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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 |
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 [...] |
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 [...] |
Author uses unusually clear 2x4s to make outfeed table behind his table saw. Reflects on their worth as project wood. |
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 [...] |
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 [...] |
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 [...] |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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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. |
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. |
Coloring Redux: Glaze and Toner
Another common method of adding color to wood after it has been
sealed is with glaze. You can use glaze to highlight carvings or flutes, create
sunbursts and cameos, turn a painted surface into antique white, add
age to wood, or even create patterns like fake wood grain and marble. |
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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Rubbing Out: The Final Step to a Great Finish
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: 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. |
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. |
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: 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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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: 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: 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. |
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May/June 2012 Issue PreviewField Editor Chris Marshall takes you on a quick tour of summertime projects and tool news in our May/June 2012 print issue. |
Turning a Carver's Mallet and a Wooden Assembly HammerThis is a nice beginning spindle exercise that is good for beginning turners. While the carver’s mallet is straight spindle turning, the assembly hammer includes some unique lathe drilling techniques that are not easily accomplished on a drill press. |
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SawStop Overviews Its Product LineSawStop's Matt Howard provides a visual tour of the company's four current table saw models to Woodworker's Journal Magazine at the 2011 AWFS Fair. |
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