Profiles Index
Do You have a Disaster Plan for Your Woodworking Shop?
We all have a disaster plan for our home, in the event of a weather-related emergency or other such natural disaster. Have you considered how to prepare your wood shop for such a natural disaster? In this woodworking tip, we discuss a few steps to help protect the tools in your shop from damage in the event of a weather-related emergency or other natural disaster.
Lacquer Finishes - Strong, Durable & Beautiful Woodworking Finishes
Lacquer has been used for literally thousands of years to protect woodworking projects. Lacquer provides a hard, durable, clear finish that does a good job of protecting against water damage. Most modern lacquer finishes are designed to be applied either by spraying or by brush. Learn the advantages of using a lacquer finish to protect your woodworking projects.
Tips for Woodworking with Poplar
Poplar is one of the most common types of wood used in furniture making, boat-building and other woodworking projects because it is inexpensive wood, fairly workable, will take paint well and is moderately durable. While Poplar shouldn't be used for every set of woodworking plans you intend to build, it is a versatile wood and can be used for a number of projects.
Basic Joinery - Clean Butt Joints
The Butt Joint is the most basic woodworking joint. Although the joint is simple, there is a considerable amount of accuracy that must be maintained for a butt joint to function properly. Learn how to make clean and functional butt joints.
Table Saw Tune-Up Tips
The table saw is, without a doubt, the workhorse of the wood shop. However, a table saw occasionally needs to be tuned-up in order to keep it working in optimum condition. Learn how to determine whether your table saw needs to be aligned, what adjustments to make and how to make them. Once your saw is tuned, you'll see better results on your woodworking plans.
Jointers - The Easy Way to Square & Flat Surfaces
A jointer is a woodworking machine whose primary purpose is to create a flat surface on one edge of a board. However, the jointer also excels as making a perpendicular edge square to that flat side. Learn how to properly utilize this useful power tool for your woodworking projects.
Choosing a Portable Wood Shop Vacuum
Many advanced wood shops have extravagant central dust collection systems that keep sawdust and debris to a minimum around woodworking tools. What should you do if you don't have the room or the budget for a dust collection system? Consider a portable wood shop vacuum that you can move from tool to tool and use as needed. Learn the features you should look for when buying a wood shop vacuum.
Choosing a Cordless Drill
As technology has improved, cordless drills have become much more popular as woodworking tools. With improved battery life and torque, cordless drills are a viable option for nearly all hand held drilling tasks on any woodworking project. Learn the features you should consider when looking to buy a cordless drill for your wood shop.
Sheet Sanders for Woodworking Projects
When preparing a woodworking project for finishing, you have a few choices in power sanders. You can choose a random orbital sander, belt sander or a sheet sander. In this article, we discuss the advantages of a sheet sander, including when to use on to complete your woodworking plans.
Drill Press - Drill Precision Holes
When your woodworking plans call for holes to be drilled in stock, no tool is more precise than the drill press. Learn the features you should look for when purchasing a table-top or floor-standing drill press.
Using Your Radial Arm Saw Safely
Radial arm saws are among the most versatile tools in the wood shop. They can be used to cross-cut, rip, cut compound angles, cut dadoes and rabbets on your woodworking projects. Like all other woodworking tools, they can be dangerous if used improperly. Learn safety tips for using your radial arm saw safely.
Should You Use Particle Board in Your Woodworking Projects?
Particle board is widely used in commercial furniture for a number of reasons: it is cheap, lightweight and stable. However, should you use particle board in your fine woodworking projects? In this article, we outline the advantages and disadvantages of particle board, to help you decide whether you should use it to complete your woodworking plans.
Is the "New" Pressure-Treated Lumber Safe?
For years, pressure-treated lumber was treated with an arsenic-based substance to help protect against moisture. In recent years, health concerns caused the United States' Environmental Protection Agency to convince lumber companies to change to a new, copper-based formula. However, is this new formula better? Learn how to build safer woodworking projects using this "new" pressure-treated lumber.
Dealing with Uneven Shrinkage or Swelling of Woods
All woodworkers have experienced issues with uneven shrinking or swelling of wood stock. When wood stock dries unevenly, it tends to warp, cup, bow, twist, kink, crook and check. Understanding what may happen to your stock when it swells or shrinks is essential to building a quality woodworking project.
How to French Polish Your Woodworking Project
Back as far as the Victorian era, French Polishing has been a effective, although time-consuming method for finishing woodworking projects. While it is seldom used today, few finishes offer such a remarkably beautiful shine. Learn how to create a french polish finish, and put it to the test on your next furniture set of woodworking plans.
Understanding Wood Sizing
When you visit your home center or woodworking supply house, you'll notice that stock comes in varying sizes using terms that may not make sense to the beginning woodworker. Learn how to find the exact sizes of stock you need to complete your project.
Japanese Backsaws
The Japanese back saw, also referred to as a dozuki, is a very thin-bladed saw that cuts on the back stroke. This type of saw is quite useful for cutting dovetails by hand or trimming items flush with the face of a piece of stock. Learn how and when to use a Japanese back saw on your woodworking projects.
Compound Miter Saws - Precise Angled Cuts Made Easy
Precision angled crosscuts are remarkably easy with a compound miter saw. Learn the features you should look for when purchasing a single-bevel or double-bevel compound miter saw.
Tips for Using Your Band Saw Safely and Effectively
The band saw is generally regarded as one of the safest woodworking tools in the wood shop, provided, of course, that basic safety rules are followed. Learn the basics of how to use your band saw effectively and safely.
Pocket Joinery - How to Make Quick, Strong Pocket Joints
Pocket Joints are little more than a screw driven through a diagonally placed hole. Pocket joints are very similar in origin to dowel joints and mortise & tenon joints. While pocket joints can be difficult to create by hand, with a special pocket hole jig, they are very easy to use. Learn the benefits of pocket joinery and when to use them in your woodworking projects.
Shellac Finishes - Getting a Beautiful Woodworking Finish with Shellac
Shellac has been a finish of choice for woodworkers since the early 1800's. Shellac is actually derived from a secretion from an insect, which, when processed and mixed with alcohol, makes an amazing finish for woodworking projects. Learn the history of shellac and how to properly apply and refinish with shellac.
Woodworking with Oak - Getting the Best Results When Woodworking with Oak
Although there are numerous varieties of the species, one of the most revered types of wood used in woodworking is oak. Building woodworking projects out of oak can be very rewarding. It can also be very frustrating. There are a number of considerations one should remember when woodworking with oak. Learn some steps for getting the best results out of your oak woodworking projects.
Biscuit Joinery Basics - Tips for Better Biscuit Joints
When your woodworking plans call for certain types of connections between pieces of stock such as edge-to-edge joints, miter joints, T-joints and corner joints, one of the simplest and most effective methods of joinery is the biscuit joint. Learn tips and tricks for making strong, accurate biscuit joints.
Maintaining and Caring for Your Air Compressor
If you use pneumatic woodworking tools in your wood shop, you need a quality air compressor to power those tools. Because most air compressors need little day-to-day maintenance, they are easy to overlook. However, there are some items you should keep your eye on to make sure your pneumatic woodworking tools have a proper supply of air.
Finding the Right Air Compressor for Your Shop
In the modern wood shop, pneumatic nailers have become as commonplace as the saw and hammer. However, in order to power these pneumatic tools appropriately, a woodworker needs to have the proper air compressor. In this article, we discuss the features to look for when shopping for an air compressor, to meet the needs of all of your pneumatic woodworking tools.