Woodworking

Jointers and planers perform the same basic function on two different surfaces of a board. Jointers are designed to give the woodworker a smooth, flat edge. Planers smooth the face surface of a...

Tung oil has been used for centuries as a finish for wood and for many other purposes.The Chinese used tung oil to waterproof masts and sails for their junks. The U.S. military used tung oil to...

While caring for exterior wood can be labor intensive and seem to take forever, proper care, restoration, and refinishing is important for the look and life of your home. Not only will the...

Wood cutting boards add warmth, beauty and function to kitchen decor. Proper sealing and maintenance are critical to the durability and safety of these popular kitchen tools, whether you use your...

Paste wax can be applied to wood for a number of different reasons. The wax can add a finish to wood that gives it the appearance of a fresh shine, all the time. Paste wax also protects wood from...

A variety of problems can occur when you refinish wood with a varnish. Applying varnish on a moist or oily surface, applying too much varnish, applying different types of varnish on top of each...

Scroll saws and table saws both cut wood, but in different ways. Their physical features are specialized to help them perform specific woodworking tasks.

Butcher block requires careful cleaning and seasoning to prevent bacteria growth, water saturation and penetration by food odors. After seasoning, butcher block should be sealed to prevent...

Decorative canes are fun to make and personalize for giving. They can add a touch of color to an umbrella stand or simply be placed in a corner that calls out for something that catches the eye of...

A beeswax finish is often found on furniture made before modern polyurethane and varnishes became available to manufacturers. Removing a beeswax finish is not difficult, but will require that the...

Epoxy can give wood a waterproof, resilient finish. In most cases, it is an ideal coating for wood projects that will be exposed to moisture or wear. However, there are some cases where it is not...

If you want wood to maintain its rich color and appearance, wax polish is generally considered the best option. In addition to keeping wood healthy, it also protects the wood from damage and...

Fiberglass can increase the strength and durability of a wood surface. With just a few tools and careful preparation, you can achieve a tough, attractive finish on your project. As when dealing...

Over time, the finish on a wood railing can become scratched and worn. To revive the appearance, the old finish will need to be removed and new finish applied. Because most wood railings have...

A well-made wood door can be a beautiful addition to any room. A damaged wood door, however, can be an eyesore, and unless you repair the damage it may compound until the door becomes useless....

Most types of wood require some kind of sealant to protect them from moisture and the elements. While this is particularly true for outdoor wooden furniture or buildings, indoor wooden surfaces...

The craft of wood burning, also called pyrography, allows you to enhance carvings on wooden surfaces with a tool that applies burning strokes on the wood. Wood burning requires thorough knowledge...

Tung Oil is an ancient wood finishing product that originated in China. It is extracted from nuts of the Tung tree, native to China but now also grown on plantations in the southern United States,...

Staining a wood sign is not a difficult task. With the proper preparation and materials, the finished surface can look professional and smooth. Always test the stain first, going through the...

Wood surfaces can take a lot of abuse over the years. Whether from normal use or from a damaging event, your wood can lose its beauty, becoming dulled and scratched. Custom refinishing of the...

When working with a woodburning tool, a variety of strokes can be achieved using the burning tip in certain ways. To make the most of the tool, practicing on junk wood will help to advance your...

Wood filler, the type of putty used for filling large defects in wood, when dry is usually harder and more dense than the wood that surrounds it. Although wood filler can be sanded, the softer...

With the cost of antiques often prohibitively high, some people create an antique look by distressing newer furniture. Distressing a solid wood coffee table can give an uninteresting piece of...

Today most boxes for dolls are made of plastic, but for a real treat, use wood. Any wooden box that is the right size for a doll to fit inside will work. If the box has a hinged lid and latch,...

An adze is an ancient, flexible woodworking hand tool that is used for cutting, shaving, peeling and chipping away at a wood surface. Its combines the capacities of an axe and a chisel and can be...

A jointer's design uses precisely aligned feed tables and a rotary cutting head spun by a 3,250 rpm motor to mill a smooth, flat surface on one face of a wooden board. It is possible to use a...

Tung oil is a one of the best natural finishes for wood and is suitable for both beginners and experienced furniture refinishers. Tung oil is available in 100 percent tung oil and in a tung oil...

Planers are used to smooth the rough surface of a freshly cut board. A planer may have a single knife or multiple knives mounted on a high-speed roller. As the rough board passes under the knives,...

Polyurethane is a superb finish for most woodworking projects subject to heavy use such as a kitchen, table top, and a host of useful furniture. For a novice however, there are a few tricks that...

In precision machining, there are a number of techniques for measuring out precise distances from an edge on the piece being machined. One of the more accurate methods is to employ the use of a...

Sandpaper is used to remove small quantities of material at a time from the surface of an object. Sandpaper can be used to remove a specific material from an object (such as a layer of paint) or...

Whitewashing is a cheap solution to stain furniture and buildings. It is made from slaked lime and chalk. It produces a nice white finish.

An adze is an obsolete tool that was used for smoothing a wooden beam or timber that had been hewn with a broad axe. The adze was not the tool that made the hewing marks in the wood; it was the...

If you have moved into an older home, you have probably experienced the natural woodwork having two or more coats of paint. The trend at one time was to cover the wood, but as the value of wood is...

Finishing or refinishing furniture for a practically unscratchable surface doesn't take an expert. While it will take a little more time, it will be worth it. This method will produce a rich,...

There are several types of wood planers. All are used to create a smooth, level surface on a piece of wood and work out any imperfections by shaving off a thin piece at a time using a very sharp...

A router table is a plunge router that is mounted upside-down so that pieces of wood can be laid on the surface of the table to use whichever bit is needed. Discover why a smooth surface is...

You've got tools. You've got space. You don't have a workbench. With those tools, lumber, fasteners and a couple of other things you can build a bench for all your projects to come.

Instead of wire hangers, make some really nice personalized painted ones to put your nicest pieces of clothing or heavier things like suits and dress jackets on. These take a little time to make...

When working with wood, it is amazing to see a raw piece of grainy, coarse, uneven wood transform into a smoothly shaped piece of work with even lines and a surface that begs to be touched. If...

Danish oil is a great product to use as a penetrating oil finish. Some wood projects call for Danish Oil as the finish. This finish has multiple steps and requires a few days of drying time and...

When engaging in hobbies and detail work it is often important to be able to drill a hole in a curved surface. Curved surfaces can be extremely difficult to drill a hole at a specific location....