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Logging Lunar Lumber

I warned them; I knew it would come to this. The five of us, connected in some strange way. If only we had taken care when logging lunar lumber. But now it’s too late. Charcoal filter masks. Safety glasses with tight gasket seals. Hell, I had even suggested custom fit hazmat suits with triple air[…]

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Triangle Marking System

The triangle marking system has been around for centuries, but many woodworkers just don’t get it. Throughout the years, I’ve seen nearly every possible incorrect application of this simple organizational system. The key to getting it right is simplicity. If you’ve done the thing correctly, there should only ever be a partial triangle on any[…]

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Gadrooning & How to Carve It

Years ago, as I wandered the rooms at Winterthur, a carved detail on some of the Chippendale furniture caught my eye – gadrooning. Although you may not be familiar with the term, you’ve probably seen this type of carving. It resembles a rope with alternating hollows and rounds. And while gadrooning is found on high[…]

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Seriously Simple Sulphur Inlay

If you’ve never heard of sulphur inlay before, you’re not alone. Even in the 18th Century, when the technique was popular, relatively few people knew about it. The fact that it was developed and used by Pennsylvania Germans in, and around, Lancaster, PA (a few of which traveled down through the Shenandoah Valley and settled[…]

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Bench Chisel Exercises Part 4: Simple Diamond Inlay

The culmination of the last three blog posts on Bench Chisel Exercises is today’s Simple Diamond Inlay. As my friend Ron Herman is fond of saying, “Perfect practice makes perfect.” And if you’ve been working along with the videos, you should be ready for something more complex and fun. Undoubtedly, the idea of setting up at[…]