Project Overview

Finished dimensions: 8-in. deep x 10-1/4-in. tall x 44-in. long.

Cutting List

Cut Your Parts

Start by cutting the parts for your coat rack. Refer to the cutting layout diagram above to see how each component fits on the board.

In this diagram, we assume you purchased a 10-foot board at a home center, surfaced on all four sides with exact dimensions of a 1 x 8: 7-1/4-in. wide by 3/4-in. thick. The cutting diagram includes a 1/8-inch buffer around the perimeter of the board, and assumes your blade’s kerf is also 1/8-inch.

The last step: Trim the stile (E) thickness from 3/4-in. to 5/8-inch. If you’d rather do this on a thickness planer than a table saw, keep all the stiles together and plane them down to 5/8-in. before cutting them to 4-1/2-in. lengths.

Introduction

Build a handy key holder for all your everyday carry items. Mount it on the wall in your home’s entryway and you’ll never lose your keys again! This is an easy woodworking project that will only take a few hours.

Cutting List

Glue and Clamp the Shelf

Cut the mounting board and shelf parts to length, then glue and clamp the shelf to the mounting board. Leave a 1/4-in. space on either side of the shelf and set aside for the glue to cure.

Project Overview

If you’re short on bedroom closet space or need someplace to hang your outerwear near the front door, here’s a great clothing rack you can build yourself. It’s practical and stylish, featuring a shelf to place your bags and a nook underneath to tuck away your shoes and boots. You can build this with basic tools and materials found at your local home center.

Cutting List

Fit the Base

Cut four 2×2’s to length with a 16-degree angle on one end. These are the vertical supports (A) that hold the hanger rod in position. For the bottom braces (B), cut two more 2×2’s with the same 16-degree angle on both ends.

Fit one vertical support to the bottom brace, then position the second vertical support on top and flush with the other end of the bottom brace. Fasten the parts together at the bottom with wood glue and trim screws.

D’ondra Howard had no background in the trades when she made her first piece of furniture. She just enjoyed learning to build things for her family’s home. But her furniture projects soon piled up and eventually no longer fit into the house. That’s when she decided to try to sell one on Facebook Marketplace.

“I put a fluted table on there and people went crazy for it,” Howard says. “I realized I could really sell them because people liked them so much.”

In 2021, she decided to make custom furniture crafting a career and started Workboots & Glasses out of her garage in Sacramento, Cal. Today, she makes everything from dining tables and desks to platform beds and charcuterie boards.

Howard still sells some on Facebook, but the rest are custom creations she builds in her garage workshop. Thanks to her ever-growing reputation for quality and creative designs, most of her sales come via word of mouth. She also showcases her work on Instagram.

We asked Howard for her thoughts on the state of the woodworking industry.

Q: What made you start DIYing and building furniture?

A: My husband joined the military and I didn’t want to be miserable without him at home, so I made my home my canvas.

At first I loved putting together IKEA furniture. I took pictures of the kids and put them on the wall. Then I bought rugs, refurbished our outdated furniture and even flipped some of it. It was fun, and I realized I wanted to do more than just paint.

I eventually wanted to get rid of the IKEA furniture and build nice pieces for the house. But the power tools scared me, so at first I didn’t try.

Q: How did you get over that fear of power tools?

A: One night a woman’s DIY Instagram popped up on my feed, Our Nest on Powell. I watched her videos into the middle of the night. She was using DIY to help cope with the death of her sister. She inspired me so much that the next morning I went to get the materials to build a sofa table.

I had no idea what I was doing, and it was the worst sofa table ever. But once I realized what my downfall was, I had to try to make something else. So I built a console table. Then I built a workbench. A storage cabinet. A club chair. And every day after, I just kept building, because I enjoyed it so much.

I also learned that all I need to do is to cover my ears when I use the table saw, so I don’t jump every time.

Q: What’s it like being a woman in furniture-making?

A: So far, I haven’t had any jerks or anything. When I’m at building stores, I see the same people over and over because I’m constantly getting supplies. They’re curious and they strike up conversations, asking me what I’m making this time. So that’s always cool.

But when some men see a woman making something, they feel the need to explain or tell me what I should be doing because they think their way is better. Guys? Don’t do that. Don’t say, “You should do this,” or “This tool is better.”

I would prefer if you ask a question, like “Hey, why don’t you use this instead?” Then I can be like, “Shoot, I didn’t even know I could do that. Thank you for the tip.” There are many ways to do things; many tools the get the same end result. So please ask a question, don’t just tell.

Q: What changes would you like to see in the trade?

A: It kind of goes back to what I was just saying about asking versus telling. I hope that we can all bump elbows and not judge based off how we do things differently.

Nobody in this world is the same. We may do some things similarly, but there’s still a twist. You may rub a circle and I may swish or swirl. You may use the specific brand of finish that you like, and I might not use the same brand, but it’s still going to look nice in the end.

So I hope we just welcome everybody’s differences and make room at the table for everybody. Even if we learn differently or understand differently, we’re still ultimately doing the same thing.

Q: What’s your advice for young women considering entering the trades?

A: Do it. You have to just start. Put yourself out there.

If you realize you don’t like it after you’ve tried it, you can move on to something different. But if you just sit there hoping and wishing and expecting something to happen without putting in the time or the work to learn, you’re never going to be able to get good enough to enjoy it, or even to just say, “I tried this.”

Also, don’t be too hard on yourself. We all have to start somewhere, and how we get better is by doing.

Q: What are your pro-specific tools?

A: My Ryobi drill is my right hand, and I have a couple of them so I don’t always have to be changing out bit sizes.

Another tool I use often is my brad nailer. My five-in-one tool is good for opening up cans of paint, prying pieces of wood and getting a nail or a screw unstuck. Of course I need my circular saw with a track to cut straight lines. Then a cloth, because I need some type of cloth to finish or stain, and then to get that stuff off of my hands.

For clothing, I’m a fan of Dovetail, because it fits me the way I’m supposed to. I especially like their overalls and flannel workshirt. I had been wearing Dickies and I was just being swallowed in them. I also just became a brand ambassador for Timberland and Truewerk. I especially like Truewerk’s work pants and performance shirts, and Timberland’s pro hoodie.

D’ondra Howard Bio

When D’ondra Howard discovered a passion for furniture, she overcame her fear of power tools to become a furniture maker, woodworker and DIY professional. She sells her custom furniture creations through her company Workboots & Glasses. She’s also a consultant on Matriarchy Build, an online consultation platform connecting women and LGBTQ experts with people needing advice on DIY projects.

Howard confidently builds benches, TV consoles, Murphy beds and more. She especially enjoys designing and building tables.

Writer Karuna Eberl Bio

Karuna Eberl is a regular contributor to Family Handyman. She spent the last 25 years as a freelance journalist and filmmaker, telling stories of people, nature, travel, science and history. Eberl has won numerous awards for her writing, her Florida Keys Travel Guide and her documentary The Guerrero Project.

Figure A

Cutting List

Frame the Reservoir

Cut the reservoir frame sides (A) and ends (B) from 2×2 lumber and fasten the bottom piece of marine plywood (C) to form the base. Align the sides (D) with the ends of the base and fasten them to the 2x2s. Fasten the ends (E) to the 2x2s at the bottom with construction screws. Drive trim screws into the edges of the plywood toward the top.

Coffee tables are as integral to any comfortable living room as chairs and lamps. Their flat surfaces easily hold food and beverages during movie nights or sporting events, as well as board games to play with the family. And, of course, they’re a comfortable place for your cup of Joe in the morning as you welcome the new day.

This project focuses on creating a simple yet elegant coffee table with storage space to get stuff out of the way.

Cutting List

3/4″  Plywood

Solid Wood

Cut the Parts

Once you’ve selected a wood species, cut the parts above from a sheet of 3/4-inch plywood and solid lumber. Notice that parts E, F, and M require mitered ends, which I suggest cutting while dry-fitting them to their surrounding components.

For this project, the base, casework and top should be constructed separately, then assembled. Let’s start from the base and work our way up.

Project Overview

Leg Detail

Cutting List

Choosing wood

Although pressure-treated lumber no longer contains arsenic, I still avoid using it where I’m growing food. Decay-resistant woods such as redwood and red cedar are alternatives that look great and last for years.

Our Top Picks

Field Leather Three-Piece Sofa

Burrow’s furniture is some of the best-quality furniture on the market. Take advantage of the 30% markdown on their bestselling Field leather sectional during the Presidents Day furniture sale. It’s compact enough to fit in small living rooms, yet offers unbeatable comfort from overstuffed back cushions.

This three-piece sectional sofa, available in the color slate, has standardized connections that fit with Burrow’s other sectionals. Upgrade your sofa with more sections as your family or home expands.

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Best Overall

Jet Vortex Cone Dust Collector

The Jet Vortex Cone is quite popular, as evidenced by its stellar dust collection reviews. But what gives it an edge over the others? A two-horsepower motor, and vortex cone technology that guarantees continuous, systematic air movement. This feature allows for better chip separation, less clogging of the filter and increased packing efficiency of the collector bag.

It takes a single-stage design approach, adding the separation efficiency of a two-stage dust collection system while still keeping the operation quiet. This machine also features a fully enclosed, fan-cooled two-horsepower motor with continuous duty, meaning there’s more than enough horsepower to make sure you’re getting efficient air movement.

The Jet Vortex boasts a collection capacity of 5.3 cubic feet, and the 1,200 cfm (cubic feet per minute) stands up to its competitors. Collection bags have a sewn-in snap ring for fast and easy installation and removal. Its dual four-inch dust ports allow you to connect two machines at the same time—perfect for any workshop.

Pros

• Fan-cooled motor enables continuous usage
• Quick connect bag system
• Strong steel construction
• Four swivel casters

Cons

• Bulky
• On the heavier side

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The “mortise” is the recess where the tenon goes. It can be cut by hand with a mallet and mortising chisel, or mechanically with a mortising machine and a hollow chisel bit. If you don’t have those tools, a mortise can also be made with a drill press and bench chisel.

Cutting List

Make a Sled for Safe Cutting

All the detail cuts will be made on the table saw. Adding a sacrificial board to the miter slider or making a crosscut sled will make these much safer and more accurate.

What is Howard Feed-N-Wax?

Traditionally, wood conditioner is a blend of oils and waxes that applies to wood surfaces to provide a hydrating finish. It offers a myriad of benefits, including preventing cracks and extending the life of wood-based furniture.

Howard Feed-N-Wax is a one-step wood conditioner, hydrator, polisher and protector. Conditioner oils “feed” wood, offering hydration and color protection that bolsters the lifespan of traditional polyurethane wood finishes. It enhances the look of hardwoods across the spectrum, including walnut, oak, cherry and maple.

It’s safe for antiques, thanks to the omission of often-seen fillers like silicon and linseed oil that can harm the wood over prolonged periods of use. An effective and safe blend of orange oil, carnauba and beeswax make up most of the formula.

The best part? Howard Feed-N-Wax doesn’t leave a chemical smell that lingers after use. Shoppers describe the orange scent of the wax as “pleasant” and “lovely.” Look forward to cleaning day—pick up a bottle and put your microfiber towels to work.

How to Use Howard Feed-N-Wax

First, coat the wood in an even, set finish—we recommend wipe-on wood finishes for a quick project. While Howard Feed-N-Wax elevates finishes of any age, it’s not a finish in and of itself. If finished wood isn’t the look you’re going for, you can skip this step. For old finishes, consider using Howard Restor-A-Finish to enhance the appearance before waxing.

After finishing the surface, clean it with a quality wood cleaner like Howard Orange Oil paired with a microfiber cleaning cloth. This removes dust, debris and helps the Feed-N-Wax penetrate the wood. Wait for the product to dry after cleaning for the best results. After the cleaner dries, it’s time to wax!

Note that butcher block oil is the better choice for surfaces that touch food, like serving trays. Howard offers its own butcher block conditioner and oil.

Apply a thin layer of Howard Feed-N-Wax to a soft cloth and begin wiping in large swipes, following the grain. Apply generously enough to coat the wood, while still avoiding clumps of the product from building up on the surface. The smoother, the better.

Once you apply the product, let it set for at least 20 minutes before wiping off the excess with a clean cloth. For unfinished woods and older finishes, the wait time may be closer to eight hours. Repeat the process until you achieve your desired look and any time the wood requires a little extra TLC.

Where to Buy Howard Feed-N-Wax

Howard Feed-N-Wax is a popular product available at retailers like Walmart and Ace Hardware. I recommend scooping it up on Amazon for a limited-time savings of 33%. At that price, it’s worth it to stock up on a few bottles—especially if you’re a woodworker, up-cycler or DIYer.

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Cutting List

Overall dimensions: 31-1/2-in. H x 13-in. W x 14-in. D

Cut the Front Legs

After milling all the lumber down to 1-1/2-in. x 1-1/2-in., cut the front legs to length. Lay out the bridle joints. Install a dado set in your table saw and cut each joint.

Rip the Board to Size 

Take a standard 1/2-in. by 6-in. by 4-ft. board found at your local home center and rip it down to 5-in. wide. This box will be 5-in. tall on the sides and 5-in wide. With this design, I only need to make one rip cut for the sides and the top and bottom of the box.

Remove the blade from the hand plane

• Loosen the threaded wheel holding the cap iron, i.e. the piece of metal on top of the blade and chip breaker assembly. Then remove it.
• Remove the blade and chip breaker assembly.
• With a slot screwdriver, loosen the large-headed machine screw holding the blade and chip breaker together.
• Separate the blade from the chip breaker.

How You Can Make Money Flipping Furniture

The concept is simple: find or purchase old furniture for a low price, fix it up into something desirable, and resell for a profit. The key to maximizing income is to develop a keen eye for which pieces are likely to sell, ensuring that whatever you pick up is able to be refurbished and fits your target market.

How to Find Furniture to Flip

First, you’ll want to scout for the right pieces. Your business acumen will grow over time, but to start, focus on finding cheap or free furniture made of solid wood or metal. Low price points encourage the highest profit margin and these materials are the easiest to rework. Plus, now that pressboard has become so standard, solid wood and metal tend to be more desirable for purchasers.

Additionally, make sure that any furniture you purchase is within your capabilities to refurbish. Intensive restorations will cut into your profits, so stick to pieces with easy fixes, like scuff marks, small cracks, wobbly legs and missing knobs or feet. All of these issues can be addressed in a timely manner.

To find these flippable pieces, check estate or garage sales, flea markets, Craigslist or Facebook “Buy Nothing” groups. Over time, you may develop relationships with specific sellers which can help ensure you’re getting quality pieces.

How to Flip Furniture

Now that you’ve acquired your pieces, it’s time to get flipping! The best ways to breathe new life into an old piece are to fix any preexisting issues, try a coat of stain or paint and give it some new hardware. Follow your creative instincts and consider which styles of furniture you’ve seen selling elsewhere.

To make these changes, you’ll need a few basic tools. These include:

• Soap and water
• Mineral spirits
• Epoxy putty
• Sandpaper
• Primer
• Oil- and water-based paints
• Wipe-on finish
• Paintbrush
• Screwdriver
• Screws

The first step should always be to clean the piece. After that, you can patch any cracks, fix wobbles or replace missing feet.

The next step is to decide if you’d rather paint the piece or refinish it. If painting, remember to always sand and prime your surface. If finishing, assess the existing finish before applying a new coat.

After your paint or finish dries, attach some snazzy new hardware—and if needed affix new upholstery—and you’ve got a totally unique piece to resell.

How to Sell Flipped Furniture

There are a few online resources that can help sellers vend their creations. OfferUp, Etsy, eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and Bonanza are all great beginner options. With more experience, platforms like Chairish and Shopify can help sellers locate specialty markets.

To ensure the best return on your investment, price your pieces reasonably, comparing them to similar posted items. Also be sure to take quality photos with good lighting and composition to showcase your hard work. Add any unique details, as well as measurements and materials in your description. Finally, if possible, covering shipping costs can be a tempting incentive for prospective buyers.

Good luck and happy flipping!

Are you a scrap saver? This napkin holder is the perfect project for all those small, beautiful hardwood off-cuts you haven’t had the heart to throw away.

This one is sized for 6-1/2-in. square napkins. You can easily scale it down for cocktail napkins if you like. It’ll take just a few hours to make one. Or you can spend a little more time and crank out a bunch of them for gifts.

Cutting List

Overall Dimensions: 6-in. H x 11-3/4-in. W x 2-1/2-in. D

Cut The Bottom Panels

Rip a piece long enough to cut both bottom panels. Cut the panels to length with opposing 45-degree angles on each end.

Every woodworking shop stocks several types of clamps so wood can be drilled, shaped and fastened together. They’re used by plumbers and electricians to secure pipes and conduit, fence companies use them to attach wire fencing to posts and rails, and metalworkers to weld. Some types of clamps are even useful in unintended ways.

I like to save money by changing the brake pads on my car, and no tool works better for pushing the piston back into the caliper than a C-clamp from my woodworking tool collection. When the handle on my neighbor’s faucet broke, he replaced it by tightening a small C-clamp on the valve stem. It worked so well that it’s still there.

Depending on where you look, you can find 30 to 40 types of clamps, and that probably still isn’t all of them. Some have specific uses, like miter clamps, which hold miter joints together until the glue sets. Many have multiple uses, and these are the ones most worth knowing about.

In many cases, you can avoid purchasing a specialty clamp by adapting a clamp you already have to the project at hand.

Screw Clamps

One of the most effective clamping strategies is advancing a moveable jaw toward a stationary one by turning a threaded rod. Each turn advances the jaw a small amount, meaning you can generate a lot of force on an object between the jaws with little effort. And thanks to the threads, the rod can’t back off on its own.

A number of the most common clamps are screw clamps, including the following five types:

C-clamp

Shaped like the letter “C,” these come in all sizes. The spacing between the fully open jaws (i.e. jaw capacity) varies from less than an inch to 10 inches. The moveable jaw is on a threaded rod. A sliding cross pin on the end provides the leverage you need for turning.

There are multiple ways to use C-clamps, including:

• Holding pieces of wood together for gluing or fastening;
• Securing wooden objects to a workbench for cutting or shaping;
• Holding metal together for welding.

Bench clamp

Also known as a vise, a bench clamp is permanently attached to a workbench. They’re made from heavy-duty metal with wide jaws. You use a bench clamp to hold metal or wood in place so you can drill, cut or shape it.

Bar clamp

If you need a wider jaw capacity than a C-clamp, you reach for a bar clamp, aka a sash clamp. One jaw is attached to a threaded rod that passes through a plate at the end of a metal bar, while the other jaw slides along the bar and locks in place.

Woodworkers use bar clamps for laminating pieces of wood, to hold frames together for gluing or fastening, and to make sash windows, among other things.

Quick-release clamp

A quick-release clamp, aka a speed clamp, features a trigger on the fixed jaw. When you press the trigger, the jaw unlocks from the bar, releasing the pressure on the object you’re clamping.

Quick-release clamps usually aren’t as long as bar clamps and come with padded jaws. They’re perfect for holding together pieces of wood while you shape or fasten them.

Hand screw clamp

Strictly a woodworking tool, this features two wooden jaws and two metal screw rods placed side-by-side with handles at opposite ends. The wooden jaws don’t leave imprints on wood, and two rods provide more control for aligning the jaws than just one. Cabinetmakers use these extensively for assembling quality woodwork projects.

Spring Clamps

When you need to hold two pieces of material together during assembly, a spring clamp is an alternative to a screw clamp.

Spring clamps have a scissors-like action. The padded jaws open when you squeeze the two handles together, and an embedded spring clamps the jaws shut when you release the handles. They aren’t as strong as screw clamps, but they’re faster and easier to use.

Strap Clamps

Also known as a web clamp, a strap clamp consists of a strong nylon strap with a ratcheting mechanism affixed to one end. You wrap the strap around the object you’re fastening, feed the free end through the ratchet and pump the ratchet to tighten the strap.

In the wood shop, these are perfect for securing large frames while the glue joints set. Versions of these also commonly secure objects in truck beds.

Bench Clamps

A bench clamp features a base permanently attached to a workbench and a single padded jaw operated by a squeeze handle. You set the workpiece under the jaw and squeeze the handle repeatedly to ratchet the jaw down and hold the piece in place. Woodworkers use bench clamps to hold wood for sanding and shaping.

Hose Clamps

Plumbers and auto mechanics are some of the tradespeople who need to secure flexible hoses to metal or plastic pipes with metal bands.

The most common hose clamps feature a perforated metal band held in a circular shape by a nut. A screw threaded through the nut uses the perforations in the band as a worm drive to open and close the clamp when you turn the screw.

Double-eared spring clamps are also common. Squeezing the ears widens a circular metal ring, allowing the clamp to slide along the hose. When you release the ears, the ring tightens down onto the hose to hold it in place.

Well, worry no more! If you have wooden drawer slides, these two easy fixes will ensure they’ll open on command.

Wooden vs. Metal Drawer Slides

Drawers are pretty much useless if they won’t open. That’s why they require some kind of slide, also called runners, to move in and out. And that’s usually how they tend to get stuck.

Metal drawer slides are the most common today, and they offer some distinct advantages. Ball bearings in metal slides let drawers glide smoothly. They also, typically, include an automatic stop function, so drawers don’t fall out when you pull them too far. If you’re adding drawers to a project, metal slides will definitely shave off some time.

If you’re a woodworker or know your way around handcrafted furniture, you’re probably familiar with wooden drawer slides. Of course, they aren’t limited to fine furniture. Wooden drawer slides in workbenches keep tools and other supplies handy and tidy. Done right, wooden drawer slides can hold more weight than metal ones, important for storing heavy tools.

One downside to wooden drawer slides: Humidity can cause the wood to expand, leading to more stuck drawers. Fortunately, there are a couple of easy ways to deal with stuck wooden drawer slides.

How to Fix Sticking Wooden Drawer Slides

Wax

Rub paraffin wax on the parts of drawers where the wood meets. You’ll find paraffin wax almost anywhere, from hobby and craft stores to the canning supplies section in your local grocery store. In a pinch you can also use candles, bar soap or even dry spray lubricant.

Nylon tape

For a more permanent fix, apply nylon drawer slide tape to the parts that come in contact with each other. You can find self-adhesive nylon tape at most home stores.

The tape won’t stick to wax or dirt, so prep the surface first by lightly sanding it with 100-grit sandpaper and then vacuuming the dust. Then simply cut the tape to length with scissors, peel off the back and stick it onto the wooden drawer runner.

Best Overall Safety Glasses

3M Virtua CCS

With an affordable price tag (just $12 per pair!) and 14,000+ five-star reviews on Amazon, the 3M Virtua frames are our overall pick for best safety glasses. They have all the desirable features important in safety gear, including an anti-fog and anti-scratch coating, polycarbonate lenses and a wrap-around design for peripheral protection and unobstructed viewing. The stand-out detail is the foam-lined gasket that seals out even the smallest dust particles, while adding a layer of soft cushioning for comfort.

Pros

• High impact protection
• 99.9% UV protection
• Corded system keeps eyewear secure, and includes optional earplug attachment

Cons

• Not adjustable
• Some reviewers report foam padding coming loose

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In researching my second book on lefse, Keep On Rolling!, I learned of a guy in the early 1900s who made more than 150 lefse rolling pins for Norwegian-American bakers in his region. I wanted to be like him — not just making reliable standard pins but functional pieces of art, using handsome hardwoods as well as woodturning tools and techniques.

That’s what I’m doing today, along with four other members of the Minnesota Woodturners Association. I sell these pins online and at markets, and give some away to friends.

There are two overriding reasons why I turn wood:

1. I enjoy discovering the astonishing beauty in a chunk of wood and the artistic talent I never knew I had.
2. I love the reaction when I give someone something I made. Let the wood do the talking and watch the faces light up!

What Is Woodturning?

Woodturning is a form of woodworking involving a lathe. With other kinds of woodworking, the wood is stationary and the tool moves to create cuts. In woodturning, the lathe turns the wood on its axis at high revolutions per minute while relatively stationary special cutting tools on a tool rest do the work.

A wood lathe allows woodturners to create all kinds of objects, from bowls to stair railings to chess pieces to musical instruments.

History of Woodturning

The art on monuments in ancient Egypt offers the first recorded instances of spindle turning. These illustrations showed a strap a helper used to rotate the lathe while another worker cut the wood.

The ancient Romans, Chinese, Persians and Arabs had their own variations of the lathe. Early lathe workers would sometimes hold cutting tools with their bare feet while powering the lathe with their hands.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, woodturners in England employed the master-apprentice system in turning shops, where they crafted cups and bowls as well as detailed tables, chairs and staircases. In Germany and Russia, woodturning was concentrated in villages that specialized in turning toys.

In the U.S., woodturning was part of the industrial arts curriculum in public schools, often a prerequisite for furniture-building classes. In the 1970s, interest in hobby woodturning in the English-speaking world flourished, reviving all things woodturning.

Basic Woodturning Terminology

When you read about woodturning or talk with woodturners, these are some terms you’re likely to encounter.

Bevel

The area beneath the cutting edge of a scraper or gouge. The bevel on a gouge is always held in contact with the wood.

Blank

A piece of wood rounded smooth or cut into a section for lathe use.

Burl

An unusual growth on a tree, producing swirls and other interesting grain patterns.

Chuck

A device that holds the workpiece on the lathe.

Headstock

Provides the drive for the workpiece, usually through pulleys connected by a belt to the drive motor of a lathe.

Heartwood

The fully developed wood surrounding the core, usually darker than sapwood (see below) and really dense.

Moisture content

Percentage of water weight to total weight. Moisture content is usually 30 to 40 percent or more when wood is freshly cut (aka “green”). Dry wood typically has moisture content of less than seven to eight percent.

Sapwood

This surrounds heartwood and is usually softer. It transports sap from roots to leaves. It’s a different color than the heartwood.

Spalted wood

Wood in the process of fungal decay that shows as black lines in the grain. Woodturners prize spalted wood because the black lines add an artistic element to the turning.

Tailstock

The movable assembly opposite the headstock that slides along the lathe bed and supports workpieces.

Basic Woodturning Methods

These are the ways woodturners execute their craft.

ABC turning

Anchor/bevel/cut, or ABC turning, is the only safe method to start a cut. Anchor the tool to the tool rest, bring the bevel in contact with the spinning wood, then slightly adjust the angle of the tool until the cutting edge begins to cut.

Spindle turning

Requires mounting wood between the headstock and tailstock, then turning the spindle to create intricate designs.

Segmented turning

Pieces of wood glued together form a blank for turning. The combination of different wood grains and textures creates unique patterns.

Faceplate turning

The woodturner attaches a circular metal plate to the end of the lathe. This stabilizes and holds wood for smoother turning, especially with large blanks of wood.

Bowl turning

A gouge bevel forms a blank into its final shape. This technique uses scraping tools to smooth out the hollow surface and create a seamless bowl.

Bow Tie

A bow tie inlay is a great pattern to learn because it’s attractive and practical. The wider-at-the-ends construction makes it good for patching a crack or joining two pieces of wood at the side.

Since it serves as a physical pin when joining wood, it needs to be set deeper than when purely decorative. It should be around 25% to 30% of the depth of the pieces being joined together. To ensure a strong joint, cut your inlay so the grain runs along the length of the bow tie.

Meet the Expert

Project editor Jay Cork has taught classes on bending wood with steam. Truly, no one is more full of hot air.

How Does Wood Bend?

Some wood species — ash or oak, even cherry or walnut — can be bent by softening their lignin with heat. Think of lignin as the glue holding the wood fibers together. As the lignin and fibers are heated, they become pliable for a short time and the wood can be bent around a form.

Air-Dried is Best, But …

It’s a common misconception that only air-dried lumber bends well. I have found this to be only partly true. Kiln-dried lumber has a bad reputation because during the drying process, the lignin cooks and becomes stiff. If this happens, no amount of heat will bring it back.

Despite this risk, I’ve found kiln-dried wood can indeed be bent if it’s steamed for a longer period.

Build the Steam Chamber

Cut the box parts

Size the steam chamber to the parts being bent; any larger will waste heat energy. The box can be made from any wood — even PVC pipe!

• Pro tip: I chose CDX ­(exterior) plywood because it’s cheap, easy to work with and holds heat better than PVC pipe.

Whittling Knife

Whittling is a woodcarving technique involving slicing away thin shavings to form the desired shape. It’s one of the easiest to master.

Before investing in a slew of woodcarving tools, get yourself a good old-fashioned whittling knife. They’re simple and versatile. Some come with sheaths so you can carry them around, ready to start carving the moment you find a promising scrap of wood.

This whittling knife features a medium-sized blade, suitable for lots of projects. It’s reasonably priced, made of quality high-carbon steel and comes with a handy leather sheath.

If you’re looking for a beginner wood carving project, a duck is a great place to start. Follow these steps to learn how to carve a wooden duck.

When I finally used one, I was not disappointed. My first pieces weren’t works of art. But they were perfectly round, and this little tase of lathe work whetted my appetite for more.

What is a Lathe?

Similar to a potter’s wheel in ceramics, the lathe spins a wooden part on a central axis, creating cylindrical objects. And like a potter’s wheel, it’s an ancient tool; turned wooden parts trace back to the sixth century B.C.

Sharp chisels supported by the lathe tool rest are integral to the operation of a lathe. No machine can create bowls or spindles like a lathe.

How Does A Lathe Work?

A lathe usually sits on a bench, legs or heavy column, with the spinning axis horizontal. A wooden blank is mounted to the motor end, or headstock.

While the part spins, turning tools, also called chisels, sit on the tool rest. They’re gently pushed into the spinning workpiece, carving the wood into shape.

The distance between the headstock and tailstock determines how long a part can be turned, while the distance between the center of the axis to the bed determines how large in diameter a part can be turned.

Short pieces, like bowls or platters, are mounted firmly to a plate that screws to the headstock. Slender pieces more than 10 or 12 inches long, like chair or stair spindles, are generally supported on each end. One is mounted to the headstock, and the other to the tail stock.

Types of Lathes

Lathes are typically categorized by size depending on the kind of turning desired. Small, intricate parts are turned with smaller lathe chisels. Large parts need tools with long handles to manage the greater forces generated by larger, heavier work pieces. Smaller lathes also come with accessories suited to that size of work.

Mini-Lathe

The mini-lathe is ideal for turning objects like pens and chopsticks in the quiet of one’s basement.

The Rikon Mini-Lathe offers five speeds and can turn a part up to 18-in. long and 7-in.-dia. Small motors (about 1/2-horsepower) can be plugged into a conventional residential outlet. Though cast iron, this mini-lathe weighs less than 75 pounds and can be installed relatively easily.

Midi-Lathe

Larger and more powerful, the midi-lathe can sit on a bench or legs. The Grizzly Variable Speed Bench-Top Wood Lathe can turn a part 20-in. long and 14-in.-dia. These larger parts require a more powerful motor and heavier, more robust frame to absorb the vibration.

While these don’t require any additional skill to operate than larger lathes, greater forces demand lathe tools with longer handles. Lathes of this scale still generally can be plugged into a surge-protected residential outlet.

Full-size lathe

These can turn just about anything, spinning parts two feet and longer and 18 inches or more in diameter. These excel at turning furniture-sized pieces like chair legs and the like.

Lathes like the Shop Fox Wood Lathe come with cast iron legs and weigh more than 330 pounds, providing mass to counteract the greater spinning weight of larger blanks. While this machine can turn a part up to 46 inches long, bed extensions allow turning items like solid bed posts.

The distance between the center of the motor and the bed limits bowl turning, so some heads swivel to make room. A separate tool rest is necessary for this type of work.

What To Consider When Buying A Lathe

What type of work do you want to make? In this case, larger isn’t necessarily better. Each type allows one to engage in turning, just at a different scale. Some considerations:

Cost

Mini- and midi-lathes are much less expensive and are great for small projects like bottle stops or drawer pulls. Full-size, fully outfitted lathes can quickly top $5,000, whereas smaller lathes run around $500.

Size

Smaller machines are easier to install, and each part weighs much less! If you’re only making small objects or pens and working out of your basement, the mini- or midi-lathe is a great option.

Power

Most mini- and midi-lathes plug into a house outlet, but many full-size machines with larger motors require increased amperage. Consult with an electrician for your specific needs.

Lathe Maintenance and Repair

Lathes are among the simplest tools. Most modern motors require little maintenance, and the lathe motor is no exception. Because the lathe bed is rarely painted, it’s prone to rust development and should be regularly cleaned and waxed. If rust accumulates over time, the bed can become pitted.

Everything Else You Need To Know

Full-size machines need more tools

Larger machines utilize larger workpieces, so you’ll need a chainsaw, bandsaw or other tools. Logs must be turned into parts before mounting on a lathe. Small machines, on the other hand, can use parts sold a small lathe, like 32 Pieces of African Hardwood for pens.

Keep your tools sharp

Dull tools are dangerous and inaccurate. No matter the size or scale of your work, you’ll need a way to maintain sharp tools.

Traditionalists use a grinder, but you also can buy lathe tools with replaceable carbide tips. This set of three full size tools with replaceable tips is a bargain.

Protect yourself

Lathes are quiet so you can skip the hearing protection. But eyewear is a must, and wearing a dust mask or respirator is recommended. Keep your hair tied up and sleeves rolled up; the spinning parts can grab loose fabric and pull it into the machine.

What Is a Dado Joint?

A dado joint connects the end of one piece of wood to the side of another, creating a right angle.

You start by cutting a slot across the grain of the one board. This dado slot has a bottom and two sides, or “shoulders.” The space between the shoulders should match the thickness of the wood you’re inserting, creating a physical connection that can be easily reinforced with glue.

Dado joints are commonly used in bookshelves, drawer dividers and any other project where the material will be supported by dadoes on both sides.

Is There a Difference Between Rabbet and Dado Joints?

Yes. Dado joints should not be confused with rabbets.

A dado falls within the center of the material, consisting of a slot with a bottom and two shoulders. When viewed from the side, a dado looks like a capital ‘U.’ A rabbet, on the other hand, is cut into the end of the material. It has a bottom and one side, leaving the other side open. A rabbet’s profile resembles a capital ‘L’ cut into the wood.

However, there’s one variation of dado joint known as a “rabbet dado” or “rabbet and dado” joint. In this version, the dado is cut at a width that’s less than the thickness of the material to be joined. Then a rabbet is cut into the second material so the end can be inserted into the dado.

Types of Dado Joints

A quick note on terminology: Dado joints are typically cut across the grain of the receiving piece. If a cut goes along the grain, many woodworkers refer to it as a channel or groove (as in “tongue and groove”). In practice, many woodworkers simply refer to all of the above as a “dado” joint. As always, terminology varies by region and even from woodworker to woodworker.

There are two main types of dado joints:.

• Through dado joints pass from one end of the board to the other, creating a U shaped slot all the way through. Through dado joints are great if you want simple construction and don’t mind a visible joint on both ends.
• Stopped dado joints don’t clear the far edge of the board, resulting in a dead end. The board that slides into the dado can be kept whole or have a notch the thickness of the dado cut into its end. That way, it will extend past the stop to fall flush with the end of the joined material. Stopped dado joints hide the wood grain on the far end.

Dado Joint Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages

• Simple to make: Especially when using a dado insert on a table saw or a router.
• Strong when properly supported: There’s a reason these joints are so common, and it’s because they provide a high level of strength for relatively little effort.

Disadvantages

• Not as strong as other joints: Although dado joints are strong when properly supported, they don’t have the strength of a mortise-and-tenon or tongue-and-groove joint. Sufficient torque on the far end of the inserted material will make the the joint come loose.

Dado Joint Tools

While it’s possible to cut a dado joint by hand (usually with a dado plane), it’s far more common to make the cut with a table saw or router and clean it up with hand tools.

Table saw

Perhaps the most commonly-used tool to make dado joints is a table saw with a dado set. For those unfamiliar, a dado set is like a blade sandwich, with a stack of chippers sandwiched between two saw blades. The number of chippers determines the thickness of the dado.

Router

But not all table saws accept dado sets, and not every woodworker owns a table saw. The other most common way to make a dado is with a router. Use a jig or a straight-edge clamped to your work piece and select an appropriately-sized router bit.

Pro tip: Use a router and straight edge to cut a wide dado. It can be easy to fall out of parallel when resetting the straightedge to make multiple passes, resulting in a tapered cut. Instead, set up two straightedges to establish clean, parallel edges of the dado. If there’s any additional material remaining in the center, simply remove it with a freehand router pass.

Clean-up tools

No matter how you make the initial pass on the dado, it’s common to smooth and level the opening with a combination of chisels, planes and files or sandpaper. 

Store-bought lumber already has flat faces and edges, and for a beginning woodworker they’re flat enough for most purposes. Cabinetmakers constructing high-quality dressers and tabletops, however, need smoother, flatter, straighter edges than those on factory-milled wood, and for them, a jointer is essential. It’s also a handy tool for anyone who works with rough or reclaimed lumber.

What Is a Wood Jointer?

A wood jointer is a benchtop or stationary planing tool. It consists of in-feed and out-feed tables (which together form the “bed”), a fence and a cutting head.

You set wood with one face or edge flat on the in-feed table, holding it tightly against the fence and pushing it through the blade, which then shaves off a layer of wood. A jointer mills one face and one edge of a piece of lumber perfectly flat and smooth and squares the corner between them.

The width of the in-feed and out-feed beds determine the maximum width of wood the jointer can handle. Bed width varies, but six inches is the most common.

The bed length determines how long a board you can comfortably surface without setting up in-feed and out-feed tables. The average is around three feet, but they can be as short as 28 inches or as long as 72 inches. Generally, the maximum length of wood you should use on a jointer without in-feed and out-feed support is twice the length of the bed.

What Is a Wood Jointer Used For?

Because the action of a jointer is similar to a planer, it’s easy to confuse the two. But a jointer is a specialized tool with a specific purpose: milling one face and making one perpendicular flat edge suitable for clean butt joints. That’s why it’s called a jointer. Woodworkers commonly use jointers to flatten out warps and irregularities.

If a board is cupped (meaning the edges are raised), you can flatten it by feeding it repeatedly through a jointer to shave down the edges. The reverse side of the board will still be crowning (the opposite of cupping), however, and pros caution against trying to correct both sides with a jointer. Because you’re pushing down on the top, you have no way of correcting a board that’s already tapered.

How Does a Wood Jointer Work?

The heart of a wood jointer is the spinning cutter head. Many of today’s jointers feature spiral or helical blades for better efficiency.

The top edge of the cutter is exactly flush with the out-feed table, which is stationary, and the in-feed table can be precisely adjusted slightly lower than the out-feed table. The blade shaves an amount equal to the height difference of the tables.

The fence is as important to successful jointing as the bed and the blade. It must be sturdy and precisely engineered to a 90-degree angle to the bed. If you flatten an edge of a board, then hold the board firmly against the fence as you pass the face through the blade, you’ll end up with a perfectly square edge.

Wood Jointer vs. Planer

Woodworkers who mill their own lumber, reclaim it from demolition projects or purchase rough sawn lumber to save money need a tool that can turn a mottled, wavy surface into a flat one. A jointer can do that, but so can a planer. And in many circumstances, the planer does a better job. But if making tight, seamless joints is your primary concern, a wood jointer is the tool for you.

A planer uses the same type of horizontal spinning cutter. The difference: A planer’s cutter is positioned over the wood rather than underneath. On a planer, the wood rests on an adjustable table; unlike a jointer, a drive gear feeds the wood through the machine. You regulate the thickness of the board by raising the table (usually by no more than 1/8-in. per pass) and the surface quality by adjusting the speed of the drive.

Because of its flat table and automatic drive, you can use a planer to surface all four sides of a piece of wood to achieve the exact dimensions you want. You can’t do this with a jointer because you’re manually pushing the wood into the cutter. If it’s tapered or uneven, it will stay that way.

But the jointer is still handy because it allows you to flatten and square one side and one edge before feeding wood through the planer. You don’t necessarily have to choose one or the other, because combination planer/jointers are available. Benchtop models often cost less than if you were to purchase a planer and jointer separately.

What Size Wood Jointer Do I Need?

Most woodworkers only need a standard bed six inches wide and 28 to 36 inches long. You can opt for an eight-, 10- or 12-inch bed if you regularly flatten wide stock. If you regularly work with long boards, you may benefit from a bed that’s 48 or 72 inches long. But a standard bed works well for most purposes.

Best Wood Jointers

If you’re looking for a jointer, you have three options — benchtop, freestanding and jointer/planer combo. Here are our picks for the best of each:

Best benchtop jointer

The Porter-Cable Benchtop Jointer comes with a six- by 31-inch bed and a sturdy sheet metal base. The tool weighs 35 pounds, enough to keep it stationary on the bench but not enough to make it difficult to move. Variable speed control allows you to set the cutter to the type of wood you’re milling.

Best freestanding jointer

If you’re serious about jointing, the Powermatic Eight-Inch Jointer will be a valuable addition to your shop. This product can accept a conventional three-knife or helical cutter head powered by a two-horsepower, 240-volt motor. It features an extended bed (73 inches) for jointing long boards. It’s expensive, but one of the best-reviewed jointers online.

Best jointer/planer combo

If you’re going to pay extra for a machine that combines jointing with planing, you might as well get one that can handle all kinds of stock.

With its 12-inch width capability and three horsepower, 240-volt motor, the Rikon 25-210H is such a machine. It’s rugged and accurate, but reviewers found it easy to set up. There’s also an optional mobility kit so you can easily move this tool around the shop.

But no matter what type of woodworking you’re interested in, there are some basic skills universal to all. Every woodworker needs to cut, drill, shape, fasten, measure and finish, and requires the right tools to accomplish each task.

We’ve rounded up some of the most common tools in each category, highlighting what they’re used for, and which tools are most essential. If you’re working on a budget, don’t buy tools, then go looking for ways to use them. Start by choosing projects you enjoy, then only buy tools germane to those projects.

A few notes before we begin:

• We’re focused here on woodworking, not carpentry. There’s a great deal of overlap between the two, but in general, a carpenter creates buildings and structures while a woodworker creates objects ranging from chairs to fountain pens. Many tools listed here are also used in carpentry.
• We haven’t included safety tools. No matter what kind of woodworking you’re doing, always have the appropriate safety gear at all times.
• Names for tools and materials vary by region. You may see a coping saw called a hand saw or dovetail saw, but it’s the same tool.

Woodworking Tools That Cut

Cutting wood is perhaps the most foundational step in woodworking. Whether you’re building furniture or wall art, every woodworker must cut wood along the grain (rip) and across the grain (crosscut).

While modern power tools make cuts with incredible speed and precision, almost all woodworking cuts can be made by hand. Even today, finely detailed cuts are best made with a quality hand saw.

Table saw

A table saw can be used to rip and crosscut, making it a versatile tool at the heart of many workshops. Because of its wide, flat tabletop, it’s also ideal for cutting large pieces of flat stock like plywood. If you want to test it out before investing in a full-size table saw, consider a portable jobsite version, which often has a much more DIY-friendly price tag.

Miter saw

A miter saw is a more focused tool that makes fast, accurate and easily duplicated crosscuts. If you often work with relatively narrow stock (six inches or fewer), a miter saw is a massive time saver.

Miter box

If you don’t do enough crosscuts to justify purchasing a miter saw, consider a miter box. Essentially it’s a manually powered miter saw, with a plastic or wooden frame and slots to guide a hand saw at predetermined angles. Miter boxes allow relatively quick cuts at a rock-bottom price.

Jigsaw

A jigsaw is perfect for cutting curves and circles in a wooden surface. Beginners sometimes shy away when they encounter “chatter” (rapid vibration). But with a little experience and patience, a jigsaw is a valuable asset in any woodworker’s tool collection.

Coping saw

A narrow-bladed coping saw is perfect for highly detailed work like coping joints (hence the name), as well as cutting intricate curves and dovetail joinery.

Band saw

A band saw‘s vertical blade splits stock in half and cuts curves. Because it’s large, the band saw stays still while the woodworker repositions the cutting material. If you’re trimming a 2×6 into two 1x6s, a band saw is far superior to running it through a table saw twice.

Scroll saw

A scroll saw is a smaller version of a band saw. With its more limited mouth opening, a scroll saw is intended for detailed work on smaller stock. If you’re doing fiddly details in thin wood, it works magnificently.

Circular saw

A circular saw is primarily a carpenter’s saw, but it also has its place in a woodworker’s tool collection. If you only make the occasional cuts in plywood, it’s often better use to break out a circular saw than invest the space and money in a full table saw.

Woodworking Tools That Drill

Drilling is an essential part of woodworking, whether it’s pilot holes for nails and screws or dowels to hold your work in place. Your tool choices include:

Cordless drill/driver

A few decades ago, a cordless drill was something of a luxury for a woodworker. Today, the many low-cost options on the market make it a must-have. Most woodworkers own a single drill/driver for boring holes and setting screws.

Drill press

Some holes need a level of precision that simply can’t be duplicated freehand with a cordless drill. In those instances, a drill press can make accurate and easily replicated holes.

Hand drill

A hand (manual) drill has become something of a specialty tool. However, its precision and ability to drill in minute increments can be extremely helpful for working with thin or valuable material.

Hole saws, spade bits, Forstners and other specialty bits

When boring holes, the drill is only part of the equation. Many woodworkers amass a collection of hole saws, spade bits, step bits, Forstners and other specialty bits.

Rather than spending money on a wide assortment all at once, it’s usually best to pick these up as needed. Trust us, before long you’ll find yourself with a surprising assortment.

Woodworking Tools That Shape

All kinds of tools can shape wood. Shaping can happen early or late in the project. In the case of wood carving and wood turning, it essentially is the project.

These woodworking tools shape:

Hand plane

This simple tool has been around for centuries, and it’s still one of the most effective. A well-cared-for hand plane that’s been carefully calibrated removes material quickly or in transparently thin layers. These come in lots of sizes and styles. For most beginner woodworkers, the Stanley six-inch block plane is a great start.

Orbital sander

An orbital sander makes life much easier when you’re ready to smooth out a wooden surface or hide unwanted blade marks.

Belt sander

A belt sander can remove material extremely quickly. It’s such an aggressive tool you have to be careful not to overdo it.

Planer

A planer reduces the thickness of boards and makes them uniform. It’s a great tool if you’re buying rough lumber to save money. A planer ensures two opposite faces are even and parallel.

Jointer

A jointer is often used in conjunction with a planer. Jointers shape the length and edge of lumber, creating a clean right angle. If you’re laying pieces of lumber side-by-side — say, for a table top — a jointer will ensure the pieces fit snugly together.

Sandpaper

Because it gets used up and replaced, sandpaper can be considered a “material” instead of a tool. But it’s essential in the wood shop,  so we included it here.

Sandpaper is especially good for detailed work or curved surfaces. Once the grit is gone, don’t hesitate to discard it. Don’t forget the old DIY saying, “Life is short, abrasives are cheap.”

Lathe

If you’re interested in wood turning, a lathe will be at the heart of your shop. There’s something magical about seeing a wood turner at work, with the wood chips flying and the completed item slowly emerging from the spinning material.

Chisel

A chisel shapes everything from hinge mortises to sculptures. While the size and shape depends on your specific needs, some sort of quality, well-sharpened chisel is essential for almost every type of woodworking.

Router

A router is great for changing the edge profile of your project. Whether you go with a palm router on shelving or a table router to make custom wood trim, there are a wide range of uses for this handy tool.

Files and Rasps

Hand files and rasps remove and shape wood. Files make smaller changes and smooth surfaces, while rasps remove layers of wood. Combo file and rasp tools allow the user to easily move between the two tasks.

Woodworking Tools That Fasten

Once you’ve got your wood in shape, you need to fasten it together. Woodworkers use these tools for fastening:

Hammer

A selection of hammers and mallets, along with nails and other fasteners, allow you to secure almost anything.

Pneumatic nailer

Pneumatic nailers are phenomenal tools if you expect to sink a lot of nails, or want a good multipurpose shop tool.

Drill/driver and screws

Screws are another great way to fasten wood together. You’ll use your drill/driver to sink screws and drill pilot holes to minimize splitting.

Stapler

Sometimes a staple is all that’s needed to hold workpieces together. Both manual and pneumatic staplers are especially helpful if you’re attaching upholstery to your project.

Pocket jigs

The most popular pocket hole jigs are by Kreg. Pocket holes are often used in furniture construction to hide fastener heads.

Biscuit joiners

Biscuit joiners essentially cut a narrow slot into two pieces of abutting wood, allowing a thin wooden oval (the biscuit) to be glued or set in place. In that way, they’re like a horizontal dowel.

Clamps

Whether holding pieces tight to allow glue to dry or stabilizing before drilling holes, most woodworkers feel they can never have enough clamps.

Woodworking Tools That Measure

“Measure twice, cut once” is sage advice for anyone working with wood. But measuring includes checking for square, checking for level and finding ways to make repetition easy.

Measuring is so important there are far more specialty tools than we list here, from calipers to try squares to moisture meters. Here are some of the most common woodworking measuring tools.

Tape measure

Found in almost every woodworker’s toolkit, a good tape measure is one of the most frequently used tools on this list.

Level

Levels are great for checking level and plumb. Longer metal levels often do double duty as a straightedge.

Combination square

A combination square is useful for planning cuts, but also vital for calibrating your machinery. Table and miter saws out of square or level will cause hours of frustration.

Speed square

Carpenters tend to favor a Speed square more than woodworkers, but these small and convenient tools are a good investment. If possible, opt for a metal square; plastic ones can warp in heat and are easily damaged in a rough and tumble work environment.

Jigs

A jig is a magnificent time saver, and can be used as a de facto measuring device. Jigs guide your tool to help you make identical cuts, curves or finishes, greatly reducing the measuring involved in each process.

Predesigned jigs are available, but most woodworkers find making their own allows for precise construction. If you’re making multiple identical cuts, even a single-project jig will often save more time than it takes to construct.

Woodworking Tools and Materials for Finishing

After you’ve done all the cutting, shaping and refining, don’t falter at the end! Use the same level of care to finish you project to ensure it’s something you’re proud of.

These woodworking tools are used for finishing:

Paints and stains

Every project has its own needs and every woodworker their own preferences for finish coats. Experiment with different brands and materials to find the products that give you the best results.

Brushes and rags

A collection of brushes and rags will make paint and stain application much easier. This is another area where personal preference comes into play. Try out different materials and brush types to find your favorites.

Tack cloth

Tack cloth is coated fabric used to wipe down surfaces between finish coats. Some woodworkers swear by them and others skip them entirely.

Keep dust out of your finish

Dust collection system: Don’t try to finish your project while sawdust and debris hang in the air. That gorgeous wet stain won’t look so good in a couple of hours when it’s littered with fallen sawdust. A dust collection system sucks all that dust out of the air as you’re working. This makes it easier to finish your projects, and it’s healthier for your lungs.

Shop vacuum: A dedicated workshop vacuum can be the power behind a dust collection system, or supplement a dedicated system. Either way, it helps keep your shop clean and your workspace a little less chaotic. A good shop vacuum also hooks up to the exhaust ports on various saws to minimize dust expulsion.

Both words date back to an elongated type of drum known as a “tamborin de Provençe,” which was used in medieval times. The drum was also known as a tambour, suggesting that the words were more or less interchangeable from the beginning.

With that pedigree, it’s not surprising tambour has stood the test of time. As a material, it’s lightweight and easy to work with, Colberg says. And it brings the richness of wood to wall coverings, cabinet faces and coffee tables, as well as other home components.

Tambour can be a budget-busting choice. But if you’re willing to DIY, making it yourself cuts the cost substantially.

What Is a Tambour?

In modern usage, tambour refers to a method of fastening closely-spaced pieces of wood on a flexible backing. The linear arrangement of the wooden slats somewhat resembles the cords on the side of the drum that secure the head, which may be one reason for the crossover usage of the word.

Tambour has historically been used to make sliding doors that disappear into a recess when you open them. Because of the flexible backing, the doors can slide along curved tracks. This has made tambour the material of choice for roll-top desk covers, vintage wine cabinets, bookshelves and humidors.

Thanks to its decorative appeal, tambour is popularly incorporated into wall coverings, cabinet facings, and the like. The wood slats often have a semicircular cross-section, providing good sound absorption properties. But that comes at a price; Colberg says you can expect to pay about twice as much as you would for standard acoustical panels.

Types of Tambour

Colberg distinguishes between two types:

• Dynamic tambour: Used for sliding doors. The flexible backing allows it to bend and conform to various track shapes.
• Static tambour: The rigid type used for wall panels and cabinet facings. Colberg likes it for the facing of kitchen cabinets, where the luxury of natural wood enhances the decor.

Colberg also classifies tambour by profile, wood species and size. Slats can have a semicircular or rectangular profile. While semicircular slats add a degree of elegance, he notes they’re more difficult to make, especially in a home workshop. If you plan to DIY a tambour door, Colberg recommends sticking with a rectangular cross-section, because you can cut that type of slat with a table or band saw.

And tambour doesn’t have to be made of wood; the slats can be metal or PVC. The size of the slats primarily refers to their width, which can vary from one-half inch to two or three inches. Narrow slats are best for small doors because they allow for more flexibility, but cutting enough of them for a large door or a wall covering might be impractical.

Pros and Cons of Tambour Doors

Tambour is one of the best options, if not the only one, for doors on curved tracks. Wood provides the rigidity the door needs, while the flexible backing allows it to bend.

Pros

• Elegant: Use exotic wood species to turn any project into a conversation piece.
• Sturdy: When closed and locked, tambour doors provide excellent security.
• Easy to make: Rectangular slats are easy to rip on a table saw. Gluing them to a flexible backing is equally straightforward.

Cons

• Slats can separate: If you don’t use the right glue to attach the slats to the backing (usually canvas), they can work themselves loose. Pros usually use hide glue for this because it stays flexible while maintaining good adhesion.
• Individual slats can warp: To prevent this, slats should be sealed on all sides.
• Hard to clean: It can be difficult to dust the edges of the slats because they are only exposed when the door is on a curved part of the track, which is often inside an enclosure.

Tambour Door Uses

Tambour doors can slide vertically or horizontally. Here are some places you’ll find them around the house:

• Kitchen cupboards: Vertical sliding tambours doors are a great alternative to conventional doors.
• Designer cabinets: These can be designed with curved or straight door openings.
• Alcove shelves: A tambour door works when you don’t have enough room for a swinging door.
• Closet doors: You could make oversized doors for your bedroom closets.

How To Make a Tambour Door

Constructing a tambour door requires three main steps.

First, cut and prepare the slats. Then glue the slats to a backing. Lastly, make the tracks the tambour doors slide on. Pros generally use a router for this, but if you’re building large closet doors, you’d most likely purchase metal tracks.

It’s good to construct a jig where the slats fit tightly after you’ve cut, sanded and finished them. This can be a simple frame that you screw to a workbench.

After arranging the slats tightly together in the frame with the reverse sides facing up, tape over the edges that fit into the tracks to keep glue from covering them. Spread hide glue liberally on the exposed parts and lay the backing on it. Let the glue set and trim excess backing. Now you’re ready to install the door into the tracks on the cabinet, cupboard or closet.

Woodworkers use this common joint, also known as a “rebate joint” in Great Britain, to form corners in boxes, cabinets, shelving and other items with long, straight workpieces. If you look inside one of your kitchen or bathroom cabinets, you’ll probably see rabbet joints.

The rabbet is one of the first joints a cabinetmaker learns because it makes much stronger corners than simply butting pieces of wood together. I used to make cabinets from recycled parts of Japanese antiques. When I learned to rabbet the back edges, the structure became far more stable and resistant to wobbling.

What Is a Rabbet Joint?

A rabbet is simply a groove cut into the side or end of a wooden plank or panel. It’s a channel with an extrusion (called the tongue) and one vertical side. It’s similar to a dado, a groove cut across the face of a plank or panel with two vertical sides. Because rabbets are related to dados, you can use the same tools to cut them.

How Do Rabbet Joints Work?

A rabbet joint is stronger than a butt joint for two reasons. The rabbet increases the amount of surface area available for glue. And when a piece of wood fits tightly into a rabbet, the vertical side of the groove prevents it from leaning in that direction and breaking the joint.

The deeper the rabbet is, the more support it provides. The vertical side also makes it easier to align the pieces of wood forming the joint.

How To Make a Rabbet Joint

Start by cutting a groove in the side or end of one piece of wood just wide enough to accommodate the thickness of the plank or panel you’re connecting. Then spread glue in the joint and affix the workpieces together with nails, screws or dowels.

You can also make a stronger double rabbet joint by cutting rabbets in both pieces of wood before joining them. A mitered rabbet joint is a classy third option that isn’t hard to do on a table saw. It involves beveling the walls to give the joint a clean line exactly on the corner with no visible end grain.

Rabbet Joint Tools

The tools woodworkers most commonly use for cutting rabbets are a table saw and a router.

When making a rabbet with a table saw, it’s best to go with one of two dado blades: A “wobble” blade with an offset rotation that cuts a wider kerf than a regular blade, or a “stacked” blade, where several regular blades join together to increase the kerf width. The kerf is the material a blade removes because of its thickness.

You can also cut rabbets with a table-mounted or handheld router and a rabbeting bit. This type of bit features an extrusion that forms the tongue of the rabbet, and a bearing on the end to prevent the bit from digging more deeply than the length of that extrusion.

You can control the depth of the rabbet by adjusting the height of the bit. But if you need a different tongue length, you need a different bit. You can cut rabbets of any tongue length with a grooving bit without a bearing, but you need to use it with a jig to keep it on a straight line. You don’t need a jig with a rabbeting bit.

If you need to cut rough rabbets on a jobsite without a router or table saw, try a circular saw. Draw a line to mark the inner edge of the rabbet. Cut along that line, then make multiple passes with the saw to clear material from the tongue. You could also clear leftover material with a chisel after making the initial cut.

Rabbet Joint Common Uses

Some common uses for rabbet joints include:

• Joining the sides of a box-like structure like a cabinet or drawer.
• Creating insets in picture frames to hold glass, the picture and a backing.
• Forming an inset in the back of a cabinet to hold the backing.
• Notching the ends of shelves to fit on wooden wall brackets.

Rabbet Joint Advantages and Disadvantages

You’ll find rabbet joints most often in cabinets, drawers and shelving, but there are many other uses for rabbets in general construction. Woodworkers like them because they are:

• Strong: They stabilize box-like structures.
• Attractive: You can place the seam where it isn’t visible — say, under a countertop — and the fasteners can be hidden with filler or made from doweling.
• Easy to make: Cutting rabbets doesn’t require special tools or skills.
• Easy to disassemble: You can usually separate a rabbet joint by removing screws and pounding with a rubber mallet. Joints made with nails and dowels are usually easy to pry apart.

Rabbet joints aren’t suitable for every situation. Some problems they present include:

• Not always easy to conceal: In some cases, you can’t avoid a visible seam. This can detract from an otherwise fine piece of woodwork.
• Not adjustable: Once you cut the rabbet, you’re stuck with it. This can cause problems if you have to tweak things during assembly.
• Small errors can have big consequences: Rabbet joints can be difficult to align. If you make a mistake, it will affect the whole structure.
• No curved or tapered edges: They only work for wood with straight edges.