Page 99 - Learn Woodworking

Rarely do creatures speak to us of freedom and frailty as do birds. They brave bitter winter storms, exhausting annual migrations, natural predators and a host of other dangers throughout the year. Yet their enviable gifts of flight and beautiful appearance give us a lift whenever we see them. And while birds of a feather do flock together, most still prefer privacy while raising a family.

This picture frame uses a plywood base with decorative hardwood tiling, and it makes a nice home woodworking plan. Professionally made picture frames come in two types: the chintzy-looking cheap ones, or the really great-looking expensive ones. I decided that I would like to build my own and come up with a really great looking frame that was inexpensive but definitely not cheap!

Tis The Season To Give To Yourself. The season of giving is approaching fast. This year don’t forget to include yourself on the shopping list. Here are our top picks for treating yourself this holiday season.

If you're like most woodworkers, a table saw is the most often used tool in your shop. Getting adequate dust collection to it should be a primary concern. But not all table saws are set up to make dust collection easy. Open based contractor saws present a particular dust collection challenge. Two of our woodworking experts offer a few tips on the subject.

Whether you use a router made long before you were born or one of the technologically advanced models built today, either machine can perform a range of essential woodworking tasks that can’t be bested by any other power tool. If you’re a woodworking novice, a router should rank near the top of your “short list” of tools to buy first, even ahead of a table saw — routers are that useful.A router can help you turn sharp edges into decorative profiles of all sorts. It will machine dadoes and grooves, rabbets, dovetails, mortises, tenons, box joints and more. Need to duplicate a bunch of parts? That’s no problem for a router and a template. It can even surface plane, joint edges flat, carve lettering, cut circles and bore holes. The “can-do” list goes on and on.

Putting together your own cribbage board project is a good use of a lot of different workshop talents, and the end result can be almost as fun as making it. During those long, cold winters I spent growing up along the shores of Lake Vermilion in the far north of Minnesota, one of the ways that we wiled away the long dark evenings was playing cribbage.

Let's face it, regardless of what holiday you celebrate this time of year (Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivas or other) finding the perfect gift for the woodworker in your life can be challenging, but it doesn’t have to be. Here are 10 gift ideas perfect for makers of any skill level.

When building casework, cabinetry, drawers, shelving or other box joinery there are four basic rabbet joints you should learn. This post walks you through each of the four joints and shows you how easy they are to cut using your table saw.

The materials used for flag storage can either assist or deter from proper preservation and unfortunately you won't notice the damaging affects until it's too late. Our woodworking experts weigh in on how to properly store a flag in a wooden case.

Even well finished projects will eventually change color and begin to show damage. In most cases, when it comes to outdoor woodworking projects, the part that comes in contact with the ground is end grain. While water sheds off the rest of the piece, those end grain surfaces often sit in it, acting like a wick. Porous wood, especially close to the ground, absorbs a great deal of water, which will eventually damage and rot even the best treated wood.

Of all the tools in your shop, the dust collector takes some of the hardest beating, regular maintenance including removing the ductwork is advised. Maintaining most of the machines in your shop — table saws, planers, band saws — means keeping them running at peak performance, so they’ll do precise work.