Woodworking Articles

The PM-V11 Story

The process of selecting an alloy for our plane blades started with a clean sheet of paper and an ear to what woodworkers were looking for: a blade that held a fine and durable edge, yet did not require a costly investment in new sharpening technologies. After making hundreds of blades and spending thousands of hours testing, a clear winner emerged: PM-V11. Read more…

How to Build a Custom Kitchen Side Table

Woodworker Charles Mak outlines the steps he took to create a custom kitchen storage piece. Read more…

Using the Triangle-Marking Method

With more than 70 years of professional woodworking experience, Adrian van Draanen has more than a few useful insights and tips to share. In this first article, he explains how to use carpenter’s triangles – a foolproof method for marking your project pieces. Read more…

Making Slatted Back Panels by Hand

Adding slatted back panels to casework is a great way to add strength and aesthetic appeal to your project. Woodworker Charles Mak demonstrates three ways to do it. Read more…

Make a Self-Closing Tool Rack

Like many woodworkers, Charles Mak had hammers and mallets scattered across the shop – until now. He designed and built one-of-a-kind storage racks that can be adapted to hold pretty much any type of handled tool. Read more...

Gluing Strategies and Techniques

Woodworker Charles Mak discusses strategic ways to go about the gluing and clamping that make up project assembly, including tips on glue application, dealing with squeeze-out and the importance of factoring in wood movement. Read more...

Make a Backyard Bar Using Pallets

Looking for an affordable backyard build that uses recycled wood? This project, which uses reclaimed pallet boards, is so easy to make, even a first-time builder can do it. Cheryl McCleary explains. Read more…

An Easy to Build Garden Bench

Woodworker George Hammond used offcuts and left-over deck boards to make a small garden bench that can be easily moved. Here’s how he did it. Read more…

Getting Started on a Chip Carving Project

Chip carving is an ideal technique for the person who wants to learn a bit about woodworking, but has always been discouraged at the prospect of buying a garage full of expensive and intimidating power tools. Read more…

One Woodworker’s Design Tools

Woodworker Charles Mak shares how you can dial in designs, sizes and proportions with a low-tech kit. Read more…

Build a Leaning Ladder-Style Display Shelf

Woodworker Charles Mak came up with a simple and economical way of making a stylish ladder shelf. Find out how he did it. Read more...

Simple Bellflower Inlay

Adding bellflowers is a fast and simple way to enhance the look of your next project. You can get great results with nothing more than a couple of gouges, a scrap of veneer and a bit of practice. Read more…

How to Build a Raised Garden Bed

This functional and attractive raised-garden box features a trellis that not only allows plants to climb, but also provides privacy. And you don’t need an extensive power-tool collection to build it. Read more…

Make a Light-Duty Bench-Top Shave Horse

After finding his regular work-holding means inadequate for a spindle task, Charles Mak sought other options. He eventually made a shaving fixture that is inexpensive, portable and has a small footprint. Read more....

How to Use a Handscrew Clamp Like a Pro

Woodworker Charles Mak strongly believes that handscrews should be an integral part of a woodworker’s clamping arsenal. Here, he argues his case by showing how to make the most out of them. Read more…

10 Ways Masking Tape Can Help a Woodworker

We all know that masking tape is indispensable for many painting tasks, but it’s also a versatile helper in the workshop. Woodworker Charles Mak explains how. Read more…

How to Cope with Wood Movement

Woodworker Charles Mak learned a valuable lesson early on when one of his projects – a tablet case – cracked after the change of season. He has since avoided other wood movement miseries by better understanding how to anticipate and cope with them. Here’s how you can, too. Read more…

Custom-Built Hybrid Workbench

It’s a new year, which means it’s time for workshop inspiration. Thinking about building a bench this year? Woodworker Charles Mak's approach may not be common, but the result is a workbench that can handle whatever challenges you throw at it. Find out if it will work for you, too. Read more…

Work Smart in Your Shop

This year, instead of working harder in your shop, how about working smarter? Charles Mak provides some tips on how to do so. Read more…

How to Make a Leather Tool Roll

If you’ve ever been interested in leatherworking but weren’t sure where to begin, here’s a great starter project – a leather tool roll. Read more…

How to Make Knobs and Pulls Quietly

There’s no lack of instructions on how to make your own handles. In fact, woodworker Charles Mak found close to a dozen articles on shop-made handles. All of them, however, suggested the use of power tools. Here are some techniques and a jig he used to make custom pulls with only hand tools.

How to Make Handscrews

It’s often been said that you can never have too many clamps. You can purchase commercial models, but it’s easy enough to make them yourself. Here is woodworker Serge Duclos’ design, which uses readily available materials.

A Woodworker’s Guide to Marking Gauges

Charles Mak provides some tips on how to use your marking gauge more effectively. Read more…

How Sam Bat Created a Major League Baseball Bat

As any woodworker knows, you’re nothing without your tools. It could also be argued that a professional baseball player would be nowhere without a superior bat. Here’s how a small baseball bat manufacturer became a big deal in the big leagues. Read more…

Making & Using Wooden Wedges

Wedges, which have been used since the Stone Age, include anything from nails to chisels to our front teeth. Woodworker Charles Mak shares how he makes and uses wooden wedges. Read more…

How to Restore a Vintage Garden Bench

With some basic woodworking and painting skills, a weathered garden bench can be restored to its former beauty – even on a tight budget. Read more…

Compound Angled Joinery Made Easy

If you find compound angles intimidating, then do it the easy way – by hand. Woodworker Charles Mak shows you how. Read more…

Building a Wooden Bike

To fulfill the requirements of a class project, a 16-year-old high school student took on the challenge of building a functional wooden bicycle using only wood, glue and his passion for woodworking and design. Learn about the frustrations and triumphs of this young yet accomplished woodworker. Read more…

How to Make Custom Saw Handles

Making a shapely new saw handle is easy; just follow these simple steps. Who knows? After gripping the fruits of your labor, you may never want to let go. Read more…

How to Use Router Template Guides

The router is arguably one of the most versatile tools in the workshop. You can make it even more so by adding template guides. Learn more about how they function and what they can do. Read more…

Collecting Molding Planes

Whether or not molding planes are the most eye-catching of antique tools can be argued. However, for those who are drawn to them, there’s no disputing their intrigue and utility. Read more…

Mastering Handsaw Cuts

Sawing could be considered a fundamental aspect of being a woodworker, yet not everyone has an intuitive knack for it. Here are some easy tips on mastering three types of saw cuts – from a quick, rough cut, to a fine cut where accuracy and aesthetics are paramount. Even if you consider yourself a master sawyer, you may learn a trick or two. Read more…

How to Mill Rough Lumber

Fine woodworking starts with stock that is properly milled true and flat. Woodworker Charles Mak has developed a milling process that is simple and efficient, using two machines commonly found in a typical shop. Read more…

Clamping Techniques for Oddball Glue-Ups

Woodworker Charles Mak shows how he tackles some challenging glue-ups using common tools and supplies found in a typical shop. Read more…

How to Use Magnets to Store Chisels

After woodworker Ron Macnab took the plunge and purchased a high-quality set of chisels, he needed an equally high-quality storage solution for them. Here’s the inventive idea he came up with. Read more...

How to Build a 48-Drawer Tool Chest

This tool chest is a straightforward, easy build and the material used is a matter of individual choice. Woodworker Serge Duclos explains how he made it. Read more…

Build a Stylish and Functional Patio Serving Cart

This stylish and functional serving cart, meant for outdoor use, is a great project for DIYers with intermediate-level woodworking and tool skills. Read more…

How To Build a Children's Art Station

This deluxe art station is sure to inspire creativity and provide hours of fun for young, up-and-coming artists. Woodworker Barry Maruk explains how to build it. Read more…

How to Make a Versatile Cedar Planter Box

This planter box is perfect on a patio, or you could make two to flank a front entrance. Woodworker Barry Maruk explains how to do it. Read more…

How to Build a Contemporary Cedar Garden Bench

Looking to update your outdoor space? Why not try your hand at this sleek, easy-to-build garden bench? Read more…

How to Build a Folding Lumber Rack

Here’s how to build a sturdy rack that keeps lumber properly stored and easy to access. Read more…

Turning New Handles from Old Tools

I’ve often heard it said that beautiful tools inspire beautiful work. Fine tools, new or old, are a beautiful sight to behold. They invite the hand to hold them and inspire the eye to use them to create more beauty. Read more…

Decked Out in the Garden: Plan Your Deck

A great deck adds value to any home and can be enjoyed for years to come. Read more …

How to Build a Five-Paddle Hanger

For some canoeing enthusiasts, the paddle is a work of craftsmanship to be handled gingerly. The fine blade cannot be left on the damp earth, and the equally fine shaft cannot lean against a wall. In fact, hanging is not too good for such an instrument; it’s ideal. Learn how to build a rack for hanging your favorite paddles with care. Read more…

How to Build a Rustic Coat Rack

This rustic coat rack is easy and quick to make. It makes a nice addition to a cottage, workshop or potting shed. Read more …

How to Build Nesting Tables

Find out how woodworker Art Mulder made custom-designed nesting end tables out of red oak. Read more…

How to Build a Bat House

Do you want to lend a hand to help the declining bat population and in return benefit from having these mosquito consumers in your yard? Build a bat house for them to live in. Gardener N. Glenn Perrett explains how. Read more ….

How to Make a Wooden Wine Gift Box

This decorative wooden box makes the perfect gift for any wine drinker on your list. Woodworker Serge Duclos explains how to build it. Read more…

Using High-Friction Material in the Workshop

Get a grip on safety in the workshop with the use of high-friction, no-slip material. In this article, woodworker and Lee Valley employee Richard Wile explains the features and benefits of several useful no-slip products that can help you be safer, and oftentimes more accurate, while you work. Read more …

Bandsaw Boxes

Looking for a fun project to challenge your bandsaw skills? Try these replica antique radio boxes. Woodworker George Hammond explains how to make them. Read more…

A Deluxe Chisel Cabinet

Woodworker Charles Mak built this chisel cabinet to accommodate his ever-expanding hand-tool collection. Here’s how he made it. Read more…

Get More Out of Your Veritas Router Plane

A well-tuned and properly used router plane can plow a 10" long x 1/4" wide x 1/4" deep groove in a matter of minutes. But sometimes it can't. Sometimes it starts, stops, and balks, taking too long to get the job done. Just a few simple tricks can make the difference between a recalcitrant router plane and one that smoothly and quietly goes whoosh. Read more...

Using a Bench Chisel

As a young boy, I used a blunt old chisel to open cans of paint (and you know what they say about a hammer and everything else a nail…). Today, I use a sharp chisel as a cutting and shaping tool for doing joinery work, shaping forms and sometimes, sharpening my carpenter’s pencil. I’ll show you some ways of using a bench chisel with good results. Read more...

Make Your Own Marking Knife

After woodworker Charles Mak bought a scalpel and a box of blades to use as a marking knife, he needed to find a way to put those spare blades to use. Here's what he did. Read more…

Jointing Lumber without a Table Saw or Power Jointer

In a small shop or in the shop of a beginner woodworker, many of the power tools used to prep rough stock are not always at hand. Numerous wood species can be purchased pre-dimensioned; however, this usually comes at a premium price. Woodworkers looking to reduce their overall project cost, or those planning to reuse or re-purpose materials, need another option. Read more…

Train Table

Woodworker Darnell Hagen’s first go at making a children’s play table was a quickie attempt that didn’t turn out exactly as he had hoped. His second try resulted in this more stylized version, which is a real winner. Here’s how he did it. Read more…

Economical Wooden Workbench

Woodworker Serge Duclos explains how to build a durable wooden workbench for about $50. Read more…

A Chat with Nick Offerman

Nick Offerman has enjoyed a successful career as an actor, most recently playing the character Ron Swanson on the hit TV show Parks and Recreation. But did you also know that the man behind the character has a deep-seated passion for woodworking?

Carving Fishing Lures

Can’t wait for the summer fishing season? Making your own lures might help pass the time. Fisherman and woodworker Peter Reisiger explains how. Read more…

Shop-Made Versatile Router Table Sled

Woodworker Serge Duclos explains how to build a router table sled that can be used for milling standard and angled cross dadoes, sliding dovetails, stub tenons and more. Read more…

Build Your Own Canoe Paddle

A paddle is enjoyable to use when it is the right size and has the right fit for your handgrip. When making your own, not only can you get both of these requirements, you also achieve a sense of great satisfaction. Learn more...