THE LIES AND CONFUSION OF TUNG OIL WOOD FINISH
When I was growing up, my grandparents owned a small country hardware store. I worked there as a teen and my 20s. Needless to say, I have a lot of memories from those days, including an old woodworker who would come in to buy tung oil. He spoke of it like it was an elixir of the gods—the perfect finish. Even today, I hear folks speak with reverence about tung oil.
THE SCOURGE OF WOODWORKING
Case hardening. What is it? This occurs when the wood has been kiln-dried on an overly aggressive schedule. Essentially, the process is rushed: they crank up the heat, drop the humidity, and speed up the drying to push more lumber through the kiln and to market faster.
THE GREAT SCREWDRIVER WARS
It’s been more than 200 years since Canada and the United States fought a war against each other, and if it ever happens again, it won’t be over important issues like who has the best pancakes or the best version of Chris Farley. It will be over something that has divided not just North America, but the entire world for over a century: Which screwdriver is best—the Canadian Robertson head, or the American Phillips head?
THIS SIMPLE WOOD FINISH WILL SAVE YOU DAYS OF SHOP TIME! (SHELLAC)
or centuries, shellac was widely considered the best wood finish in the world. Then, modern finish manufacturers convinced us that shellac was old-fashioned. “That’s what your grandfather used! The modern woodworker uses polyurethane!”
A FORGOTTEN TECHNOLOGY FROM THE OLD DAYS OF WOODWORKING!
Many people believe the absence of nails is a sign of good craftsmanship. And I can't say I blame them because they don't make nails like the used to. The modern nail isn’t designed for performance, it's designed for price. They are cheap to make. In this article I'll remind you of the little known, and I think very interesting features that make cut nails superior to wire nails, and perhaps a better choice for your next project.
FRENCH CLEATS - ARE THEY WORTH THE HYPE?
These days french cleats have become pretty popular among various YouTubers and in the overall maker movement. But mostly in the context of cleat walls. This is a big thing online. Folks put rows of wood strips all over their walls and make all sorts of handy tool holders that may be hung and arranged wherever they like.
THE BEST ROUTER TRICK I KNOW - MAKING PICTURE FRAMES WITH REGULAR ROUTER BITS
Router bits aren't cheap. I think that's why a lot of folks just use the same one or two profiles on every project. Those are simply the bits in their set, and they don't have the budget to buy a fancy, complex profile bit just to make one project. But early on in my woodworking career I learned a skill that saved me a lot of money…
ELECTRIC HAND PLANERS: TIPS AND TRICKS
I often find myself surprised by the popularity of electric hand planers. Growing up, I only saw these tools used for specific tasks like installing doors or during rough home remodeling...
UNLOCKING THE FULL POTENTIAL OF YOUR BANDSAW
For years, I thought I had the bandsaw figured out. My method was straightforward: cut as close to the lines as possible and then rely on sanding to clean up the edges. It worked, but it was labor-intensive, generating a lot of dust and requiring significant effort. It wasn’t until I discovered a new technique for steering the blade that I realized I had been missing out on the bandsaw's true potential.
UNDERSTANDING AIR-DRIED VS. KILN-DRIED LUMBER
When it comes to woodworking, one of the most important decisions you'll make is choosing the right lumber for your project. But how dry does it really have to be? And can you trust lumber that you've cut and dried yourself?
MANY WOODWORKERS USE THESE WRONG!
Do not let the fru-fru woodworking purists tell you that you can’t use biscuits, dowels, or pocket screws and still call yourself a woodworker. A good housebuilder doesn’t insist every wall be built from cut stone because not every wall needs to absorb a cannonball. The goal is to build something that is beautiful, functional, and durable. Those are the standards good woodworkers are measured by. How you achieve those standards is a personal decision.
A 5000 YEAR OLD WOOD FINISH FORUMLA THAT CAN NOT BE MESSED UP!
Wood finishing can be a very intimidating subject for a lot of woodworkers, and I am often asked if there is a simple, effective finish that can't be messed up, doesn't take a lot of time, doesn't cost as much as the wood itself, and which looks great to the eye and is pleasing to the touch.
DO BEVEL ANGLES MATTER?
Some people insist on a precise angle for pine, a different one for oak, another altogether for cherry, one angle for long grain, another for end grain. If you work with a lot of different woods, you'd need a hundred different planes or chisels set up with different bevels, or else you'd be regrinding your tools to nubs with the constant changes.
MAKE LOOSE-TENON JOINERY WITHOUT A FESTOOL DOMINO
Mortise and tenon joinery is fundamental to good, sturdy woodworking. In the "old-timey" days, the mortise would be chopped by hand, and the tenon would be cut one cheek at a time with a hand saw….