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Exercise caution if you decide to use higher gram strengths of hide glue they may be stronger, but they have a much shorter working (or open) time, making them unsuitable for many joinery applications. There are many modern alternatives to traditional hot hide glue that can provide the appropriate working strength for furniture makers. We use […]

Using the reference face and edge for all of the required joinery throughout your projects is a good habit to get into. In theory, you should be able to reference your square off any of the surfaces if you were careful in the dimensioning process. But human error can creep into the equation and small discrepancies […]

READERS PROJECT I received a message from Nancy in Michigan last week and wanted to share it with you. Nancy recently completed her Sawyer’s Bench, using one of our UW Saw Bench Kits and following plans from my book, The Unplugged Woodshop. The saw bench looks amazing Nancy! Thanks again for sharing this with us~ […]

READERS PROJECT I received a letter from Rafael in Sao Paulo, Brazil this week and wanted to share it with you. Rafael recently completed building the Sawyer’s Bench, following the plans from my book, The Unplugged Woodshop. You did a great job on the saw bench Raf! Thanks again for sharing this with us; now […]

READERS PROJECT I received a letter from Stephen in France this week and wanted to share it with you. Stephen recently made a wood and leather satchel, inspired by the one I made last year over on my membership site, An Unplugged Life. It turned out great Stephen, and I loved reading about the challenges […]

I received a letter from Jude, a former student, this past week and wanted to share it with you. Jude joined me a little over a year ago when I was teaching at the Melbourne Guild of Fine Woodworking. She came in with a pretty ambitious project and I’m happy to say she finished it […]

In November 2016, I was commissioned by Massey Hall to make a hand carved plaque recognizing and commemorating a major renovation planned for this iconic Canadian venue. Local walnut was used and the design was insired by an original hanging inside Massey Hall since1894. Work that began in Toronto, traveled to Cape Breton Island for […]

READERS PROJECT I received a letter from David in New York last week and wanted to share it with you. David recently completed work on an Architect’s Table, following the plans in my book,  The Unplugged Woodshop. You did a fantastic job on the table David! I know you’ll get a lot of great use […]

“My simple message is that if you’re going to approach woodworking with sensitivity and maybe refinement, planes are a good way to begin.” – James Krenov Hey folks! Just thought we’d let you know about our latest YouTube video, A Round Bottom Plane. Justin and I shot this in the last week of June, before […]

READERS PROJECT I received a letter from Danny in New Zealand this week and thought I’d share it with you. Danny is a member of our online community, An Unplugged Life, and recently completed this nice little box project. Thanks again Danny- great job on the box! Dear Tom, I hope this email finds you […]