Woodworking

In every garage, and marriage, or engagement, there rages the eternal debate of screwdrivers. "Phillips head, you jackal," said my friend Chase Carpenter Topperton IV,...

In order for a fur pelt to be sold for the best price it has to be properly skinned, fleshed and stretched. The fur industry has set standards for the shape a dried fur pelt must be. This standard...

You can find many routers and router table insert plates available in today's market. They offer you the ability to adjust the router bit height from above the router table without first having to...

Exterior doors take a beating from season to season. Constant exposure to the elements really wears on the finish. At some point in the life of the door, it will be necessary to strip off the old...

Decorators often find it difficult to utilize the corners of a room. Plants and small stands work well. Wood corner shelves also offer another attractive alternative, especially if you purchase...

A screw starter is a hand-held tool that has a small chuck at one end. The chuck opens, usually by twisting the handle slightly and the head of a screw can be inserted. Closing the chuck holds the...

Building a boot scraper is a fun project that serves a purpose. A conveniently placed boot scraper will remind visitors and residents to wipe their boots before coming in so you will not have to...

A mortise is the term used to describe the hole or slot cut into a piece of wood that accepts the end of another piece, called the tenon. Mortises are typically rectangular in shape and have...

Drying your own wood, whether for woodworking, carving or turning, can be very rewarding--if you can keep it from splitting. Wood loses moisture from the ends at a higher rate than the faces and...

Lumber grades have been established to differentiate between the qualities of wood produced when cutting timbers. Knots, flaws and defects determine which grade the wood will fall into and how the...

Hollow chisels are devices that can be used with a drill press or dedicated mortising machine to produce square-cornered mortises that eliminate the need to round over tenons.

Miter saws are pretty much beefed-up versions of circular saws with the cutting blade mounted and hinged for more precise control. Sometimes called chop saws, miter saws are great for cutting...

Small cracks, dents, nail holes and tiny knots all need to be filled for your wood projects. Normally, you would reach for an off-the-shelf commercial wood filler. However, ready-made fillers...

A lectern rests before a speaker, with a place to set a book. The name lectern comes from the word "legere," which means "to read." Building a good reading stand that looks nice in front of a...

It's easy to create a beautiful, vintage-looking mailbox post that holds not the typical one but two mailboxes side-by-side. This is a perfect project to do with your neighbor--after all, that is...

Piano hinges are designed for strength along its entire length with the use of a continuous hinge that spreads out stress placed on the hinge. Piano and cedar chest manufacturers commonly use...

Cedar is a beautifully aromatic wood, and a great selection for closets. Cedar is a natural moth repellent, and will help protect your clothes from the damage moths can do. As cedar ages, it can...

The glue joint router bit is a carbide-tipped cutter for use in a router table. The glue joint router bit creates a mechanical joint for wood pieces to be glued. This joint adds tremendous...

The finger joint router bit is a carbide-tipped cutter for use in a router. The finger joint router bit allows you to make a strong end to end glue joints. This is possible by increasing the glue...

Dowel peg holes are often found on the inside of cabinets to allow for adjustable shelves. By drilling holes directly into the wood that the cabinet is made of, the need for attached metal shelf...

Woodturning has really come of age over the last couple of decades. Hobbyists turning wood in their basements to professional woodsmiths are earning full-time livings on wood lathes. Unlike the...

A rabbet cut, a rectangular recess along the edge or end of a piece of wood stock, is simple in appearance; but there is more to the rabbet cut than first meets the eye. To make the best use of...

Bowl and tray router bits allow you to use a router to make bowls and trays from a pattern. These bits have several other applications. They can be used for cutting boards, raised sign lettering,...

Using the proper lathe chisels enhances productivity and safety, and avoids the need to awkwardly adapt to different projects.

A woodworker requires a variety of tools for his shop. One of those tools is the drill press. Drill presses drill a variety of holes, but they also accommodate sand and router extensions. They...

The 45-Degree Locking Router Bit is used to produce extra strong miter joints in boxes, beams, columns, cabinet face frame corners, and to glue up matching board stock. This bit, when set up...

When screw or nail heads are undesirable for a woodworking project, use dowel joinery instead. Although available as plastic and metal pieces, wooden dowels are the most common dowels used to...

Power sanders are tools used to finish or smooth wood, plastic or metal surfaces. To determine whether you should use a drum sander or a belt sander on a project, you should consider the size of...

Buying the right router can be difficult. They come in all shapes and sizes, and the choices can make a woodworker's head spin. Since the router may be the most used of the power hand tools,...

It can be very expensive to have someone else build your pheasant pen for you. That is why in this article I will show you how to do it yourself and save the money for something more enjoyable.

The bowl router bit makes it possible to use a router along with a pattern to make wooden bowls and trays. The same router bit can be used to make custom wood cutting boards, raised letters for...

A flush trim router bit is used to follow a pattern to produce copies. The flush trim bit will come in two sizes--1/4- and 1/2-inch shafts. It also comes in several lengths, depending on your...

Stork yard signs are an American tradition for announcing the birth of a child. The stork represents good luck and fertility, which inevitably started the myth of storks delivering babies. Many...

Coffee tables are a convenient place to place a snack, while sitting on the sofa, but they do limit floor space while entertaining. A coffee table with folding legs is great for relaxing evenings...

When you compare wood working routers, there are several items that you need to consider. The first is how you are going to use the router. Are you going to mount it in a table? With this...

Season your firewood several months before you will need it. Generally, you will need six months to one year. Fresh or "green" wood's cells contain 50 percent or more water. Seasoning wood simply...

Every woman has had trouble with her necklaces getting tangled. It doesn't matter how you lay them out: they always tie themselves in knots during the night. While the knots can be loosened with...

Handrails and newel posts are decorative but they also serve an important purpose. Handrails help you climb stairs safely. Even one step will be safer with a handrail, especially for people with...

Before paying for a beautifully crafted country sign, consider making your own. Country signs add a personal touch to homes because they appear rustic and vintage while adding a little charm. You...

With a little bit of woodworking knowledge, you can craft a authentic sounding train whistle out of wood that is a lot of fun for kids and adults alike. The 4-tone wood train whistle, a little...

Wooden signs are like bumper stickers for your home. On them, you can express beliefs, make jokes or mention the importance of your family all with the rustic feel of crafted wood. They can be...

Urethane is a great sealer and protector. It comes in many forms from polyurethane to urethane-enhanced paint. You can use it on small items, on floors, furniture and tables. The quality of your...

Here is an easy cutting of a homemade Christmas ornament on a scroll saw. They are easy to do. You may hang them on a tree or hang them around the house and even use them as a sun catcher.

Wood working is a common practice in many cultures around the world. The discipline is used for both hobby and necessity and is most often found in the form of figurines and furniture throughout...

Children love to play games that mimic the activities of adults. One of the most popular toys used to help encourage these basic skill-building games is a child's kitchen. Toy stores are filled...

There are several ways to construct wooden legs for desks and other tabletop surfaces like work benches and even kitchen and dining room tables. The way you construct them may depend on personal...

Perhaps the most important accessory in any home, shop or garage is the shelf. Shelves help keep our knickknacks and tools organized. They also complement a home's decor. For beginning...

Country themed furniture has a rustic and used feel that is charming and not at all tacky. A regular table can be transformed to appear country-like and rustic. Many individuals use a country wood...

Many styles and shapes of router plates are available. Many routers and router plates allow you to adjust the height of the router bit from above the router without having to remove it for...

Custom-made wood plaques can be a nice way to display a name or sign and can be made without too much time or effort. You can buy pre-cut plaques at craft stores or if you have the proper wood...