It seems there are two ways to dream. One occurs in the sleep time, when you drift away in sleep and your mind is being reprogrammed naturally with no input from you and a dream of one kind or another, unique to you, takes place despite you. The other is the personal shift you take […]
Read the full post Dare To Dream! on Paul Sellers' Blog.
I’ve worked with many cast metal hand planes through the years, probably all of them. It’s my interest. Woodworking fascinates me but after the initial introduction, perhaps a few years, maybe five, you start to realise that there are many aspects to the craft that expand the whole to capacities you will never fathom. Bruce […]
Read the full post A Plane I Can Handle on Paul Sellers' Blog.
Show notes coming soon.
The post Friday Live on a Thursday?! appeared first on The Wood Whisperer.
There are lots of jokes about things you can just stare at for hours without really engaging your brain. Cat …
The post Let’s Cut Some Wood! appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
Whenever I hand sand with a sanding block, and also often when I use an orbital sander, I keep a …
The post Dust Off Your Sandpaper to Extend Its Efficacy appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
Bill was a very old man. No one really knew how old and he gave us three ages that I knew of. Pensions were small and many woodworkers as furniture makers working for themselves had not additional pension to pad out the state version. Bill had to work to keep the comforts he was used […]
Read the full post (About George) Then There Was Bill on Paul Sellers' Blog.
The usual way of applying stain is to apply a wet coat and wipe off the excess before it dries. …
The post Here’s an Alternative Way of Applying Stain: Spray and Leave Unwiped appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
The usual way of applying stain is to apply a wet coat and wipe off the excess before it dries. …
The post Here’s an Alternative Way of Applying Stain: Spray and Leave Unwiped appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
No doubt about it, people did like my last week’s Vlog. Over 30,000 views in under three days, 2.5K likes and over 500 comments in the same time all gave me food for thought, but more than that it gave me valuable and valid feedback on my efforts. The week before last Mary May came […]
Read the full post Monday Begins A Week on Paul Sellers' Blog.
One of my woodworking instructors years ago liked to reassure students by saying “Anyone can build furniture, but it takes …
The post What to Do When Disaster Strikes – Part 357 appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
Mr. Robinson saw the signs in 1967, and I lived it in the 70’s building restaurant fixtures and lots …
The post “There’s a great future in plastics … think about it.” appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
I slide the drawer open in my workbench. I do it a hundred times a day I’m sure. Once a month something I’m working on or holding in my vise gets in the way and stops me opening it. Once in 2,400 openings is not a problem yet others say it is. These others also […]
Read the full post Workbench Drawer on Paul Sellers' Blog.
I think it’s true that when you first start to handle a plane you might feel more a bit like a juggling klutz than someone fully controlled and conversant with its idiosyncrasies to smooth and refine wood with. Jerks, jams, stammers and stutters usually trip up our intent on straightening, smoothing and squaring wood. So […]
Read the full post Plane Handling—Squaring the Edge on Paul Sellers' Blog.
The post Let’s Rub it Out! – Friday Live! appeared first on The Wood Whisperer.
I spent the day with two woodworking teachers from Russia today. They came to meet me and ask questions on issues they felt passionate about. They took many answers and left questions. I saw the kind of penchant teachers often have that’s unique to teachers I think. They were passionate about woodworking and what they […]
Read the full post I Met Two Men Today on Paul Sellers' Blog.
Video: How I use a grid system to make digital woodworking easier CNCs are wonderful machines. For woodworkers who want …
The post Improve Your CNC: Introducing Grids appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
I would like to talk to an experienced Design and Technology teacher living and working here in the UK for a few minutes. Ideally two, one male and one female. If that’s you, please leave a comment which automatically gives me your email and I will email you in private. Thanks, Paul
Read the full post Design and Technology Teacher? on Paul Sellers' Blog.
Stepping out of our own familiar comfort zone can be a challenge yet I have always encouraged everyone to do it so that they grown in pursuit of their passion. Well, I like my comfortable feeling with the things I am or have become familiar with, I hear. OK, this week it’s been Paul’s turn. […]
Read the full post This Week’s Vlog is Out on Paul Sellers' Blog.
I am happy to share my latest I Can Do That! build with all of you! In this episode, I …
The post Build a Router Bit Storage Case – I Can Do That! appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
Three-legged folding stools need a “tri-bolt” to allow the legs to fold in and out. Years ago, Tandy Leather offered …
The post An Economy Tri-bolt for Folding Stools appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
Milling your own lumber gives you total control (beyond what nature provides, of course) over the wood that you’ll use …
The post Milling Your Own Lumber Series Starts Today appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
George kept his plane upright on the bench, mine near his, his a Woden #4 1/2, mine a Stanley #4. One day he said, “Sharpen my plane!” I was filled with fear and doubt to the point of freezing any and all movement including brain on the spot. I didn’t think about whether I could […]
Read the full post Progress With George on Paul Sellers' Blog.
The instructions for applying oil and wiping-varnish finishes are usually to wipe or brush on a wet coat, wait a …
The post Oil and Wiping Varnish Finishes: How Many Coats Should You Apply? appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
Most lubricants are associated with oil, wax and grease, substances that are hard to remove from wooden surfaces. When drilling …
The post A Non Oily Lubricant for Drilling and More appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
Window of Opportunity I was trying. All the time it was a challenge and woodworking did not come naturally to me, especially with the standards at the bench. We were in the middle of making a mix of a hundred window frames, many with four opening sashes. Jack, the foreman, did all of the layout […]
Read the full post George Turns the Tables on Paul Sellers' Blog.
This summer I spent a couple of weeks driving around the East Coast delivering furniture, giving talks related to English …
The post A Visit to the Wharton Esherick House appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
Finding a paying job as a woodworker is one of those tricky negotiations. Working in a woodworking business or owning …
The post Woodworking Outside the Shop appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
I looked for a chisel on eBay. I wanted a specific one, a W Marples 1 1/4″. It took me less than a minute to find one I liked even though it was the lesser common type on the larger size. I wanted a wider bevel-edged chisel made by Marples or Ward—what might now be […]
Read the full post What’s a Chisel Worth on Paul Sellers' Blog.
Laying out accurate angles on your work is critical. So it’s funny to me that we spend $100 on a …
The post For Accurate Angles, Go to the Chalkboard appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
The ever important element to my life was and has always been the constant moving forward in my craft. I read all that I could and went to where I needed to go to learn more. There was no world wide web and all mail was delivered by had through a letterbox. The library was […]
Read the full post Beyond George on Paul Sellers' Blog.
Joseph once told me that he saw how significant it was for me to repair things, you know, an old saw, a plane or a piece of discarded furniture. He said in all the years he had consciously known me at my workbench as a furniture maker he’d noticed there were always pieces dotted around […]
Read the full post I Grab a Few Treasures to Work On on Paul Sellers' Blog.
Back when I was a young woodworker (shortly after the exit of the dinosaurs) I had a general acceptance of …
The post Control Your Lumber: Mill Your Own appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
Some call it a Patternmaker’s vise, others name it a Gunstock Carving vise, and the luthiers among us, obviously, refer …
The post Universal or Patternmaker’s Woodworking Vise appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
I was having a phone conversation earlier this week with an amateur woodworker who told me that he hates finishing …
The post You Can’t Ruin Your Woodworking Project With a Finish appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
I was having a phone conversation earlier this week with an amateur woodworker who told me that he hates finishing …
The post You Can’t Ruin Your Woodworking Project With a Finish appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
It’s hard to say how many planes I’ve taken from rubbish-looking to fully operational models. Hundreds, I know. Unlike the modern day clones of Bed Rocks, where they are all equally well engineered and perhaps, dare I say much less characterful than their Bailey-pattern counterparts, each basic and feisty Bailey-pattern bench plane as in the […]
Read the full post Not All Planes Are Created Equal on Paul Sellers' Blog.
I’m a big fan of a soap finish for certain projects. It doesn’t provide a lot of protection to wooden …
The post Can Soap Flakes Go Bad? appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
One of the rewards for writing articles and books about woodworking is seeing what readers do with your designs–or in …
The post Post your English Arts & Crafts Project Pics! appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
I’ll probably get in trouble for this one, but here goes. Don’t waste your money on the digital indicators that …
The post Skip the Fancy Digital Indicators for Machines appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
I’ll probably get in trouble for this one, but here goes. Don’t waste your money on the digital indicators that …
The post Skip the Fancy Digital Indicators for Machines appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
It was an old bench, made of pine, too low for George on it’s original legs so he’d jacked it up to where it was tall enough for him but too tall for me. That was before I came on the scene. The bench was a good 8 feet long at least and two sided […]
Read the full post George’s bench on Paul Sellers' Blog.
On my present project I’m using a combination of joints alongside one another to grow everyone’s development and skill in joinery. Doing this makes for skilled woodworkers and so preserves the craft for the ensuing generations. I hope too that it leaves an archived resource for those who see the value of adding hand tools […]
Read the full post Two Variations On a Theme on Paul Sellers' Blog.
In this video, I take Popular Woodworking readers on a tour of my custom 38″ x 72″ x 10″, twin-spindle …
The post A Custom CNC for Designed for Digital Woodworking appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
“Over here!” George said to me. “That’s where you will be working when you’re on bench work and I’ll be keeping my eye on you.” He pointed to the vise on the opposite side of the bench he worked at. His side was loaded with hand tools while my side lay empty. He […]
Read the full post About George—Day Two on Paul Sellers' Blog.
The post Another New Miter Saw – Friday Live! appeared first on The Wood Whisperer.
In the October issue of Popular Woodworking (on newsstands and at shopwoodworking.com now), you’ll find a bunch of great …
The post Welcome to October appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
If you’ve read passed blogs you’ll know I often use two tools alongside one another at the same time meaning saws, planes scrapers and such. Using two planes alternately and then two or three card scrapers and even two #80 scrapers in quick succession one after the other leads to economy of time and effort, […]
Read the full post I Use Two Spokeshaves on Paul Sellers' Blog.
I got a call from a long-time client asking me to come by and see if I could fix the …
The post Heat Marks on Catalyzed Varnish Finishes: These Can Be Impossible to Remove appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
Ducking my way through the latch gate I knew nothing of what was on the other side, nothing. Crossing the high step was my first step into work life and a radically different lifestyle than anything I had ever known or seen. It was a world of men and manliness. A world of former military […]
Read the full post My First Day As a 15 Year Old Man on Paul Sellers' Blog.
| This bench is primarily made of PurpleHeart. It took about four months to complete working on it in all free time. I mainly used hand tools to complete this bench. My Lie Nielsen no.8 was definitely the workhorse of this build. I modeled this bench after the Holtzapffel workbench, except I used a leg vise instead of a twin screw on the side.
It features a 5.75″ thick solid PurpleHeart top that sits on top of some massive Hard Maple Legsand PurpleHeart stretchers. I did not want to use any mechanical fasteners during, so all the joinery is drawbored mortise and tenon. The edge profiles on the legs and stretchers are handcut stopped chamfers with lambs tongues going up the ramps. The lower shelf is re-sawn PurpleHeart that floats on stretchers and was tongue and grooved. The rear vise is an old antique Sheldon Quick Release vise with a 12″ opening and 9″ wide jaw that I restored to excellent working condition, the chop is Tiger Maple and PurpleHeart with hand carved details. The leg vise is Bencrafted with a crisscross and it’s a sweet vise! The leg vise is Tiger Maple and PurpleHeart with all hand cut profiles and details. I also turned some new PurpleHeart knobs to match. The sliding deadman is Tiger Maple, and is removable if need be and utilizes some old Stanley no. 203 Bench Brackets to support panels while hand planing. I also added a Benchcrafted planing stop mortised into the bench as another hold down option while hand planing. My bench stands 32″ high x 28″ wide x 96″ long, and weighs approximately 750-800lbs. I was able to complete this bench on my lonesome and through all the heavy lifting and hundreds of sharpening sessions. I’m super pleased with the outcome and it’s a dream to work on. When you go to the mill and 8/4 PurpleHeart is on sale for $3.66 bd/ft it’s a deal that couldn’t be passed up, but I would think twice again before having to work with that much PurpleHeart…even at that price. |
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The post Ryan’s PurpleHeart and Maple Workbench appeared first on The Wood Whisperer.
Its been a year and a half since I moved into my new home in Cincinnati. Before the move, we …
The post A Cheap Bench – The Art and Craft of Cabinet-Making appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
No matter how nice your band saw is, it’s still a fussy instrument with a lot of settings that are …
The post Use Rosin to Tighten up Your Band Saw appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
Commercial bought lumber, such as the one found in lumber yards and in the big-box stores is almost always guaranteed …
The post Use Technology to Eliminate Bugs in Reclaimed Wood appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
When people choose where to live, they often look at the quality of the schools, the cultural amenities, the traffic …
The post Woodworking is Easier Here appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
It starts with a prompt; a kind of nudge from someone I don’t know, never met, never heard of who made something for his home–his family to use–to dry clothes or air them after ironing. This someone made something decades ago and its useful but not nice looking. I see its potential beyond its bare […]
Read the full post Today a New Project on Paul Sellers' Blog.
There are lots of methods for handling curved work–steam-bending, band sawing sections out of hefty timber, and bent lamination, to …
The post Bending Plywood for a Piano Table appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
We’ve just finished shooting the eleventh episode of Season 4 of I Can Do That (a cool router bit storage …
The post I Can Do That! A Labor of Love appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
I have had a busy week with lots going on behind the scenes. The video on perspective sketches seemed popular so I am glad we did that and put it out via YouTube. I am never sure whether some things are helpful or not but I did want to encourage people to start drawing. This […]
Read the full post Things Worth Mentioning on Paul Sellers' Blog.