Matt Hagens 
Red is a primary color that attracts attention and is associated with strong emotions. It can symbolize both positive and negative emotions, such as love, passion, anger, and fear. Red is also associated with danger and warning and is used …
We have mentioned before that we are not wood carvers, but we have friends who are. When we have questions about carving, we turn to them and follow their advice. In order to answer the question of this article, we …
If only everything we use in finishing a project were self-leveling, like the concrete or goop, we use to provide an undercoat in bathroom flooring, for instance. Wouldn’t that be great? Everything self-leveling? Sadly, that is not the case. Brush …
Most of us are familiar with cedar wood and its various uses. Perhaps we use aromatic red cedar to build a clothes closet or put a cedar block or a bag of cedar chips in the closet both for its …
It’s likely we all began working with wood glue when we were kids. Crafts time in school and woodworking time in shop class were all glue times for us. When we created our own woodworking shop, we continued to use …
Cedar wood is known for its bug-repelling properties, and several varieties are commonly used in woodworking projects where this benefit is desired. Each of these cedar wood types has unique qualities, but they all share the natural ability to repel …
We know what wooden dowels are, and we have all used them from time to time, either in making something or repairing something in our woodworking shop. You run to the local hardware store, where you will find wood dowels …
We’ve written about aspen wood in a past article when we determined whether aspen was a hardwood or a softwood. It was in that article that we first used the word “dendrologist,” which at that time was a new word for …
We’ve mentioned mineral spirits many times in articles here, but we’ve not discussed in any detail how to use them, what they can do, or why to use them. We thought we should correct this omission and talk a bit …
We like using an oil finish on our woodworking projects at Obsessed Woodworking. We’ve written about a number of oils used in finishing wood, including boiled linseed oil, Danish oil, and teak oil. Today we want to drill down a …
We recently wrote an article about painting cedar wood white. While we wonder why anyone would want to since cedar is a beautiful wood on its own, we had been asked, and so we answered. Everyone walks their own woodworking …
When we are making furniture in our woodworking shop, we think about a hard and durable wood that will be strong enough to support the weight (chairs and tables, for instance) and last a long time. But, not all woodworking …
We’ve written of wood fillers in the past, and the most comprehensive piece published on these pages had to do with choosing the right wood filler for your project. It will answer many, if not most, of the questions you …
When spring rolls around, and we begin thinking about outdoor projects – gardens, fences, wooden furniture, decks, patios, pergolas – we woodworkers have a variety of projects to choose from. The new wooden deck I built behind my house, surrounded …
The white picket fence was always a part of the American home ownership dream. It wasn’t meant to keep pesky animals out, animals that might feast on your flowers or lawn; it was meant to put a finishing touch on …
A lawyer friend of mine once told me most of his clients had as their first question, “Can I be sued?” He always answered yes, but told them the more important question was whether they could be sued successfully. That …
A while back, we wrote a piece about poplar wood and asked whether poplar is stronger than pine. We will not repeat our answer here, but we did provide some helpful information about poplar in the woodworking shop. That piece …
Ever wondered if you can mix oil-based polyurethane with water-based stain? You’re in the right place! I am going to dive into the nitty-gritty of combining these two finishes. Why does this matter? Because getting it right can transform your …