Woodworking & Workshop

Woodworking, welding, weekend builds and the shop you do them in.

The BRO Gear GuideBuy once, fix it, pass it down: a cost-per-use calculator, a warranty decoder and a repairability checklist.Judge it before you buy

GuideWes DunbarNov 6, 20265 min

Strop often, stone rarely, and know which one you need

A strop keeps a good edge alive for weeks. It can't rescue a dull one. Learn the difference before you ruin a chisel's bevel.

Your first saw should be a Japanese pull saw

From the Woodworking archive

Older stories

GuideWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

Stick, MIG or TIG, and Which One to Learn First

GuideWes DunbarSep 22, 20266 min

Build a garage workshop you'll use on a Tuesday night

GuideWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

Build the workbench first, and buy only four tools

GuideWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

Pocket screws, mortise and tenon, dovetails, in that order

GuideWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

Keep the span under 32 inches and your bookshelf won't sag

GuideWes DunbarSep 22, 20266 min

Build a tool tote first, and buy these five tools

Woodworking on video

Worth an hour of your evening

From channels we rate. Plays on YouTube.

Essential CraftsmanNov 4

The Man Who Thinks For Himself: A Dying Breed

Essential CraftsmanOct 31

The Timber Framing Turned Out More Beautiful Than I Imagined.

Essential CraftsmanOct 28

Construction Math is Overcomplicated. Use Sticks Instead.

Wood and ShopJun 20

How to Make Mortise and Tenon Joints with Hand Tools

Rex KruegerFeb 24

Mortise Basics: Marking, Chopping, Fitting

Stumpy Nubs (James Hamilton)Oct 14

Why you should try mortising by hand

Paul SellersDec 1

Paul Sellers | Mortise and tenon joint by hand, in oak

Casual BuildsJan 25

How to Get Started with Woodworking | Beginner's Guide

Steve Ramsey - Woodworking for Mere MortalsFeb 15

How to make a basic box. And why you need to know how | Woodworking BASICS | Power Tools

DIY MontrealSep 23

15 woodworking basics you should know

YouCanMakeThisTooMay 18

BEST First Woodworking Project for Beginners

Lincoln St. WoodworksDec 28

The only beginner video you need to watch....EVER

Wood By Wright ExtraSep 16

How I Got Started in Hand Tool Woodworking And First Projects for the Beginner

Workshop GuyAug 2

All Beginner Woodworkers Should Make These

Eoin ReardonDec 14

Beginner Woodwork Project - Making a Scrap Wood Mallet

Make SomethingNov 12

A Basic Stool. Your First Woodworking Project

Woodworking quizzes

Quiz yourself, then your friends

All quizzes

GuideDean ShawOct 9, 20265 min

A bench vise should outlive you, so buy it like one

Weight, a good screw, and parts you can still get in 2060: how to pick the one shop tool your kids will fight over.

GuideDean ShawOct 8, 20266 min

The cut takes nine seconds and the setup takes twenty minutes

One pine board, one rip cut, two very different Saturdays. The difference has nothing to do with the cut.

Ask BRO

What should I wear to this?

Ask it

StoryWes DunbarOct 7, 20265 min

Nobody at the lumber yard thinks your 2x4 is two by four

A Saturday morning in the stacks, a napkin sketch, and the lessons the guys in line learned the hard way so you don't have to.

Coconut.com — Tell us when. We find where the sun is.

PartnerCoconut.com

7 min read

Build a pair of sawhorses you're allowed to cut into

Five two-by-fours, one afternoon, and a design that expects you to saw through it. The best first shop project there is.

Poll

When did you last ask for a raise?

GuideWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

The first ten minutes after something hits your eye

Flush it, shield it, or drive. Knowing which one applies to a metal chip, a chemical splash or a wire bristle is the whole game.

GuideDean ShawSep 23, 20266 min

The workbench your grandkids will still be flattening

Mass, real joinery and a top you can plane flat again. Skip the screws and the polyurethane and this bench outlives everyone who uses it.

Dude.com — 16 AI advisers who listen, talk and are here with you

PartnerDude.com

GuideWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

Your fingers go white in the cold and that's the tool talking

Vibration white finger creeps up on weekend builders too, and by the time you notice it, most of the damage is already permanent.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

GuideWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

Cracking a window isn't ventilation when you're spraying

Solvent vapor sinks, pools at the floor and finds the pilot light. Here's how to move air properly, and which respirator cartridge actually does something.

GuideDean ShawSep 23, 20266 min

Build a cedar sauna bench and a backrest worth leaning on

Every fastener goes underneath, every edge gets rounded over, and nothing gets a finish. The rest is just careful ripping.

Ask BRO

Rewrite my CV so it actually gets read

Ask it

GuideDean ShawSep 23, 20265 min

Cheap tools that work and cheap tools that'll waste your wood

A $60 circular saw with a good blade cuts cleaner than a $200 one running the junk it shipped with. Where to save, where to spend, and what to buy first.