal with woodworking despair.) For the last month I’ve been working […]

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Mags Often Misrepresent Safe Practice

Is Image More Important Than Safety? I thumbed through  recent issues of wood mags and though I have known it for years, I thought it might be good to tackle the giant issue surrounding machine safety as some woodworking magazines don’t always project the right image. In fact some give the impression that no safeguards or …

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From Redwoods to Red Ink

My father, Robert Emmet Gaffney, was a copy editor for 30 years and a lifelong woodworker. While I was always excited to take up his reins as a woodworker, I now find myself taking up the red pen and pursuing his editorial path as well. My name is Brendan Bernhardt Gaffney. I’m Popular Woodworking Magazine‘s new managing editor, a woodworker, toolmaker and, depending on the day, musician, engineer and general autodidact. […]

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Cross-Cut Sled Slot Repair

I have been enamored with the simplicity and never-ending usefulness of the cross-cut sled ever since I saw David Marks use one on Woodworks. I’ve built numerous sleds over the years but the one I made in this video has been with me since 2011! One of the primary benefits of a cross-cut sled is the fact that the base provides zero-clearance, supporting the work through the entire cut and producing near tearout-free results. Over time, regular use can cause that slot to widen. Accidentally using the sled while the blade is at an angle can also widen the slot. And as in my case, a new saw can certainly create issues where zero-clearance is concerned. So we have to have a reasonable way to repair the slot without rebuilding the entire sled. Here’s how you can fix it.

Tape Off The Slot

Using masking tape (I prefer the blue variety), mask off the underside of the slot making sure to wrap the tap up the fence boards of the sled. We want to make sure there’s absolutely no opportunity for leakage in the next step.

Fill With Epoxy

Using West System Epoxy (105 Resin, 205 Hardener, 404 Filler), fill the slot so that the epoxy sits just proud of the sled surface. Be sure to keep an eye on the slot and add more epoxy as needed. Clamp a caul across the surface of the sled while the glue dries to help keep the two halves of the sled flush.

Flush It Up

After the epoxy dries, use a card scraper or block plane to remove the excess and then switch to a sander for the final smoothing. If you’re good with a sander you can use it for the entire process, just be careful not to create any divots in the sled. The area near the fence will likely build up to some extent and you’ll need to use a chisel and a scraper to remove it.

Re-Cut The Slot

Remove the blue tape from the underside of the sled and place it back on the saw. Turn the saw on with the blade fully retracted and then slowly raise it up. The blade will cut through the epoxy creating a new zero-clearance slot. Boom! Your sled is repaired!

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Sturdy Drawer Joint on a Table Saw

The dovetail is the drawer joint of choice in many a classic drawer, but for a more mechanized world, the drawer joint of choice is often the half-blind tongue-in-groove. Sturdy, interlocking, mechanical without the need of nails, and quickly made on a table saw this joint often appears in commercial cabinetry (in a good way). This drawer joint can be used for inset drawers (as shown in the video excerpt below […]

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The Best Kind of Clear Finish to use Outdoors – The Difference Between Varnish and Spar Varnish

We’re entering mid-summer and you may be thinking of applying a clear finish to some project that will be exposed to sunlight outside. What finish should you use? Be careful. All finishes marketed for exterior surfaces aren’t the same, no matter the claims of manufacturers. The distinction in exterior clear finishes is whether they contain UV-resistant additives, called “UV inhibitors” or “UV absorbers.” And whether they contain enough of these […]

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from Flexner on Finishing Blog – Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/2tJoXWJ
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#WhyIMake | Chad Stanton

I’ve gotten to know Chad Stanton over the past few years while filming almost three seasons of I Can Do That. In that time, I’ve seen Chad build an abundance of appealing projects, and learned woodworking techniques that have helped me in my own builds. It has never occurred to me to ask Chad why he does what he does though. Honestly, I’ve never thought to ask myself the ambitious […]

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from PWM Shop Blog – Popular Woodworking Magazine http://ift.tt/2uS2RzC
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