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Woodworker's Journal
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Shop Cabinets, Production Style

Whoever first said that if you enjoy what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life, must have been a woodworker. Or maybe a magazine editor. In any case, it sure sums up how I feel about my job, which is equal parts of both vocations. I’m pretty sure a coal miner would [...]
This may be the most complicated woodworking project we’ve ever seen — but man, is it cool. (Just make sure you’re standing back when some of those secret compartments open!)   http://www.youtube.com/embed/MKikHxKeodA?feature=player_embedded
May/June 2013 Issue Preview

  Summertime is a chance to get out of the shop now and then, and the new June 2013 print issue of Woodworker’s Journal will give you several good reasons to get out and explore — whether it’s a new lumberyard or your back yard. Here’s a sneak peek at what you’ll find in the [...]
WJ Reader Ideas Needed: Raise the Bar (By Adding Some Wood!)

Among woodworkers, there are some projects that are “classics” — whether the woodworker in question has built them or just has them on a mental “someday” list. Sometimes, it seems as if nearly everyone has built, or wants to build, a guitar, a wooden boat … or a bar for the basement. If that woodworker [...]
Rethinking the Simple 2x4

Author uses unusually clear 2x4s to make outfeed table behind his table saw. Reflects on their worth as project wood.
Exercising Your Joints

I got an email from a friend this morning asking me what I thought about Festool’s Domino joinery system. I told him I thought it was an incredibly ingenious solution for rapidly cutting mortises and that the machine itself is a marvelous (albeit expensive) tool. When I reread his email before sending my reply, it [...]
Dreams of Springtime and Shop Improvement

When it comes to weather, we’ve had a true embarrassment of riches here in California this winter. Although the beginning of this year has been the driest in recent memory, it’s hard to argue with sunny days and shirtsleeve weather at a time when folks in other parts of the country are freezing and getting [...]
Have you ever wondered how hardwood veneer is made? Yeah, me, too! One of my woodworking friends sent this link to me — and it does a really great job of showing the process. Even though I’ve been around the industry for a long time, and have even seen veneer being made firsthand, I thought [...]
Grizzly Adds New Tool Comparison Feature to Website

If 2013 is your year to buy a new stationary tool, and Grizzly is one of the companies you’re considering for that purchase, they’ve just added a slick new search feature that could make the process quite easy. It’s a machinery comparison chart widget that generates an instant side-by-side cross-reference for up to four Grizzly [...]
From Our Woodworking Colleagues

Our colleagues at The Taunton Press recently sent out a message regarding the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, and we at the Woodworker’s Journal feel moved to pass it along to our readers. Click through to read more.
January/February 2013 Issue Preview

The January/February 2013 issue of Woodworker’s Journal magazine contains plenty of content to keep you busy in the shop during winter months and beyond. Here’s a sneak peek at what you’ll find in the issue.
November/December 2012 Issue Preview

As we head into this holiday season, the new December 2012 print issue offers four unique projects tailored for filling your gift list or for trimming the tree, along with much more.
Skill Builder: Hand Cut Mortise and Tenons
Deepen the Mark
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.
Staining and Dyeing


Although color change is its primary function, stain can also intensify or diminish the grain of the wood, depending on the type of wood and the type of stain you use. Therefore, it is important to understand how different types of stains work.
Wipe-on Finishes and More

Paint Pads
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.
Rubbing Out: The Final Step to a Great Finish
Reflection
You can rub out all types of film forming finishes, including shellac, lacquer, oil based varnish and polyurethane, waterbased coatings and catalyzed or conversion coatings. There are three strong reasons for doing so.
Skill Builder: Basic Butt Joints
SBB02
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: Dovetail Joints

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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: Box and Finger Joints
SBbox02
One of the easiest ways to cut clean and tight-fitting box joints is with a table saw, using a dado blade and a sliding jig. You can build your own box joint jig by adapting your saw's miter gauge, or you can buy one ready-made jig, like the Rockler box joint jig.
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: Dish Carving Bit

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

BeautyShot
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
Butterfly-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.
Making the Most of Your Router Bits: Not Just a Door Bit
Door Bit Beauty Shot
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: Multi Profile Bit

Multi Profile Bit
The Multi Profile Bit is the first in a series that will cover router bits made to help you perform difficult router tasks more easily, the proper ways to set up & use them, and tips for getting the best results.
Jointer Maintenance - Skill Builder Power Tool Tune-Up Series
Jointer Maintenance - Skill Builder Power Tool Tune-Up Series
Since a jointer performs a fairly simple task, it isn't that difficult to keep this machine in top form, but there are a few regular maintenance tasks that you need to stay on top of.
Western Dovetail Expands Its Offerings
Western Dovetail Expands Its Offerings
LiLi Jackson looks at some of the new product offerings from Western Dovetail at AWFS Fair in Las Vegas.
Installing Under-Mount Drawer Slides
Installing Under-Mount Drawer Slides
Heavy 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.
JET Showcases Dual Drum Sander
JET Showcases Dual Drum Sander
Field Editor Chris Marshall got a very early look at a dual drum sander from JET at IWF 2010.
Powermatic Heavy Duty 18" Bandsaw
Powermatic Heavy Duty 18" Bandsaw
Field Editor Chris Marshall looks at Powermatic's 18" Bandsaw at AWFS Fair in Las Vegas.
March/April 2012 Issue Preview
March/April 2012 Issue Preview
Rob Johnstone gives a sneak peek at the March/April 2012 issue
Nova's Mini Comet Lathe Accepts Grinding, Sanding Attachments
Teknatool's Joel Lattimer gives Woodworker's Journal Magazine a guided tour of the company's new Comet mini lathe and add-on attachments at the 2011 AWFS Fair.
Skill Builder: Dado Joinery on the Router
Skill Builder: Dado Joinery on the Router
The dado joint has a centuries-long history of use in cabinetmaking, furniture making, just in woodworking in general.
Nakashima Woodworking Collection
Nakashima Woodworking Collection
Woodworker's Journal takes you on a close-up tour of Nakashima furniture pieces from the extensive collection of the Anderson Horticultural Library at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
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