Expert advice on woodworking and furniture making, with thousands of how-to videos, step-by-step articles, project plans, photo galleries, tool reviews, blogs, and more

Feb 19, 2025 · Become an UNLIMITED member and get it all: searchable online archive of every issue, how-to videos, Complete Illustrated Guide to Woodworking digital series, print magazine, e-newsletter, and more. Start Your Free Trial

Feb 18, 2025 · Because woodworking always involves some sort of tool between us and the wood, the form that tool takes will always be up for debate. For me, and likely many readers, a big deciding factor is in the nature of the experience that a tool offers.

Jul 1, 2019 · Welcome to the online series “Getting Started in Woodworking,” a multi-step program designed to guide you through the basics of woodworking and furniture making. No matter what drew you to […]

Sep 12, 2005 · Files and rasps are shaping tools that, with practice, can offer more control than power tools while reducing the amount of time you’ll have to spend sanding. Files won’t tear the surface of wood like a plane can, and they are capable of removing a lot of material quickly to bring a surface to a fairly smooth finish. What Counts:

Mike Pekovich's furniture-making career began when he stumbled into a basic woodworking class while studying art in college. In addition to woodworking, he studied graphic design, and the combination of those two pursuits eventually led him to Fine Woodworking magazine where he currently serves as the editor and creative director of the magazine.

Color can make a run-of-the-mill wood attractive or transform a figured wood into something spectacular. In this chapter, you'll learn how to choose, mix, and apply dyes and stains to add color to your project, and you'll also discover the great effects you can achieve with milk paint and other painted finishes.

Feb 10, 2025 · One reader can see a time when computers have become the dominant and, eventually, only tool used by most people to create furniture and other wood objects. Randy Ogle, chairmaker and musician February 12, 2025

Feb 20, 2025 · Just secure the screw into a block of wood and file the head of the screw flat. The screw stock’s virtues—cost and the precise adjustability of the screw height—are offset by the fact that you only get half of a bead; the slot cuts the quirk while the underside of the screw head compresses the wood to form the inner half of a bead.

There are lots of classes, videos, and articles on woodworking techniques. But honestly, the best way to build your skills is to actually build projects. This guide helps begin your woodworking journey, with a variety of projects that will challenge and expand your skills, from simple step stools to lamps to bookcases.