Mr. Pen Circle TemplatesI draw arcs all day long. You might be a fancy “irregular curve” person, but I am as cheap as a segment of a circle. Arcs are the foundation of the decoration of vernacular furniture. You might think peasants were channeling their squid god when they drew that shape on the chair’s…
Read moreMiller Dowels Mini-XWhen things go wrong in the shop, one of the crutches I lean on are Miller Dowels Mini-X thingies. These are stepped and ribbed dowels that you install with a super-insanely-good stepped drill bit. How to use them: First drill a hole with the bit to reinforce a questionable joint. Then tap in…
Read moreCastile Soap Cream for FinishingI advocate using Castile soap for finishing some pieces of furniture. It’s non-toxic, easy to repair and gives light-colored woods a whitish glow. Never heard of soap finish? I’ve written and recorded a lot about it. Here’s an introduction. The only problem people ever have with soap finish is making it….
Read moreJapanese ‘Bank Paper’I write a lot of stuff down every day on paper – sketches of future projects, notes on joinery, Megan’s lunch order, and dimensions, dimensions, dimensions. For the last decade I’ve mostly used the free throw-away pads that our lumber supplier would bring us every month for my scratchings. When the pandemic hit,…
Read moreThe Sharpie PRO (or the Fancy-pants Sharpie T.E.C.)I feel like a fool for having used regular Sharpie markers in the shop. They are…OK. As long as you don’t expose them to water, alcohol, pretty much any solvent or even a stern look. Face it: The ink in regular Sharpies is not durable enough for workshop…
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