My wife doesn’t make a big fuss about Mother’s Day gifts. But in 2001, she had a very specific request. It was our first spring in a new-to-us home with a large backyard patio. She wanted a couple of Adirondack chairs for Mother’s Day to spruce up that outdoor space.

I was more than happy to oblige. I bought some Western red cedar, stainless steel screws and got down to business. I adjusted the backrest comfort to her satisfaction, sanded the chairs until splinters seemed downright impossible and applied her choice of deck finish color. Humble as those outdoor chairs were, she was thrilled with them and always proud to show them off to friends.

After more than two decades of constant weather exposure and use, one of those chairs eventually gave up the ghost. Its mate continued to stand in the corner of her flower garden until last summer. It had long since passed the point of being sturdy to sit in, but she kept it as garden art anyway. I suppose you could say it was a token of a Mother’s Day long past. But since the chair was in real danger of falling apart, I salvaged the screws and disposed of the rest.

Nothing lasts forever, especially outdoor projects. But taking that chair apart was still a bit melancholic. My memories of handmade gifts are much stronger than what I remember about things I just buy and wrap. They’re clearer and often happier. Perhaps it’s time to see if she’d like a couple of new chairs again…

Happy Mother’s Day — and all the best hopes for your handmade gifts!

Chris Marshall, Woodworker’s Journal

Cutting Table Joints

Woodworking Jigs with T-Tracks

Compact Sewing Cabinet

Upholstered Ottoman Chest

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Do you have a favorite hand tool? I have quite a few I wouldn’t easily part with, and one of them is a Starrett combination square Starrett combination square I purchased about 25 years ago. It’s not that this square has sentimental value for me, although I’ve built many, many projects with it. I could replace it with an exact duplicate tomorrow, so it isn’t even rare. The deeper reason why I love it stems from how incredibly well-made it is, and how I know with absolute certainty that it is accurate. I keep it on a counter near my bench for the duration of every project because I’m reaching for it all the time – from taking measurements and checking blade and bit heights to scribing lines and verifying squareness. When the project is done, I tuck “old reliable” away in a foam-lined drawer. I’ve never dropped it a single time that I can recall, and there’s not a spot of rust on it. It deserves a protected storage place because every time I pull it out, it’s clean, pristine and ready to go to work again. I paid top dollar for it when I bought it, and they’re still expensive today. But this square is worth every penny.

In his book Setting Up Shop, Sandor Nagyszalanczy has this to say about the value of quality tools:

“My basic philosophy is, it’s better to own a few really good tools than an entire shop full of cheapies and clunkers—tools that are inaccurate, require superhuman effort to use, and don’t produce the work you will be proud of. Things you use every day, such as a tape measure, table saw, layout tools, and any tool that must retain precision to be good (square, rulers, calipers) should be the best you can afford.”

I wholeheartedly agree.

Chris Marshall, Woodworker’s Journal

Marking the Joints

Making a Tack Cloth

Contemporary Table

Mitered Jewelry Box

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Last week, I finished filming a video in which I install Rockler’s new Rock-Steady Folding Table Saw Outfeed Kit on my 2005-ish Delta Unisaw. If you’re new to woodworking and don’t have an outfeed table, they make a world of difference when you’re wrangling long or heavy stock across your saw. They also keep offcuts from falling off the back of the saw once cut free, which is helpful. After all, who wants to bend over to pick all that stuff up anyway?

Part of the reason for making the video was to build the tabletop for the Rockler steel framework underneath it. I chose to cover my plywood table with plastic laminate — a multi-step technique I’ve done dozens of times over the years. And I must admit that it was a pleasure working with laminate again; it didn’t pose any challenge. I didn’t learn anything new doing it, but sometimes it’s simply gratifying to repeat tasks that are familiar. Cleaning the surfaces, rolling on the adhesive, pressing the flexible laminate down flat and smooth, trimming it flush and filing the sharp edges away – muscle memory in woodworking is a good thing. I’ll even go so far as to say it’s therapeutic!

Chris Marshall, Woodworker’s Journal

Preparing Ash Stock

What is a Woodturning Lathe Chuck?

Contemporary Table

Greene & Greene Dresser

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1. Opening the shop and smelling freshly sanded aromatic cedar.
2. Pushing a router through a cut using a brand new, razor-sharp bit.
3. Seeing the face of a loved one light up when they open a woodworking gift you’ve made.
4. Jointing a piece of rough-sawn white oak to expose a bold ray flake pattern underneath.
5. Finally getting the knack of tuning your hand plane so well that it produces long, tissue-paper-thin shavings.
6. Cutting a mitered picture frame that closes perfectly.
7. Watching a sinewy curve materialize as you steer your bowl gouge through it.
8. That little puff of air you feel when a drawer fits its opening just right.
9. Buffing a finish so smoothly that it shows your reflection.
10. Picking up a load of lumber on the first day of vacation when your only agenda for the week is to build the project.

Chris Marshall, Woodworker’s Journal

Ash Table Project Design

Building with Miter Joints

Elegant Serving Tray

Quick and Easy End Table

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Two weeks ago, I asked you to share some stories about when you all caught the woodworking “bug.” Thanks for all the replies! Some great stories have come in, and you can read them in this week’s Feedback section.

I’m not sure if we find woodworking or if woodworking finds us, in some sort of magical way. Maybe it’s destiny! Whatever the truth may be, there’s no denying this: Once a woodworker, always a woodworker!

Chris Marshall, Woodworker’s Journal

Building on Basics

Five Useful Tools for Installing Trim Molding

Classic Walnut Bookcase

Making a Dovetail Chiseling Jig

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Back in the 1980s, woodworking was part of our general middle school curriculum. That gave me the chance to dabble in a woodshop at a young age. But it wasn’t until after college that I started to take woodworking seriously. Newly married and of very modest means, my wife and I wanted a hutch to store all the kitchen supplies that wouldn’t fit in our postage-stamp-sized first kitchen. We couldn’t afford to buy a new one, so I decided to build a hutch instead. It’s still in the family to this day. When I look at its uneven joints, the jumble of material choices I made and its wood putty sticking out like a sore thumb under the stained finish, I have to laugh. But at the time, I was so proud of that hutch! The sense of satisfaction I got from building it, and the praise from family members about its beauty and function, lit a fire in the belly for me to continue learning and acquiring tools. My next project was a tile-topped Shaker table, and its quality was a big step forward from the hutch. I was on my way to becoming a bona fide woodworker, and I knew it!

At some point in our lives, we all were “woodworking curious.” What then flipped the switch for you to stop dabbling and take your skills more seriously? Were you encouraged by a shop teacher, a woodworking family member or an online influencer? Maybe it was the afterglow of a special project when you “just knew” that woodworking would be an important part of your life from then on. I’d love to hear your stories, and we’ll share them all in an upcoming issue.

Chris Marshall, Woodworker’s Journal

Final Assembly

Guiding Accessories for Circular Saws

Limbert-Style Hutch

Downdraft Sanding Cart

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During my first publishing job out of college, a vice president with a tenure of more than 40 years reluctantly decided finally to retire. He was one of those old-school executives who was well into his workday by the time the rest of us editors arrived in the morning, and I have no doubt he turned the lights off in the building at the end of the day. Two weeks after retiring, the VP was back in his former office on Monday morning. Life after publishing, it seemed, wasn’t working out so well for him. He had fostered no hobbies or other interests, and career was what got him out of bed in the morning. So, the company agreed to keep him in an emeritus role, and he came out of retirement. Several years later, I left that publishing house to pursue a new opportunity, and the gentleman was still occupying his corner office five days a week. He was 82 years old.

I’m grateful in more ways than I can count to have hobbies. My weekend shop time allows me personal space for creativity, purpose, accomplishment and peace. I don’t think I’ll ever lose the simple joy of working with my hands or the rewarding sense of pride these activities give me. Thanks in large part to various hobbies, the thought of retiring one day doesn’t scare me. How I’ll fill my days is already clear. I’ll leave work on a Friday for the last time. And when Monday rolls around, I’ll turn the lights on in my home shop, grab a board or a wrench or a bowl blank and smile. I’ll get back to my work away from work that never really feels like work. Retirement, I’m pretty sure, will suit me well.

Chris Marshall, Woodworker’s Journal

Gluing Up Sub-Assemblies

Track and Circular Saw Fundamentals

Build a Kitchen Island

Woodworker’s Dog Bed

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Last Sunday evening, our water heater stopped making hot water. I was informed of that in no uncertain terms when my wife and daughter were both trying to take showers in different bathrooms at the same time. They weren’t one bit happy about the increasingly uncomfortable chill, either. My response to the issue was much as it always is when something breaks – I started researching how to fix it myself. That stems from being a self-taught woodworker and DIYer from way back. Problem-solving is part of woodworking, and I’ve been tackling little problems of one kind or another ever since I connected two boards for the first time. I’m no different from nearly every woodworker I know in this regard.

In his book Ellsworth on Woodturning, master woodturner David Ellsworth has this to say about the resourcefulness that often comes from being a self-taught craftsperson:

“Teaching oneself a skill without a teacher available is laborious, yet ultimately self-fulfilling. I learned each mistake one day became a learning tool for the next, and swearing was a good thing if it helped me understand that catching the tool in the wood wasn’t the tool’s fault after all…or the wood’s. I learned to make my own tools, to develop my own techniques, and to challenge the limits of my own experiences. Equally important, I learned to become a problem solver. Years later, I would realize all highly skilled craftspeople are also highly skilled problem solvers.”

Turns out, the water heater isn’t broken after all. But when it does kick the bucket, I’ll be ready!

Chris Marshall, Woodworker’s Journal

Finishing Inside Faces

What is a Woodturning Lathe Chuck?

Workshop Bench and Wall Cabinet

Majestic Mountains Marquetry Box

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Last week, I assembled Rockler’s Cutting Board Juice Groove Routing Jig to prepare for an upcoming video. The process took about 45 minutes. By the time I had the jig clamped to my cutting board workpiece, I was confident in what I was about to do to cut the juice groove. And that’s not because I have experience with this jig. Rather, it was the clarity of the instructions, the quality of the components and the ease with which it all came together that gave me that assurance.

Such a smooth and easy setup process is not always the case for other brands of new woodworking products. I’m sure you’re nodding your head in agreement here. Not all companies provide a thorough manual with full-color photographs, helpful diagrams and clear, descriptive text written in complete sentences. All the parts were accounted for and neatly packaged, and the box provided even more useful information. Honestly, I was excited to put it together and put it through its paces!

I work with the good folks who make this experience possible for all of us Rockler customers. I know the photographer who takes those photos for the instructions, the specialist who writes the manual and the industrial designers who go to great lengths to engineer these innovative gizmos. They do their level best to make sure you will enjoy your new jig, dust extractor, router lift, shop stand or countless other blue Rockler products. Oh, and by the way…after routing four juice grooves, my hunch was confirmed — it’s a heck of a nice jig!

Chris Marshall, Woodworker’s Journal

Shaping a Rabbet Edge

Router Safety Considerations

Benchtop Drill Press Mobile Stand

Easy-to-Build Benches

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One of my responsibilities with Rockler involves answering customer questions about our newer products. And while all of us at Rockler, including call support specialists, store associates and many others involved with product development and the website, are happy to answer your questions, I’m often impressed by how quickly and helpfully other customers come to one another’s aid. Sometimes, within only an hour or two of a question being posted on a product page, a fellow woodworker provides a courteous and informative reply. I shouldn’t be a bit surprised by this because we woodworkers are, by and large, generous with our insights and information. We want to help one another avoid confusion, gain clarity about valuable products we use and appreciate, and share what we’ve learned. It shows me how collaborative we are and how much community mindset helps this craft in so many ways. Thank you for offering your input and support of Rockler’s products and lending a helping hand to fellow woodworkers. What a great way to pay it forward!

Chris Marshall, Woodworker’s Journal

How to Set Up and Use a Hand Plane

Router Table Fundamentals

Universal Clamping Table

Old-Fashioned Music Box

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