Since I don’t travel with a portable shop, woodworking away from home is difficult at best. But there are always compromises you can make. (more…)

Tool companies are always coming out with gimmicks and add-ons. The dumb ones are obvious, but some that seem dumb at first sometimes prove quite useful. (more…)

A tool I’ve used for ages turns 50 years old this year. Swell. Something else I thought had been around forever that turns out to be younger than I am. (more…)

I’m finishing up an on-contract job I really don’t want to work on, but I’m having the time of my life with it. Sort of. (more…)

Unless you buy larger quantities or from a supplier, it’s nearly impossible to get decent epoxy glue. When, and why, did this happen? (more…)

This time last week, it wasn’t this time next week. Thanks to George Hudson (not Ben Franklin), Daylight Saving Time began this weekend and I couldn’t be happier. (more…)

I’ve maintained for years that the most versatile machine in the shop is the band saw. I’ve seen and gotten a lot of tools, but my mind hasn’t changed. (more…)

Sometimes, as Bob Seger once wisely observed, I wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then. Blotching bothers the heck out of me, but there was once a time I thought it looked pretty neat. (more…)

Safety is the prime directive when using any tool, and I don’t question that. What I question is the shear amount and incomprehensibility of most safety instructions. (more…)

I never work in the shop without music, although what I listen to may vary depending on my mood, the time of day, and the stage of the project at hand. (more…)