April/May 2024

Woodsmith

The Best Magazine for Woodworking Projects, Plans, Tips, and Techniques

Woodsmith1 min read
Woodsmith
AN ACTIVE INTEREST MEDIA PUBLICATION EXECUTIVE EDITOR Phil HuberSENIOR EDITOR Erich LageASSISTANT EDITOR Rob Petrie EXECUTIVE ART DIRECTOR Todd LambirthSENIOR ILLUSTRATOR Dirk Ver SteegSENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Bob Zimmerman, Becky KralicekCONTRIBUTI
Woodsmith1 min read
From The Editor Sawdust
There are five projects in every issue of Woodsmith. That’s a lot of ground to cover for the designers, editors, and illustrators. Coming up with ideas that are new, inspired, fun, and even simple to construct keeps us busy. This issue has four proje
Woodsmith4 min read
READER’S Tips
Well-made drawers always bring a project to the next level. It’s rewarding to open a drawer and be greeted by a clean, locking rabbet joint, and there are a few things that transform a cabinet from a hunk of wood to a piece of furniture quite like an
Woodsmith1 min read
Hand-Cut Dovetails
Dovetail joints have always been a favorite of mine. While there’s certainly more than a little know-how involved in routed dovetails, it’s the hand-cut kind that always grabbed my attention. I imagine it’s similar to why some people like to run for
Woodsmith5 min read
Chisels, Stones, & Stropping
One of the most important aspects of a chisel is the edge. While we often mention how important it is to keep a good edge on your hand tools, it’s not often we stop to focus on the tools needed to get that job done. Here we’ll explore the specifics o
Woodsmith4 min read
Pocket Mill Pro
I can’t deny, there’s a part of me that never did stop getting excited about cool new toys. Over time that changed at some point from toy cars and LEGOs to power tools, chisels, planes, and all kinds of accessories. In the same vein though, there’s a
Woodsmith6 min read
Cat Castle
One large joy that comes from woodworking is making something for someone else. It’s wonderful to see your work paid off with a smile. Of course, people aren’t the only ones who enjoy a shop-made gift. As the name implies, this castle was designed wi
Woodsmith16 min read
Hoosier Cabinet
One of the first items my lovely bride and I purchased on our staycation honeymoon was a beat-up Hoosier cabinet. It was a shadow of the fine specimen you see here. But it was fitting for the apartment we had in the old, leafy part of town we lived i
Woodsmith5 min read
Memory Box
There’s a quote from L. M. Montgomery (the author of Anne of Green Gables) that captures the scope and worth of a memory box: “Nothing is really lost to us as long as we remember it.” The memories we want to hold on to often run the gamut from grief
Woodsmith7 min read
Twisted Till
Hand-crafted joints are always a thing of beauty. As a woodworker, I have a deep appreciation for the technical skill and understanding of the tools and materials one needs to make a clean joint by hand. Dovetails are often hailed as the pinnacle of
Woodsmith6 min read
Pine Bookcase
Over the last 45 years, bookcases have been some of the most popular furniture projects we’ve featured in Woodsmith. As a result, there have been a lot of them. The designers, Chris, John, and Dillon, work at finding different approaches. John had th
Woodsmith2 min read
Sources
For both oilstones and water-stones, Norton Abrasives is a good source. The honing guide and honing compounds shown come from Veritas (and are sold by Lee Valley). Leather strops can be found at some hardware stores, most kitchen supply store, and at
Woodsmith1 min read
Layering Paint for Richer Color
Improving your woodworking skills opens new possibilities for your projects. The same holds true for finishing. For the pine bookcase on page 58, we wanted to do a painted finish. It’s tempting to think of paint as a continuous coating on a project —

Woodsmith

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