Design Brief No. 3: The Danish Campaign Chest
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 A lot of Danish Modern dressers are taller than your typical campaign chest because the designers added a drawer or two. But some of them look like the pieces shown here. After staring at the 25 campaign chests from part 1 of this series I hope you can see the connection. We have an unadorned dresser that is square and perched on a plinth. Just like a campaign chest, the […]The post Design Brief No. 3: The Danish Campaign Chest appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
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posted at: 12:00am on 31-May-2016
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Design Brief No. 2: The Danish Campaign Chest
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 So after looking at the 25 campaign chests in the previous post, did you spot any patterns? What I see with these chests is that most of them are a square shape that is perched on some sort of plinth. After measuring a bunch of them, the typical size is 36 long x 40 high x 15 to 18 deep. The square shape of the carcase is 36 x 36. […]The post Design Brief No. 2: The Danish Campaign Chest appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
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posted at: 12:00am on 29-May-2016
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Woodwork by the Book
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 Below is my “Out on a Limb” (the editor’s note) from the April 2016 issue, because I’ve had a couple folks ask me on social media recently what books I recommend. If I could apply in the shop the superabundance of knowledge Ive gleaned through books, Id be an excellent craftsperson. My job involves reading about woodworking, as does my freelance editing work. Then for fun, I open a book. […]The post ‘Woodwork by the Book’ appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
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posted at: 12:01am on 28-May-2016
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Design Brief No. 1: The Danish Campaign Chest
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 While there are a dozen good ways to design a piece of furniture, I can write intelligently only about my own methods. I designed my first piece of furniture in 1993 and have surprisingly stuck with the same basic technique for the last 23 years. It doesnt involve formulas or ratios (though I believe those also work). Instead it relies on what I was trained to do as […]The post Design Brief No. 1: The Danish Campaign Chest appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
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posted at: 12:01am on 28-May-2016
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On Seeking Perfection
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 Who hasn’t found themselves fussing over a project running a plane over it just one more time or fretting over whether or not it needs another sanding? As with anything in life, the quest for perfection is an illusive one. In this excerpt from “Build 25 Beautiful Boxes,” master box-maker Doug Stowe shares a few thoughts about the idea of perfection and what it means in his own woodworking […]The post On Seeking Perfection appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
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posted at: 12:01am on 28-May-2016
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Spray Booth for a Small Shop
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 In the December, 2001 issue of Popular Woodworking (issue # 125) I wrote about how to construct a simple but safe home spray booth. This article was reproduced in my book, Flexner on Finishing. But what if you have more space, do a lot of finishing and would like to have something more like what professionals use but still dont want to devote that much space? This sounds pretty much […]The post Spray Booth for a Small Shop appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
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posted at: 12:01am on 26-May-2016
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Making a Workbench Part 2
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 As I worked through my recent workbench project, I got a comment on one of the build videos about how the build might not be suitable for the inexperienced woodworker. I reflected on that for a moment and I actually think they had a point. I’d wanted my workbench project to seem accessible, from both cost and method perspective. I think withcost it’s hard to beat, but it does ask […]The post Making a Workbench – Part 2 appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
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posted at: 12:01am on 25-May-2016
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Squaring Up Cabinets Dont Forget the Back
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 When gluing up a frameless cabinet, we all know that we have to square up the carcase before the glue cures otherwise the doors and drawers will never fit well. When working with beginners and many intermediate woodworkers, they usually square up only the front of the case with diagonal clamping pressure. You can get away with this about half the time either the diagonal pressure at the […]The post Squaring Up Cabinets Dont Forget the Back appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
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posted at: 12:01am on 25-May-2016
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Update on Sherwin-Williams buying Valspar
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 In my March 22 posting I passed on the report that Sherwin-Williams is buying Valspar for $11 billion creating one huge supplier of many brands of finishing products we use. But not so fast. Now the Federal Trade Commission is beginning to investigate on antitrust grounds. Unfortunately, at least in my opinion, this administration doesnt have the best record of stemming the formation of monopolies. But, then, previous administrations in […]The post Update on Sherwin-Williams buying Valspar appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
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posted at: 12:11am on 24-May-2016
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James Krenov in the 1990s
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 When James Krenov died in late 2009 (wow, has it been that long?) I wondered at great length what would happen to his reputation. For some undefinable reason, when some influential woodworkers die, their legacy seems to fade with each passing year. See Tage Frid and Alan Peters for examples of this. And others seem to grow with every passing year, such as Sam Maloof, Wharton Esherick and George Nakashima. […]The post James Krenov in the 1990s appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
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posted at: 12:17am on 23-May-2016
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Ask Us Anything May 23
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 On Monday, May 23 at 1PM EST, we (Megan Fitzpatrick and I) will be doing an AMA (ask me(us) anything) on the subreddit r/woodworking on Redditto talk aboutWoodworking in America 2016. Meet us there and ask us any questions that you may have about woodworking, running a magazine or anything else that comes to mind (likehow to properly spell rabbet). So if you have the time on Monday, head over […]The post Ask Us Anything May 23 appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
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posted at: 12:01am on 21-May-2016
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Pick Your Poison. (Or: Is the Price Worth it for Tools You Dont Feel Passionate About?)
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 Harbor Freight brand Chicago Electric sander, and my No 102 Lie Nielsen Iron block plane, which is unfortunately discontinued. These days Lie Nielsen is offering only the bronze version. I prefer working with hand tools as much as I can. I find them much quieter, safer and more fulfilling than machines. I believe that only when usinga hand tool can one become intimate with the essence of woodworking sensing woods […]The post Pick Your Poison. (Or: Is the Price Worth it for Tools You Dont Feel Passionate About?) appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
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posted at: 12:03am on 19-May-2016
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A Clamping Tip for Wet (or Weakened) Hands
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 Sometimes I can have seven or eight panel glue-ups going at once. When that happens, my hands get pretty wet and slimy from all the water and wet glue. At times it makes it near impossible to get a grip on my wooden-handled clamps. Ive also taught many students who have a reduced grip due to arthritis or some other malady that prevents them from applying clamp pressure […]The post A Clamping Tip for Wet (or Weakened) Hands appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
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posted at: 12:03am on 19-May-2016
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Musician & Luthier Guy Clark, 1941-2016
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 Grammy-winning musician and luthier Guy Clark died this morning in his Nashville home a home I had the very great privilege of visiting for “Songs from the Workbench.” While Clark is best-known for his music such hits as “L.A. Freeway,” “Dublin Blues” and “Desperados Waiting for a Train” he enjoyed building guitars in his spare time; that’s what I talked with him about for a few hours […]The post Musician & Luthier Guy Clark, 1941-2016 appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
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posted at: 12:00am on 18-May-2016
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How to Avoid Runs & Sags
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 One of the biggest problems woodworkers have is runs and sags drying in their finishes, especially with slower drying finishes such as varnish (including polyurethane and wiping varnish) and water-based finish. They can also happen in shellac, though it dries faster. The remedy is simple. You should never have runs or sags drying in your finish whether youre brushing or spraying. The way to achieve this level of perfection is […]The post How to Avoid Runs & Sags appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
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posted at: 12:00am on 17-May-2016
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New Guy Just Might Be a Woodworker
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 My third day on the job, a co-worker asked me, So, are you a woodworker? Am I? My inclination is to answer in the negative. The term just feels so hallowed, a label earned through decades spent in the shop, gaining technical expertise and crafting heirloom-quality pieces. Thats not me (yet), so Im hesitant to claim the title for my ownbut I wouldnt call myself a writer until after I’d […]The post New Guy Just Might Be a Woodworker appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
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posted at: 12:00am on 17-May-2016
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Sharpening Hand Tools: A Woodworkers Journey
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 Sometimes the journey of becoming a skilled woodworker takes you down paths that didnt seem important at first. Sharpening hand tools was one of those paths for me. Actually, there were two paths involved. It all started when I got serious about woodworking in the early 1980s. There was a good woodworking program at my high school, but I noticed something strange. We were all taught what planes, chisels, carving […]The post Sharpening Hand Tools: A Woodworkers Journey appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
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posted at: 12:02am on 14-May-2016
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Dancing Master Calipers
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 I have a hammer that looks like a squirrel. And I wish I had one that looked like a goat (alas, those are pretty rare and expensive). A little bit of whimsy in your tools is a good thing it makes the connection that that natural world and the built world are connected. (The handsaw was said to have been inspired by the sawfish. I personally suspect hammers were […]The post Dancing Master Calipers appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
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posted at: 12:02am on 14-May-2016
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Step on a Can to Close It
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 Heres a tip that you will thank me for if you arent already doing it. When you want to secure the lid on a paint, stain or finish can, step on it rather than hammer it closed. Using your body weight to close the can has two advantages. First, you dont have to have a hammer handy. Your foot is always with you. Second, and more importantly, you dont risk […]The post Step on a Can to Close It appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
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posted at: 12:00am on 12-May-2016
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Check Squareness on Big Pieces
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 When you’re building casework, your parts really need dead square ends if you hope to fit drawers, dividers or a gallery inside. I dont trust any table saw gizmo to give me square cuts. And I dont trust my shooting board, either. The only thing I trust is a square that has been tested for accuracy. To check my carcase parts, I have a couple of huge Starrett squares that […]The post Check Squareness on Big Pieces appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
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posted at: 12:05am on 10-May-2016
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Build a Tool Tote With Your Kids: Part 2
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 Before I developed the tool tote project, I did some online research and discovered that there are two major trends in the design of simple wooden totes:(A) Those whose tall end-walls flank the side walls and (B) those whose side-walls flank the end-walls. This raised the question: Which of the two designs would better suit our project? When I design a project for my students, especially when teaching my young […]The post Build a Tool Tote With Your Kids: Part 2 appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
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posted at: 12:05am on 10-May-2016
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Check Squareness on Big Pieces
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When you’re building casework, your parts really need dead square ends if you hope to fit drawers, dividers or a gallery inside. I dont trust any table saw gizmo to give me square cuts. And I dont trust my shooting board, either. The only thing I trust is a square that has been tested for accuracy. To check my carcase parts, I have a couple of huge Starrett squares that […]The post Check Squareness on Big Pieces appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
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posted at: 12:05am on 10-May-2016
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Intro to Hand Tools
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 I have a confession to make. I am not a hand-tool woodworker…but I want to be. I have been around only power tools for most of my life. I worked for a contractor through college. The only hand tools we used in my shop class were a rasp and file. The furniturebusinessthat I worked for used hand tools only for precision work (but at times, oh how I miss that […]The post ‘Intro to Hand Tools’ appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
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posted at: 12:02am on 08-May-2016
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Faster and Better and Healthier and.
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 Sometimes I feel the need to test myself, particularly when it comes to crap I say and crap I do. For many years I’ve contended that using handplanes is faster in almost every workshop situation versus even a random-orbit, DA and drum sander. (I’ve not faced an industrial wide-belt sander. Yet.) Recently I bought a nice drum sander for dimensioning thin lams for a big load of bent lamination […]The post Faster and Better and Healthier and…. appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
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posted at: 12:00am on 07-May-2016
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Cutting Boards: The Best Finish
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 A seemingly never-ending question concerns how to finish cutting boards. You dont need any finish on a cutting board. Water wont hurt it and no finish will keep water out anyway, after a few knife cuts. Nor will the finish continue to look nice after numerous knife cuts. If the cutting board begins to warp due to the water contact on just one side, turn it over and it will […]The post Cutting Boards: The Best Finish appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
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posted at: 12:04am on 06-May-2016
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Jim McConnell (The Daily Skep) Debuts in the August PopWood
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 I’m delighted to welcome to the pages of Popular Woodworking Magazine James “Jim” McConnell, whom you may know from his blog “The Daily Skep, where he writes thoughtful and engaging posts, mostly about hand-tool woodworking. Jim worked out of a power-tool-dominated shop for a number of years, before being seduced by a vintage Stanley jack plane, and binge-watching sessions of Roy Underhills “The Woodwrights Shop. Now, hes a committed hand-tool […]The post Jim McConnell (‘The Daily Skep’) Debuts in the August PopWood appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
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posted at: 12:04am on 06-May-2016
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Cutting Boards: The Best Finish
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A seemingly never-ending question concerns how to finish cutting boards. You dont need any finish on a cutting board. Water wont hurt it and no finish will keep water out anyway, after a few knife cuts. Nor will the finish continue to look nice after numerous knife cuts. If the cutting board begins to warp due to the water contact on just one side, turn it over and it will […]The post Cutting Boards: The Best Finish appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
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posted at: 12:04am on 06-May-2016
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Dado Joints by Hand
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 Making joinery by hand is a satisfying process, so I thought I’d share a method for hand made dado joints. In the early days of my apprenticeship we would practice joints on short ends of pine, getting used to the tools and working through the steps required to make a joint by hand, but without the pressure of thinking about an actual project. Getting excellent results was important and that’s […]The post Dado Joints by Hand appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
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posted at: 12:01am on 05-May-2016
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Use Gun Blue to Instantly Blacken Hardware
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 I use blacksmith-made hardware whenever I (or my customers) can afford it. But if youre on a budget or have hundreds of pieces of hardware for a project, its time to visit the gun store. My favorite way to blacken steel, iron or even zinc-plated hardware is to brush on a thin coat of liquid gun blue typically a combination of selenious acid, nitric acid and cupric sulfate. If […]The post Use Gun Blue to Instantly Blacken Hardware appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
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posted at: 12:03am on 04-May-2016
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The New Made Old: Antiquing Wood
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 Antiquing Wood This article originally appeared in the June 2007 of Popular Woodworking under the title “Antique Barn Finish.” by Troy Sexton pages 78-83 This is the furniture finish that fooled our local auctioneer, a man with 30 years of experience selling antique furniture and farm equipment. I had bought a mower from the auctioneer and he was dropping it off at my workshop when he spotted one of my […]The post The New Made Old: Antiquing Wood appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
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posted at: 12:01am on 02-May-2016
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User-Unfriendly Zinsser Bulls Eye Shellac
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 I went to Lowe’s a week ago to buy some shellac and was reminded that Zinsser, the maker of Bulls Eye Amber, Clear and SealCoat brands, no longer provides the date of manufacture so users can calculate whether or not the shellac will dry properly. And now the company has stopped telling users even that there is a shelf life. If Zinsser wanted to be thought of as a user-friendly […]The post User-Unfriendly Zinsser Bulls Eye Shellac appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
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posted at: 12:08am on 01-May-2016
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User-Unfriendly Zinsser Bulls Eye Shellac
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I went to Lowe’s a week ago to buy some shellac and was reminded that Zinsser, the maker of Bulls Eye Amber, Clear and SealCoat brands, no longer provides the date of manufacture so users can calculate whether or not the shellac will dry properly. And now the company has stopped telling users even that there is a shelf life. If Zinsser wanted to be thought of as a user-friendly […]The post User-Unfriendly Zinsser Bulls Eye Shellac appeared first on Popular Woodworking Magazine.
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posted at: 12:08am on 01-May-2016
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