The Antenna

I’ve taught woodworking At Dictum GmbH in Germany for many years. And it’s always a bit disorienting (but fun). I’m an American with a German last name who teaches people how to make chairs from Wales, Scotland and Ireland. And the students are German, Swedish, Mexican, Polish, Dutch…. And the class is in Bavaria. But...

When I first started harvesting green wood for my workshop, I was worried about bringing wood-boring insects into my workshop. It would be like letting loose 1,000 racoons into a Golden Corral restaurant. So I got some advice from fellow woodworkers. All of the advice involved pesticides. And some of it sounded reckless. (Put the...

Welcome to The Splinter Report, where I gather the assorted interesting and amusing things I’ve seen in the woodworking world. This week we’re trying to figure out what counts as...

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Theatre carpentry on the amateur and regional level takes a lot of shortcuts, but that doesn’t mean they don’t care. In the stage musical “1776” — which my wife and I...

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A clever joint locks the top and base into a rock-solid unit. “Have chisel, will travel.” As an itinerant carver, teaching classes here and there, I’ve always wanted a bench...

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Tool: 5″ Mk.V Saw with Lever Tension Shop Now Manufacturer: Knew Concepts MSRP: $99 One of the very first “nice” tools I bought myself was a Knew Concepts fret saw....

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Take the tool to the work for quick and accurate dados. The quest for accuracy in woodworking is often like trying to find your way out of a maze. Make...

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On a crosscut sled, the fence must be absolutely square to the blade. Here’s a super-accurate method of testing for square. It makes errors easier to detect by magnifying them...

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Proper lighting and vision aids can make a woodworking world of difference. Woodworking is a visual art. The capabilities of our eyes and visual system, as well as the quality...

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When we left off at the end of Part V, our disk-and-wheel friction drive was fully assembled, nestled neatly inside the organic contours of our branch box. On paper, it...

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In this episode of the ShopNotes Podcast, Logan catches a case of auction fever after scoring vintage woodworking machinery at a church furniture factory liquidation. Plus, the crew shares updates...

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The following is one of the projects in Jögge Sundqvist’s book “Karvsnitt: Carving, Pattern & Color in the Slöjd Tradition” Cutting patterns and symbols in wood, and enhancing them with vibrant color, are folk traditions kept alive in the slöjd craft. Through decorations imbued with meaning, chip carving has given soul to slöjd woodcraft throughout...

Welcome to The Splinter Report, where I gather the assorted interesting and amusing things I’ve seen in the woodworking world. This week Collin is away, so he asked me to...

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Solid mahogany, frame and panel assemblies, and simple construction are the foundations of this versatile table. Often, pieces of furniture are designed with one simple function (or use) in mind...

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Editor’s note: Our Mind Upon Mind series is a nod to a 1937 Chips from the Chisel column (also featured in “Honest Labour: The Charles H. Hayward Years”), in which Hayward wrote, “The influence of mind upon mind is extraordinary.” The idea being there’s often room for improvement. To that end, we’ve asked you what else you have...

How to rout lock miters on narrow pieces. If you spotted an oak leg with quartersawn figure on all four sides, your first reaction might be: That’s neat! But if...

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There is little as an editor I dislike more than cutlists; I wish we could do away with them. No matter how many times and how many people check them, there are always cutlist errors. I always feel like a crap editor when readers point them out … as I should. (I offered to throw...

Over the course of my woodworking career, I’ve waged an internal struggle—a balance between striving for perfection and getting a project to a point where it’s acceptable, where any flaws...

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With the organic geometry of our branch box established, our faceted butternut bee whittled, and its brass details textured and installed, we are ready to build the engine that brings...

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In Episode 278 of the ShopNotes Podcast, the crew follows up on your woodworking road trip suggestions, shares updates on Logan’s latest Chunk-A-Trunk lumber adventures, announces upcoming Woodsmith events, and...

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The following is excerpted from “Doormaking & Window-Making,” and refers to frames for exterior doors. (The book instructs that interior “doors are usually hung in “jamb linings,” instead of door frames, these being fixed in the walls after the house is built.”) A handbook on doors would hardly be complete without some reference to door...

Welcome to The Splinter Report, where I gather the assorted interesting and amusing things I’ve seen in the woodworking world. This week we’re looking at something that made me mad,...

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Cordless tools and the batteries that keep them humming are one of the biggest boons to woodworkers. But they eventually become obsolete. Unlike common trash, old batteries deserve the respect they’ve...

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Make Boxes to fit your books – and your space The typical bookcase is a good example of poor design. We make them that way because that’s the way we’ve...

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What makes this wood so special? Fungus. If there’s one wood that can really challenge your sense of design—and your woodworking skills—it’s spalted maple. Those inky black lines can both...

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I find myself needing a lot of small circles for use on wooden toys. When I cut those disks out with a circle-cutting jig on the band saw, the edge...

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We’re interviewing makers from across the country. Today we’re featuring Christina Vincent, a designer, furniture maker, and artist from Maine.  How did you get started woodworking? Who were your mentors?...

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Tool: Texture Punch Shop Now Manufacturer: Cottrill Tool & Woodworks MSRP: $35+ I am a sucker for a well-made tool. I’m an even bigger sucker when that tool comes from...

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It’s just as comfortable as it looks. There it was–an Adirondack loveseat–sitting right on the deck of the Tin Fish, a restaurant overlooking Lake Calhoun in the heart of Minneapolis,...

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Could Iowa be America’s next woodworking destination? In this episode of the ShopNotes Podcast, the crew dreams up the ultimate Iowa woodworking road trip, complete with legendary tool makers, historic...

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The following is excerpted from “Smalls: 18 Well-designed, Easy Projects for an Afternoon in the Workshop,” which is now available! In addition to the projects, you’ll find chapters on the techniques you need to build them (which will, of course, come in handy for all sorts of projects – not just the 18 in this...