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Most woodworkers think they are buying what they need and have never used a proper workbench. Ernie Conover explains why.
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This reader's project incorporates some clever "interactive" functionality and plenty of storage.
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Recently, a reader wrote in to get some advice about building a chair. Our answers took decidedly different approaches to a larger and broader topic of building chairs.
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The second half of the 20th Century has seen a gradual decline of the workbench. Here's a look back at the zenith of bench design.
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Woodworker's Journal staff members turn to a certain favorite hobby when the holidays come around. Here are some of our projects given as gifts this year.
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Over this past year I found myself orchestrating the filming of DVD series. I also nearly had a nervous breakdown. How did this happen? It's a long story...
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Tim Knight shares how American holly came to be known as the Christmas Wood and Poor Man's Ebony
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With the holidays in full swing, here are a couple of holiday tunes we recently ran across on Micro Fence's website to help keeps spirits bright.
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Here's a look at what you'll find in our January/February 2012 issue.
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It's not exactly news that Sandor is a ukulele nut. Here he looks a little deeper at his affinity for this great instrument and its relationship to woodworking.
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The unique drawer joinery, two-tone wood and clever integration of the drawer pulls into the faces bring some clever touches to an already-impressive piece.
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A couple of years ago, a question arose within the pages of Woodworker’s Journal concerning the origination of “Masonite®.”
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Wipe-on Finishes and More

Most
coatings are formulated to work best with a particular type of
applicator, but some work nicely with more than one. Knowing which
coatings favor which application techniques can help you get better
results. To that end, here's a rundown of the various common finishes
and some of the best application strategies for each. |
Skill Builder: Miter Joints

There are lots of different ways to cut parts for a basic miter-joined
frame: with a handsaw and miter box , with a table saw and
miter gauge or special miter jig, or using a dedicated
crosscut saw, such as a radial-arm saw, compound-miter saw or sliding
compound miter saw.
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Skill Builder: Rabbets, Dadoes and Grooves
Not the showiest or most complex of woodworking joints, rabbets,
dadoes and grooves are, nonetheless, three of the most practical and
versatile joints you’ll ever cut. Best suited to cabinet and furniture
carcass construction using plywood, MDF and similar sheet goods, all
three joints are also good for some solid-wood applications, such as
building simple boxes and drawers. |
Skill Builder: Basic Butt Joints
Butt joints can be used in a lot of different ways to join two boards
or panels: edge to edge, end to side, end to edge, etc. To make a
simple square or rectangular frame, cabinet, box or drawer using butt
joints is very easy. |
Skill Builder: Hand Cut Mortise and Tenons
If you're doing woodworking on a shoestring budget, you'll be happy to
know that the only tools you need to cut tight-fitting mortise and
tenon joints are a square, knife and marking gauge, a fine-toothed saw,
and couple of sharp chisels and mallet. |
Skill Builder: Dovetail Joints

Although it's an involved process, few woodworking tasks will bring you
the sense of pride you'll get from hand cutting a dovetail joint. Like
most operations, there are lots of different ways to cut these joints. |
Skill Builder: Finishing Flow Chart
I'll expand on the finishing flow chart first published in the July
2005 issue of Woodworker's Journal by adding full descriptions of each
step in the process. The end result, if you keep them all, will be a
complete finishing primer. |
Making the Most of Your Router Bits: Not Just a Door Bit
I used to teach router table classes and the most popular part was,
hands down, making cabinet doors. Virtually every bit manufacturer
offers door making bits in several profiles. These come in a set, where
the mating profiles are two separate bits, and a single bit form, where
both cuts are contained in one bit. The bit I'm using is the single
cutter type. |
Making the Most of Your Router Bits: Dish Carving Bit

There are many projects that require the milling of pockets. Antique
game tables nearly always had dished-out areas for candles and game
chips. Signmakers often raise letters by removing the background
around them, and all sorts of serving trays, bowls and stands are
dished out to provide a rim for keeping things in. |
Making the Most of Your Router Bits: Glue Joint Bit

Gluing boards together to form larger panels is something of a mystery
to novice woodworkers. Boards don't line up properly, and clamps can
tend to force the edges out of alignment. Boards may have a slight bow
along their length and just try to get a clamp into the middle of your
panel to fix it. There is a wide array of joining systems out there to
help, but my personal favorite is still the Glue Joint router bit. |
Making the Most of Your Router Bits: Sash Bit
Many manufacturers make sash bits, but most are designed as 'stub'
tenon bits, working more like a stile and rail door set. The Freud set
is designed to make long tenons in the joint connections, making a
vastly stronger window. Because of this, the bits require a bit more
work, but the extra effort is well worth it. |
Making the Most of Your Router Bits: The Butterfly Spline Bit
At first glance, the Butterfly Spline Bit seems like a very simple and
limited use tool. But look closer and you can find a lot of useful
applications for these splines.
The bit cuts a butterfly profile, essentially two dovetail keys joined
at the smaller width. |
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Installing Under-Mount Drawer SlidesHeavy dresser drawers can be a real drag when they slide on wooden runners. Our Field Editor solves the problem with ball-bearing undermount drawer slides on his Shaker-inspired Dresser in the June 2011 print issue. See his technique for installing them accurately and easily in this video. |
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Digital Accessories for WoodworkingField Editor Chris Marshall discusses some new gadgets on the market to help with your woodworking in the April 2011 issue of Woodworker's Journal magazine. |
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"No-Measure", Evenly Spaced DadoesChris Marshall shows a trick for perfectly spaced dados without time-consuming measurements. This trick applies to a table saw blade organizer featured in the September/October 2010 issue, but can be easily adapted for many other projects. |
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