Chris Marshall
-
Briwax: Made for Wood but Ready for More
It’s hard to imagine a correlation between fingernail polish, World War II and high quality woodworking finishing products, but that’s how Briwax International got its start.
-
Never Underestimate a Good Trim Job
Who says trim carpentry isn’t woodworking? Apparently, the guy who trimmed out my windows.
-
Are You Scrap Savvy?
If you’re a regular eZine reader, I’m sure you’re familiar with our rather dubious but always proudly delivered “April Fool’s” edition.
-
Yellowstone Hotel Shares Marquetry on Grand Scale
If Yellowstone National Park is on your short list of future vacation destinations, be sure to stop and see Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel on the park’s northwest corner. It’s a wonderful vintage building in its own right, but the hotel also contains a remarkable example of marquetry you won’t want to miss! I stumbled on it almost by accident while staying there for a night last summer.
-
Grinders Bite Back
The other day, while grinding a fresh edge on my turning chisels, I was reminded of a rather searing injury from my past. It’s proof that sometimes the “safe” tools are the ones that bite you back. Here’s what happened…
-
A Better Way to Brush Poly
Leave it to Norm Abram to come up with a better way to apply polyurethane. Have you seen him use a big binder clip and a piece of old tee-shirt? If that doesn’t show Yankee frugality, I don’t know what does. But, you know what, it’s an amazingly good applicator. In fact, it’s become my favorite way to apply poly (wiping it on is my next).
-
Splinter: A Supercharged Study in Wooden Design
Joe Harmon uses high-tech woodworking to build high-performance car
-
The Ones that Get Away
When folks find out that I review woodworking tools for a living, one of the first questions they usually ask is, “Do you get to keep them?” Especially those good-natured freight truck drivers who bring this stuff to my shop. Many of them are woodworkers. They really want to know.
Here’s the honest answer: usually, no, I don’t get to keep the tools.
-
Fresh Perspectives
Lately, my third-grade daughter’s pencil drawings are making me wonder if woodworking could be a genetic trait.
-
Handy “Tweener” Wood Screws
Here’s a tip of my hat to McFeely’s for coming up with a better woodworking screw. Well, actually, a whole bunch of better fasteners, but there’s one type I particularly like: the #8 Promax® 1-3/8″ black oxide flathead.
You read that right—1 and 3/8. Not 1-1/4″, 1-1/2″ or 1-5/8″ … the usual home-center suspects.
Here’s why I like the 1-3/8″.
