In years past, I’ve had many opportunities to attend grand openings of new Rockler stores across the country. The managers would typically let me set up my woodworking demonstrations in the store classrooms. I love that Rockler stores have dedicated and well-equipped spaces for learning! If you’re new to woodworking, a Saturday “Make & Take” class helps you to build skills under the tutelage of Rockler’s experienced store associates, and you’ll take home a nice memento to cap off the day. Even experienced woodworkers can benefit from the wide range of class offerings.

Now is an ideal time to take a class at Rockler because you can make a fantastic gift that might be perfect for a special someone this holiday season. There are classes focusing on bowl and pen turning, pouring a set of custom epoxy coasters, shaping the handles of a quality hunting knife, building a mini river pour table, and many more, depending on your store. But I think the real takeaway goes beyond making that gift – you’ll feel the satisfaction that comes with doing something creative and leave the store a more competent and confident woodworker. It’s the gift that keeps on giving!

Chris Marshall, Woodworker’s Journal

Cutting and Fitting Mortise-and-Tenon Joints

Cove Cutting Techniques

Slatted Trivet

Wine Presentation Box

The post Gift-Making with Class! appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

Ginkgo Leaf Table: While this unique table is Willie Sandry’s original design, he drew inspiration from Japanese furniture and architecture.

Wine Presentation Box: Impress a wine aficionado in your life with a handmade gift box. It features a unique mechanism that “pops up” three wine bottles when the lid is opened.

Tambour Console Cabinet: Our emeritus publisher Rob Johnstone crafts a Mid-Century Modern classic complete with waterfall corners, routed tambour doors and tapered legs. If you’re a child of the 1950s, this design should resonate immediately!

Cherry Blanket Chest: Try your hand at cutting through dovetails with a backsaw and chisels. It’s not that hard (really!), if you use an aluminum sawing guide like we did to build this beautiful chest.

Custom Knife: Cut, drill, sand and glue are the basic steps to form the wooden scales of this useful and attractive pocketknife. You can build one from a kit supplied by Rockler in less than a day.

Stickley-Inspired Plant Stand: Plant stands are enormously popular projects, and this Arts & Crafts design is easy to build. Why not make it from white oak as we did, then give it an authentic ammonia-fumed finish.

Turned Rolling Pins: Master woodturner Ernie Conover demonstrates how to create three variations of rolling pins: baguette, American and pasta cutter-style.

Vertical Drilling Jig: Drilling straight holes into the end grain of workpieces is tricky without a jig. Our design clamps to your drill press table and offers two helpful stops to take the hassle out of the task while ensuring accuracy.

The post September/October 2024 Issue Preview appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

Ginkgo Leaf Table: While this unique table is Willie Sandry’s original design, he drew inspiration from Japanese furniture and architecture.

Wine Presentation Box: Impress a wine aficionado in your life with a handmade gift box. It features a unique mechanism that “pops up” three wine bottles when the lid is opened.

Tambour Console Cabinet: Our emeritus publisher Rob Johnstone crafts a Mid-Century Modern classic complete with waterfall corners, routed tambour doors and tapered legs. If you’re a child of the 1950s, this design should resonate immediately!

Cherry Blanket Chest: Try your hand at cutting through dovetails with a backsaw and chisels. It’s not that hard (really!), if you use an aluminum sawing guide like we did to build this beautiful chest.

Custom Knife: Cut, drill, sand and glue are the basic steps to form the wooden scales of this useful and attractive pocketknife. You can build one from a kit supplied by Rockler in less than a day.

Stickley-Inspired Plant Stand: Plant stands are enormously popular projects, and this Arts & Crafts design is easy to build. Why not make it from white oak as we did, then give it an authentic ammonia-fumed finish.

Turned Rolling Pins: Master woodturner Ernie Conover demonstrates how to create three variations of rolling pins: baguette, American and pasta cutter-style.

Vertical Drilling Jig: Drilling straight holes into the end grain of workpieces is tricky without a jig. Our design clamps to your drill press table and offers two helpful stops to take the hassle out of the task while ensuring accuracy.

The post Woodworker’s Journal – September/October 2024 appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

Carefree Porch Swing: Any covered porch will be more inviting for spending leisure time if it includes a swing! Our design seats two comfortably and is easy to build.

Mission Coffee Table: Get ready for some mortise-and-tenon fun if you tackle this classic. And rest assured — it will never go out of style.

Ash Bar Stool: Sharpen your chisels and find that favorite backsaw, because you’ll put them to good use cutting through dovetails for this curvy custom stool!

Advanced Power Tool Techniques: Track saws are ideal for slicing up sheet goods. A.J. Hamler extends their usefulness for crosscutting thick slabs, making waterfall miter joints and kerf-bending.

Tool Preview: Slab furniture continues to on-trend and a popular contender for hobbyist woodworkers. Rockler offers two sizes of Slab Flattening Jigs that will help surface them easily and safely with a handheld router.

Shop Talk: Consider taking a woodworking class under the expert tutelage of Ernie Conover or at the recently opened Wendell Castle Workshop.

Tricks of the Trade: Readers share easy ways to keep glue bottles clean and a nifty sliding support for ripping sheet goods on a table saw.

Our Weekly Readers: What do you think about cutting dovetails by hand versus reaching for a jig system and router? Our online newsletter readers share their opinions on the topic.

The post Woodworker’s Journal – July/August 2024 appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

Bench Dog Small Chisel Plane

Bessey One-Handed Trigger Clamps with Rotating Handles

Rockler Rule Stop with 12″ Steel Ruler

The post July/August 2024 What’s in Store appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

Carefree Porch Swing: Any covered porch will be more inviting for spending leisure time if it includes a swing! Our design seats two comfortably and is easy to build.

Mission Coffee Table: Get ready for some mortise-and-tenon fun if you tackle this classic. And rest assured — it will never go out of style.

Ash Bar Stool: Sharpen your chisels and find that favorite backsaw, because you’ll put them to good use cutting through dovetails for this curvy custom stool!

Advanced Power Tool Techniques: Track saws are ideal for slicing up sheet goods. A.J. Hamler extends their usefulness for crosscutting thick slabs, making waterfall miter joints and kerf-bending.

Tool Preview: Slab furniture continues to on-trend and a popular contender for hobbyist woodworkers. Rockler offers two sizes of Slab Flattening Jigs that will help surface them easily and safely with a handheld router.

Shop Talk: Consider taking a woodworking class under the expert tutelage of Ernie Conover or at the recently opened Wendell Castle Workshop.

Tricks of the Trade: Readers share easy ways to keep glue bottles clean and a nifty sliding support for ripping sheet goods on a table saw.

Our Weekly Readers: What do you think about cutting dovetails by hand versus reaching for a jig system and router? Our online newsletter readers share their opinions on the topic.

The post July/August 2024 Issue Preview appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

That’s why Rockler’s J-Weight Cloth-backed Sandpaper Rolls will be so useful to turners. But this aluminum oxide abrasive will be equally helpful for general detail and finish-sanding, loading onto a sanding block for smoothing flat surfaces or even mounted to a piece of float glass for flattening and honing chisel blades, plane irons and plane soles.

Each 2-3/4″-wide roll has 20 linear ft of sandpaper. Tear off just the amount you need to complete the task at hand while minimizing waste. Rockler sells individual rolls in many useful grits: 100 (item 77435), 150 (item 70444), 240 (item 79292), 320 (item 76961), 400 (item 72776) and 600 (item 71319) for $9.99 apiece. Or, save some on the per-roll cost by buying it in a 3-pack of 20-ft rolls in 150-, 240- and 320-grits (item 76783).

The post J-Weight Cloth-Backed Sandpaper Rolls appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

Adirondack Rocker: Four years ago, we published a “Modern Adirondack Chair” plan, and Rockler sells template and hardware kits to build it. For this issue, we’re making that chair even more comfortable to relax in (and get out of!) by adding a set of rockers to it! Learn how to build it here.

Pedestal Stand: A benchtop lathe with bed extension helped our author turn a beautiful and handy focal point for displaying a candy machine. But you could easily modify it to showcase a favorite house plant.

Translucent Screen Shutters: Add elegant privacy to any window in your home without compromising sunlight.

Advanced Power Tool Techniques: No one we’ve met is wild about power-sanding. But our expert offers plentiful advice to help you sand more efficiently and effectively, regardless.

Tool Preview: Now and again, it sure would be handy to be able to cut ferrous metal on a woodshop band saw, wouldn’t it? Laguna is making that a reality with its new hybrid 14|CX Bandsaw. Learn more about it in this article.

Shop Talk: Sometimes woodturning accomplishment shouldn’t be measured by a stopwatch, and our essayist, Rick Weil, explains why. We also feature a Twin-Cities based lumber business that makes the most of discarded trees.

Tricks of the Trade: Tips for safeguarding a scroll chuck and keeping wooden face trim in alignment when installing it.

Our Weekly Readers: Hide glue has been around for centuries, but do you use it? Readers share thoughts about this ancient but still very practical wood glue.

The post May/June 2024 Issue Preview appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

Adirondack Rocker: Four years ago, we published a “Modern Adirondack Chair” plan, and Rockler sells template and hardware kits to build it. For this issue, we’re making that chair even more comfortable to relax in (and get out of!) by adding a set of rockers to it! Learn how to build it here.

Pedestal Stand: A benchtop lathe with bed extension helped our author turn a beautiful and handy focal point for displaying a candy machine. But you could easily modify it to showcase a favorite house plant.

Translucent Screen Shutters: Add elegant privacy to any window in your home without compromising sunlight.

Advanced Power Tool Techniques: No one we’ve met is wild about power-sanding. But our expert offers plentiful advice to help you sand more efficiently and effectively, regardless.

Tool Preview: Now and again, it sure would be handy to be able to cut ferrous metal on a woodshop band saw, wouldn’t it? Laguna is making that a reality with its new hybrid 14|CX Bandsaw. Learn more about it in this article.

Shop Talk: Sometimes woodturning accomplishment shouldn’t be measured by a stopwatch, and our essayist, Rick Weil, explains why. We also feature a Twin-Cities based lumber business that makes the most of discarded trees.

Tricks of the Trade: Tips for safeguarding a scroll chuck and keeping wooden face trim in alignment when installing it.

Our Weekly Readers: Hide glue has been around for centuries, but do you use it? Readers share thoughts about this ancient but still very practical wood glue.

The post Woodworker’s Journal – May/June 2024 appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

Bench Dog Small Chisel Plane

Rockler’s Router Bit Maintenance Kit

The post May/June 2024 What’s in Store appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.