Matt Hagens 
We all know the dangers of woodworking. Power tools, and even hand tools, when not used properly and without taking the proper precautions, can cause great harm, and we must be careful. There is a reason why we recommend eye …
Table saws are the beasts of the woodworking shop. They do a lot of “heavy lifting” in breaking down large pieces of wood and plywood of various dimensions. They are also a source of danger to the woodworker who is …
These are the days of manufactured this and engineered that. We see plant-based burgers and sausages at the market, engineered to look, feel, and taste like meat. It doesn’t stop there, though, as news recently has included stories about manufactured …
We all have our favorite brands and our favorite saws from those brands to stock our woodworking shop with, and there are a multitude of choices. One of those brand choices is the Makita LS1219L. It is much to compel …
Pallets have become popular for woodworking shop use for several reasons, not the least of which is you can often find them free of charge. Free is a good thing when you are looking for stock to use in the …
DeWALT is a quality name in the power tool world, and most of us likely have at least one of their tools in our woodworking shop. Its cordless drill is a very popular tool, a generally reliable and durable tool …
We’re used to cutting wood with both power tools and hand tools. After all, it’s a woodworking shop, and our projects involve working with wood. However, sometimes we incorporate a metal into our work. Perhaps it’s a piece of furniture, …
Air compressors are not the most common of features in a woodworking shop, although they do come in handy on job sites to power nailers and in painting around the house. But air compressors did not make our list of …
I understand the importance of achieving the perfect finish on your projects. Applying polyurethane over stain can be a game-changer for both protection and aesthetics. Whether you’re working with water-based, oil-based, or gel stains, I will help you enhance the …
As a woodworking fanatic with perpetually stained hands, I’ve experimented with every type of wood under the sun. Red oak’s intricate grain has always tempted me, but I could never get the deeper stains to penetrate properly. After too many …
So many times on these pages, we have written “the right tool for the right job.” Expecting a tool to perform in ways it was not intended is a bad habit, as it can lead to injury or, at …
How to fix a too-big screw hole, you ask? Well, how many DIYers do you know? We’re pretty creative and industrious, and we’ve all come up with workarounds, shortcuts, fancy jigs, and such, and it’s likely many of us have …
In a previous article on these pages, we discussed the differences between Waterlox and Watco Danish oil. While there are differences between them, they are negligible on most of the important considerations, but the purpose of the article was to …
Venturing into the realm of luxury woodworking, you might wonder what makes certain woods command sky-high prices. I’ve encountered the allure of these rare woods firsthand. I’ll explore the world’s most expensive wood types used in furniture, from the striking …
Joining things together is an integral part of woodworking. All kinds of joinery techniques, creating a tabletop by gluing planks together, and more, are a part of the work we do in our shops. When it comes to glues and …
We know that wet wood should not be worked with until it becomes dry wood. Wet wood will eventually shrink as the moisture content leaves it, and any joints we’ve created with wet wood will lose their strength and stability. …
Stained your beautiful woodwork only to seal it with varnish and realize the color’s all wrong? I’ve made every mistake imaginable when it comes to wood stains and varnishes, and I’ll show you how to fix discolored varnish without starting …
We woodworkers are accustomed to using wood glues on raw wood. Sometimes our woodworking project is assembling planks for a tabletop; sometimes, it’s in joinery work. But, it’s mostly with raw wood that, once the glue has dried and any …