Making Simple Handles on the Table Saw
I recently made a few softwood handles on the table saw using a method that streamlines a simple yet elegant design—handles that can handle a lot. These handles are thick, tactile, strong, and [...]
Restoring a Divider: Part 1
I use dividers regularly in my work. They’re indispensable for spacing out and dividing lengths—whether laying out dovetails, bisecting a line by drawing intersecting arcs, or sketching circles [...]
Make Your Own Copper Hardware
It’s surprisingly simple to make your own Stickley-style pulls. The simple lines and honest joinery of the Arts & Crafts period have always appealed to me. The fumed quartersawn white oak and [...]
Replacing an old Hope Chest Lock – Part 3
After reducing the volume of the original half-mortise using two strips of wood and addressing the crack in the shallow recess of the catch plate (read part two of the story here), I decided to [...]
Replacing an old Hope Chest Lock – Part 2
After fine-tuning the quirks with the new replacement lock and its brass catch plate, I turned my attention to the cedar hope chest’s half-mortise. I measured and compared the existing depth and [...]
Replacing an Old Hope Chest Lock, Part 1
Last winter, a friend gifted me an old cedar hope chest. The piece was made by her late father-in-law, an amateur woodworker. Since she and her husband were preparing to sell their home and move [...]
Pick the Perfect Lock
The key to selection is knowing the terminology and how a lock works. Locks protect our worldly goods from outsiders who wish to take those goods from us. In earlier days, the use of furniture [...]
Traveling Toolbox
Bodger and blacksmith Don Weber shows how to effectively combine power and hand-tool techniques to build a simple and sturdy toolbox. Editor’s note: This article originally appeared [...]
Quick ID Parts Bin
Like most people, I keep lots of different screws, bolts, nails, washers, and other small parts in bins. Instead of paper labels, I hot glue a sample of the actual part on the outside of the bin. [...]
Restoring Reclaimed Hardware
Learn the nuts and bolts of making hardware new again. From the time I began collecting reclaimed wood I remember salvaging all kinds of hardware pieces. I like to dismantle hardware from found [...]
Original Cabinet Hardware Jig
Tool: Original Cabinet Hardware Jig Shop Now Manufacturer: True Position Tools MSRP: $199 Installing cabinet pulls can be a bit daunting. It’s usually one of the last steps in the process, [...]
Hardware Store “T-Bolts”
Specialty hardware can be really annoying. Take the T-bolt—it’s essential for attaching anything to a T-track, but where can you buy one at a moment’s notice? Hardware stores don’t carry T-bolts, [...]
