Toledo Award Program

I live in Toledo Ohio and have been building custom furniture for my clients for almost 25 years. I don’t do any advertising and I don’t have a store. I just have my shop behind my house and I use my living room as my showroom. I like the size of my company. It’s simple, […]

Make Your Woodworking Meaningful

Walk into any antique store and the caretaker will have a story behind each item in there. Some of the stories might be real, while others might be a mix of legends or folklore tales. The caretaker is not intentionally lying, but it is a useful sales tactic. The reason is, the stories behind each […]

The Correct Table Saw Blade

What is the best type of table saw blade I should own? This is a common question I am asked fairly often. However, I can’t really answer that. It’s not because I don’t have knowledge on the topic, but rather because that is not an easy answer.  Before the answer to that question can be […]

Wood Grain Filler: What is it? Why use it? by Kelsey Yongue

Wood Grain Filler (WGF) fills the pores in the wood to give you the smoothest surface possible.  It is used to fill pock marks (small hollows on the surface in the wood) and help cover up those minor imperfections. Now, I want to start by clarifying that wood grain filler is NOT wood filler. Wood grain […]

Measuring With a Yardstick

Growing up in my generation, a yardstick was something that everyone had in their house. But in my experience, it was hardly ever used. Now for those reading this and are unfamiliar with a yardstick, it is a unit of measurement that is 3 feet, or approximately 1 meter, in length.  Yardsticks could be found […]

Drawer Locking Bit

If you enjoy making furniture, you are going to at some point have to make drawers. Drawers are undoubtedly useful and serve a purpose. Of course, their main and only function is to hold items. But the size and weight of those items can be a mystery as to what the owner will place in […]

Water-based Gel stains

The revolutionary uses of CrystaLac Water-based Gel stains by Kelsey Yongue The past few years Gel-Stains have taken over the stain market, and it is no wonder why. The consistency helps to get even coverage more easily, as well as providing the ability to apply stains over veneer and existing finishes creating brand new possibilities! […]

ROUTER ROUND UP

Regardless of the size of a workshop, you are likely to find a router in it. The router is very versatile and has a wide range of uses. In fact, it’s fair to say that many projects can be entirely made with a router. As a full time furniture maker, I have over a dozen […]

True Position Tools

Having been a former remodeling contractor for many years, I can say I’ve installed my fair share of cabinets. The most time-consuming process of cabinet installation is getting all the doors and drawer fronts properly aligned. After spending so much time on that step the last thing I need to do is mis-drill a hole […]

Remembering Your First

Remembering your first. This statement might conjure up different thoughts to different people. Some might recall their first love, or maybe their first car, or first job. But I’m talking about your first woodworking project. The one that you saw and felt you had to make it. Then when it was done, was there pure […]

Power Tools vs. Hand Tools

For as long as I can remember, woodworkers have fallen into two different categories. It seems you were either a modern high-tech gadget power tools guy or a nostalgic traditionalist hand tool person. In the beginning, I believed this was to be true. But these days my thoughts are changing and I think I am […]