Getting here was a little more eventful than I expected. It began with a bang …literally.

My wife and I were broadsided at an intersection. The impact caused our SUV to roll and slide more than 100 feet down the road. Somehow, we both managed to walk away with only aches, pains and plenty of bruises. We were very fortunate.

Recovery (physio) meant slowing down for a while. For someone who is used to being in the workshop and always working on something, slowing down doesn’t come naturally.

It did give me something I don’t often have enough of, that is time. I used much of that time to write this book.

Putting Decades of Woodworking Into a Book

I’ve been designing and making furniture for several decades now. During this time, my woodworking has changed considerably. My tools have changed. My shop has changed. The way I design furniture has changed.

But some things haven’t changed. I enjoy picking up a sharp hand plane. I appreciate well-cut dovetails. I get a great deal of satisfaction from taking a rough board and gradually turning it into a piece of furniture.

This connection to the material is a big part of what woodworking is about for me. This book grew out of those experiences. There are plenty of woodworking techniques in it, but I didn’t want to write another book that simply tells you how to perform a series of operations. There are already many excellent books that do that.

I wanted to talk about something else as well. The why behind woodworking. Why choose one method instead of another? Why use a hand tool when a machine could do the job faster? Why does one furniture design feel right while another seems off?

And most importantly, how do you eventually stop simply following other people’s designs and begin developing your own? These questions become much more interesting the longer you work with wood and have mastered skills and techniques.

Hand Tools Still Matter

Anyone familiar with my woodworking knows that hand tools play an important role in my shop. This doesn’t mean I avoid machines. Far from it. Machines are incredibly useful. I use them for stock preparation and other operations where speed, accuracy and efficiency make sense.

But as a furniture build progresses, I tend to move increasingly toward hand tools. There is a reason for this. Hand tools give you control. A finely tuned plane can remove an incredibly small amount of material. A sharp chisel lets you refine a joint exactly where it needs attention. A hand saw (Western or Japanese) gives you immediate feedback through your hands.

There is also something quieter and more deliberate about working this way. You begin paying attention to the grain. You feel how the wood responds. You notice the finer points that are easy to overlook when a machine is doing the work.

Hand tools sometimes get a bad rap for being slow. They don’t have to be. Once you become comfortable with them, hand tools are surprisingly efficient. Hand tools give you a level of control that is increasingly valuable as your furniture making improves.

In a one-person furniture shop, I find that machines and hand tools complement each other. Use a machine when it makes sense. Pick up a hand tool when it makes sense. There doesn’t need to be a battle between the two.

You Learn Woodworking by Working Wood

We live in an interesting time for woodworking. When I began, learning the craft usually meant books, classes or spending time with someone (a skilled mentor) who already knew what they were doing.

Today you can watch a video of an experienced furniture maker demonstrate almost any technique imaginable within seconds. That’s a wonderful resource. But there is a caveat to this. Watching someone cut dovetails doesn’t make you good at cutting dovetails. What may appear straightforward is often the culmination of years of experience.

Reading about sharpening doesn’t make you good at sharpening. Watching someone build furniture doesn’t make you a furniture maker. At some point, you have to put down the book or stop watching videos and go into your workshop.

You have to make something. Then make another one. And another. You will make mistakes. I certainly have. These mistakes are often where the real learning happens.

Woodworking is a physical craft. Your hands gradually develop skills that can’t be learned entirely from a book or a screen. There really aren’t many shortcuts. I don’t think this is a bad thing. The learning curve is part of the craft. I learned through making, both successfully and frustratingly through mistakes.

The Book Is Divided Into Four Parts

I organized the WOODWORKING: FROM DESIGN TO MAKING book around four areas that have been important throughout my own woodworking journey:

Woodworking Skills

The Furniture Maker

Furniture Design

Advanced Woodworking

Each represents a different stage, a different way of looking at the craft.

More about this in my next article!

235 Pages, 8.5 X 11 in. Non-fiction.
WOODWORKING: FROM DESIGN TO MAKING

Originally, the cabinet was designed as a tabletop piece. While it served its purpose well, I soon found myself continually moving it aside whenever I needed additional table space. It occupied valuable real estate and, despite its modest size, was often in the way. Although it could have easily become a small jewelry cabinet, that direction held little appeal for me. Instead, I began considering how the cabinet itself could evolve into something more purposeful.

The solution became a dedicated stand.

Designing a stand for a relatively shallow cabinet presents an immediate challenge, that of stability. Simply elevating the cabinet without increasing its footprint would produce a top-heavy piece that could easily tip. The stand therefore had to become more than a support; it had to become an integral part of the overall design.

As I explored various possibilities, I revisited several of my earlier furniture designs and spent some time studying the cabinet stands of James Krenov. One characteristic stood out: the cabinet often appears to float above its base. This subtle visual separation not only lightens the composition but also offers an opportunity to increase the overall depth of the stand without making the cabinet itself appear bulky.

By allowing the cabinet to project beyond the stand, I was able to gain approximately 1 ½ inches of additional depth. To further improve stability, I incorporated elongated, gently arched bird’s feet at the base of each leg. These graceful extensions added another two inches to the footprint while visually grounding the piece. The result is a cabinet that appears delicate and refined, yet possesses the stability expected of a free-standing piece of furniture.

The transformation extended beyond the stand itself. The European beech cabinet received several refinements, including new drawer fronts, contrasting applied edging, and a lowered base to better integrate with its new stand. These changes give the cabinet a balanced relationship with the stand while adding subtle visual interest.

Cherry was my choice for the stand. Its rich color provides a pleasing contrast to the lighter beech, while its strength makes it well suited for the long, slender components. The legs were cut from rift-sawn stock, providing straight, consistent grain that complements the clean lines of the design. To visually lighten the structure, the upper rails were staggered rather than aligned in a conventional arrangement. This asymmetrical treatment introduces rhythm while maintaining excellent rigidity.

Because the design intentionally omits lower stretchers, the upper offset rails assume a greater structural role. Strong mortise-and-tenon joinery secures them to the legs, creating a rigid framework without compromising the openness of the design. A small contrasting inlay was added to the upper front rail, providing a subtle focal point that echoes the cabinet’s contrasting details and visually ties the two elements together.

The (2) photographs shown above were taken immediately after completion. Within a short period, the cherry had already begun its familiar transformation, deepening in color and adding warmth to the overall composition. It serves as a reminder that fine furniture continues to mature long after the final coat of finish has been applied, developing character that only time can provide. Video demonstrates the natural aging of the cherry stand providing a contrast to the lighter cabinet.

Beyond the dimensional requirements, the only material specification was Maple. The client gave me complete creative freedom regarding the design, allowing me to explore several concepts before settling on a final direction.

After developing a number of sketches, I narrowed the design down to two distinct variations. One followed a more traditional approach with straight, vertical legs and familiar proportions. The second design was more contemporary, featuring angled or splayed legs that introduced a lighter visual appearance and a greater sense of movement. While angled-leg designs are certainly not new, I wanted to add my own interpretation by incorporating a pair of Cherry reinforcing rails near the base of the stand. These rails serve both a structural and visual purpose, tying the assembly together while providing a pleasing contrast against the lighter Maple.

Material selection is always an important part of the furniture-making process. I carefully sorted through my stock to locate boards with clean, straight grain. The top was glued up in (2) sections with close attention paid to grain direction and appearance. My goal was to create a harmonious surface with minimal grain conflict, allowing the form of the table rather than dramatic figure to become the primary visual focus.

The same philosophy carried through to the base. Straight-grained stock was selected for the legs, aprons, and other prominent components. By keeping the grain simple and consistent, attention naturally shifts toward the defining features of the piece, the angled legs, generous top, and contrasting Cherry details.

Construction progressed smoothly with few challenges. Determining the leg angle required some experimentation. I mocked up a leg against the underside of the top and adjusted the angle until the footprint achieved the balance I was seeking. The lower tips of the legs were positioned several inches inside the overall width of the top, providing a stable stance without creating an awkward overhang. Stability remained a primary design consideration throughout the build, both along the length and width of the table.

One of the final design details involved the Cherry rails. Rather than trimming them to their final length during initial assembly, I intentionally left them oversized until the very end of the build. This allowed me to fine-tune their appearance and create a subtle visual feature that complements the overall design. The resulting Hall Table combines clean lines, practical stability, and understated contrast, producing a piece that is both functional and visually distinctive.

After careful grain selection, I located boards with some nice straight grain. The top was glued together in halves with careful attention to the grain. I was seeking minimal grain clash with the simplest grain to not draw attention to the grain and instead the top. This also applied to the stand itself. The focal point was to the be angled, splayed legs and wide, clear top. The majority of components have straight grain, especially the outward facing upper and lower aprons, and legs.

The design and build were a success with few problems encountered. The angle of the legs was determined by mocking up a leg against the hall table top and measuring from center to the outermost tip at the bottom. I did not want the tip to exceed the width of the table top but a few inches shorter. This always with stability in mind, both along the length and the width of the table. The bottom Cherry rails were purposely left long during the build and were trimmed at the very end to provide an interesting, unique aesthetic.

As woodworkers, we often focus on joinery, machines, hand tools, and finishing.
Of course these skills are essential but they are only one part of the equation. Design is what separates furniture that is strictly functional from furniture that inspires. With the price of good, quality lumber today, it pays to take a step back and execute a well-thought out design rather than experiment with costly wood.

Understanding Purpose

Ask yourself these questions. What is the purpose of this furniture piece? How can I incorporate my voice and aesthetic (style) into the piece?

A dining table should accommodate family and friends comfortably. A cabinet should provide storage while complementing its surroundings. A chair must support the body while remaining visually appealing.

Function establishes the foundation of design. Before considering aesthetics, materials, or decorative details, find out how the furniture will be used. When function drives design decisions, the resulting piece becomes both practical and beautiful. You have probably read that “form follows function”. Instead, focus on both functionality and form, always with the aesthetic of the piece in mind. In contemporary design, functional necessities dictate the base requirements, but aesthetic choices can be integrated in to create a more well-rounded user experience. Form and function should be one, joined in a spiritual union. — Frank Lloyd Wright

The Importance of Proportion

An overlooked aspect of furniture design is proportion. Proper proportions create harmony between the various elements of a piece. Even simple furniture can appear elegant when proportions are balanced.

The relationship between height, width, depth, leg thickness, drawer sizes, and overhangs contribute to the visual success of a design. Small adjustments often make the difference between a piece that appears awkward to one is aesthetically pleasing.

Developing an eye for proportion takes time. Study historical furniture styles, examine successful contemporary designs, and train yourself to identify what works and why. I confess, I don’t always follow a drawn out design, sometimes a design is instead based around a special board with character. I also build based on my existing body of work and use this as inspiration. The more furniture you build and analyze, the stronger your design instincts become. Create scale models of your furniture designs to gain a better perspective of how the proportions relate to each other.

Drawing Inspiration

Inspiration comes from many sources. Nature provides countless examples of balance, rhythm, and organic form. Architectural details, historical furniture, and everyday objects can all influence new designs.

The goal is not to copy existing work but to understand the principles behind successful designs. Instead, I extract design elements from successful designs to incorporate in my own designs. By studying furniture from various periods and makers, you will recognize recurring themes such as symmetry, contrast, repetition, and visual flow.

Delving into the history of furniture has taught me about furniture periods and how not to chase styles but instead develop timeless designs. Over time, these influences become part of your own design vocabulary and voice.

Sketching and Visualization

My design process begins with simple sketches. These initial drawings allow my ideas to develop quickly without concern for exact dimensions.

A rough sketch captures the overall concept. As the design evolves, more detailed drawings help refine proportions, joinery, and construction details. Whether working with pencil and paper or CAD software, visualization allows potential problems to be identified before valuable materials are committed.

I often find that my best designs evolve through multiple revisions or iterations. Rarely does my first concept become the final piece. Design is an iterative process that benefits from patience and experimentation. I add or remove elements with each iteration but strive to keep the original form.

Material Influences Design

Wood is not simply a construction material. It is an integral part of the design itself.

Each species possesses unique color, grain patterns, texture, and working characteristics. A design intended for walnut may communicate a different character when built in maple or cherry. Understanding the strengths and limitations of a material helps guide design decisions.

More on the furniture design topic in my 2 online courses:
https://www.woodskills.com/furniture-design-course
https://www.woodskills.com/furniture-design-to-making

Grain orientation, figure, and board selection should all be considered during the design phase. Thoughtful use of wood enhances the visual impact of a piece while highlighting the natural beauty of the material.

Simplicity and Restraint

One of the most valuable lessons in furniture design is knowing when to stop.

It is easy to add decorative elements, moldings, curves, and embellishments. However, effective design often relies on restraint. Every detail should contribute to the overall purpose and character of the piece. I believe in the “less is more” principle.

The strongest designs frequently appear simple, yet every line, curve, proportion and wood graphics have been carefully considered. Simplicity allows both the craftsmanship and graphics of a piece to become the focal point.

Designing for Longevity

Trends come and go, but well-designed furniture remains relevant for generations. Simple styles achieve the greatest longevity and defy trends.

When designing furniture, I strive to create pieces that will still be appreciated decades from now. This requires focusing on timeless proportions, sound construction methods, and quality materials rather than temporary trends.

Furniture should age gracefully, developing character through use while maintaining its structural integrity and visual appeal.

Developing Your Own Style

Many woodworkers spend years searching for their own design style. The reality is that style develops naturally through experience. In other words, we are eventually drawn to the furniture we enjoy creating. I’ve been drawn to the style of James Krenov’s cabinets on stand with the addition of my own fingerprints in the work.

Every project teaches something new about proportion, materials, joinery, and aesthetics. As your skills grow, certain preferences begin to emerge. Over time, these preferences evolve into a recognizable design language.

Rather than chasing originality, focus on understanding design principles and building thoughtfully crafted furniture. Authentic style emerges from consistent practice and personal exploration. Over three decades of making furniture, I have found the following. After we have become proficient creating a type of furniture, the focus then should then turn to incorporating our style and aesthetic into the piece.

Conclusion

Furniture design is where creativity and craftsmanship meet. It transforms wood into something meaningful, functional, and lasting. While technical skills allow us to build furniture, design determines what we build and why. In other words, our design style becomes an integral part of every furniture piece we create.

The most rewarding furniture projects are those where thoughtful design, quality materials, and skilled craftsmanship work together in harmony. When these elements come together successfully, the result is more than furniture. The furniture we create becomes a reflection of our vision, experience, and dedication to the craft.

As woodworkers, we have the opportunity to create objects to serve generations. Good design ensures those pieces remain valued long after they leave your workshop.

Why I am saying this? Through my hand work and creativity I realize that an equal amount of intelligence is necessary to solve both design and functional problems. Applying the mind in the skilled trades is a daily occurrence. Every scenario is unique and involves not only skills and experience, but creativity and innovation. You can do both in life. The division people place on either white collar or blue collar work is unwarranted and usually comes from a disdain for manual work. Years ago, part of the school curriculum involved shop time or home economics. Students were introduced to trades and hand work. They developed an appreciation for these traits at an early age and formative stage of their lives. This knowledge is essentially gone today and instead substituted with computer studies. A very noble and perhaps “forward thinking” direction but at what price?

A mere 100 years ago a large amount of our lives revolved around physical work. The “trades” were a growth industry. Hand tool skills were a given. People were happier, they were creating! Fast forward to today, very few people create. We place orders online and have it delivered to our door. An appreciation for how these objects are designed and created has become non-existent. We take so much for granted today.

The conclusion is that distancing from hand tool skills has occurred far too quickly! Strictly speaking, if we look back at the evolution of man, 100 years is merely a blip. Too much change in too little time? How can we come to terms with this? I see many unhappy people as a result. Provide them a creative outlet, either in the form of art, making things, crafts, hobbies, and they become much happier. Throughout my life I have had hobbies, either flying R/C planes, auto mechanics, art, woodworking, electronics, etc. Each and every one of these creative outlets has brought me happiness and joy. I have been involved in circles and groups where creativity is the common bond. People love sharing ideas and what they have done and accomplished. They are positive, excited and their newfound skills have invigorated them. Maybe more of this needs to occur with people?

It is far too easy to say “I am an intellectual and refuse to get my hands dirty” or “I was not cut out for that type of work”. In reality, this is such a misplaced judgement call on those that are willing to expand their minds and explore creativity. Today, we have too much idle time being whittled away in endless arguments and debates on freedoms, politics and rights. Why not appreciate the life we have and instead embrace a return to hand skills and creativity.

Many people are not aware that several leaders and “so called intellectuals” did in fact explore their creative side. They did not have a disdain for people that work with their hands. I would even venture to say that hand skills should become a necessary component of our education. How else will we appreciate the objects we use in our daily lives. Developing hand to eye coordination is a valuable skill. Problem solving while making is one of the the best applications of the mind.

Jimmy Carter - accomplished woodworker and home builder

George Bush - accomplished portrait artist

Prince Charles - accomplished water color artist

Winston Churchill - prolific artist

Learn more about hand tool skills at: WoodSkills

To many woodworkers, a cabinet is simply a place to put tools. To me, it is much more than that. A well-designed tool cabinet is an extension of the craft itself. It protects valuable tools, organizes the workflow, and contributes to the efficiency and enjoyment of every project that goes through my shop.

Over the years, I have accumulated a wide variety of hand tools. Some are modern tools manufactured with precision machining. Others are traditional wooden tools, including molding planes and bench planes that I made myself. Each tool has a purpose, and each deserves a dedicated home.

When tools are stored properly, they remain ready for use. Edges stay protected, surfaces remain free from unnecessary damage, and the time spent searching for a particular tool is virtually eliminated. Every minute spent looking for a misplaced tool is a minute not spent building furniture.

My tool storage cabinets were designed around accessibility. Frequently used tools occupy the most convenient locations. Chisels, marking tools, hand planes, saws, and layout equipment can be reached quickly without interrupting the flow of work. Less frequently used specialty tools are stored securely but remain visible and accessible when needed.

Visibility is an important design consideration. A tool hidden behind several other tools tends to become forgotten. When designing a cabinet, I prefer closed cabinets and open racks, fitted holders, and dedicated compartments that allow each tool to be seen immediately. The cabinet itself becomes an inventory system. A missing tool is instantly noticeable, making cleanup and organization a natural part of the woodworking process.

The construction of the cabinets follows many of the same principles I use when building fine furniture. Solid wood, strong joinery, and thoughtful proportions create storage that is both durable and visually pleasing. While these cabinets serve a utilitarian purpose, I believe shop furniture should still reflect the standards of craftsmanship we apply to our finest projects.

One of the most rewarding aspects of building tool cabinets is customizing them to suit individual needs. Commercial storage solutions are designed for the average user. A custom-built cabinet is designed for a specific craftsman and a specific collection of tools. Every compartment, rack, and drawer can be tailored to accommodate the tools that are actually used in the shop.

My molding planes occupy a special place within the storage system. These tools represent a significant investment of time and effort, particularly those that I have made myself. Dedicated racks support them securely while displaying them in an orderly manner. Their arrangement allows me to quickly select the correct plane while also appreciating the progression of profiles and sizes that make up a complete set.

A well-organized shop contributes directly to the quality of work produced within it. In my case , order encourages concentration. When tools are easily accessible and properly maintained, I can focus on design, joinery, and execution rather than dealing with unnecessary distractions.

Over time, tool storage cabinets become more than just furniture. They evolve alongside the craftsman. New compartments are added, layouts are refined, and collections grow. The cabinets tell a story of projects completed, skills acquired, and tools accumulated through years of dedicated work.

In many ways, the tool storage cabinets in my shop are among the most frequently used pieces of furniture I have ever built. Although they don’t receive the admiration of a fine cabinet or table, they quietly support every project that leaves the shop. Their contribution is constant, reliable, and essential.

Like the best workshop appliances, they perform their task without drawing attention to themselves. Each time I reach for a tool and find it exactly where it belongs, I am reminded that good craftsmanship begins before the first shaving falls from a plane.

Working with hand tools provides me a quiet rhythm that machines can never replicate. In my furniture making, hand tools are not a nostalgic alternative to modern machinery, instead they are the means of how I connect with the material, refine my craftsmanship, and bring furniture to life with character and precision.

A sharp hand plane moving across a board informs me far more than a machine ever could. I can feel the density of the wood beneath the sole of the plane. I can read alternating grain direction through resistance and sound. Each shaving reveals something about the underlying wood.

Machines certainly have their place in woodworking. They can dimension stock quickly and perform repetitive tasks efficiently. But efficiency alone is not the goal of fine furniture making. Furniture should possess refinement, proportion, and a surface quality that reflects the hand of the maker. Hand tools allow me to achieve this level of control. With this in mind and after considerable thought, I now divide woodworking into two camps.

1. Fine furniture making (working with both wood characteristics and hand tools to achieve a result)

2. Wood processing (feeding wood through machines to achieve a result where expediency + efficiency are a priority)

Let’s face it, there is a huge commercial side to woodworking. This aspect is infiltrating the minds of many woodworkers and presents a dilemma. Should we stick with tradition or embrace the latest gadgets and whiz-bang machines promising to make our woodworking easier. I am not adverse to machines and they do provide a valuable service. I do use them in preparation and preliminary dimensioning of wood for a furniture project. When preparing stock, I often turn to hand planes not simply to flatten a surface, but to tune it precisely. A smoothing plane leaves behind a finish that requires little or no sanding. The surface retains clarity and depth because the wood fibers are cut cleanly rather than abraded. Under light, a hand-planed surface reflects differently. It appears alive with a chatoyance that sanding can never achieve.

Joinery is another area where hand tools excel. Chisels, backsaws, router planes, rabbet and shoulder planes allow me to fit joints with precision. A machine can cut a joint quickly, but hand tools allow me to refine the joint until it fits exactly as intended. A well-fitted mortise and tenon or dovetail is not only functional, it provides the mark of a handcrafted furniture piece.

In traditional furniture making, shaping is equally important. Molding planes, hollows and rounds, and specialty hand planes allow me to create profiles that would be difficult or impossible to reproduce with modern router bits. These tools open a world of subtle detail. A carefully shaped molding catches light differently along its curves and transitions. These nuances are what give traditional furniture its character and elegance. Lately, I have embraced molding planes in my work and have also made several hollows & rounds with a deeper understanding of how effectively to use them.

Hand tools also slow the process in a beneficial way. They force deliberation. In a modern world driven by speed and constant distraction, hand tool woodworking creates an environment of focus and attention. The noise of machines disappears, replaced by the sound of steel cutters shaping wood. This quieter process allows for greater awareness of each step and often leads to better decisions during construction.

There is also a deeper satisfaction that comes from building furniture primarily by hand. The experience becomes more than manufacturing an object, instead it becomes about craftsmanship in the truest sense. Every surface touched, every joint refined, and every profile shaped carries the mark of human involvement. The furniture gains warmth and individuality because of it.

Over time, I have come to see hand tools not simply as implements, but as extensions of skill and understanding. Learning to sharpen properly, tune a plane, or use molding planes effectively, develops sensitivity and patience. These skills accumulate gradually, but they fundamentally change how one approaches woodworking

Most importantly, hand tools create a closer relationship with tradition. The methods used centuries ago by cabinetmakers and joiners remain remarkably effective today. When I use molding planes or chisels in my furniture making, I am participating in a tradition of craftsmanship that goes back generations. There is value in preserving and practicing these techniques, not only for historical significance, but because they continue to produce exceptional work. The techniques that have been honed over a period of centuries.

In the end, my use of hand tools is not about rejecting modernity. It is about choosing a process that values refinement, quiet concentration, and direct engagement with the craft. Hand tools allow me to shape furniture thoughtfully, one cut at a time.

To address a blossoming demand for furniture, methods and processes were developed to create furniture in large quantities. The furniture was marketed in product lines where the same furniture design would appear in many homes. The advent of the Industrial Age furthered mass production of furniture. Innovative machines were invented to rapidly create joinery and assembly methods. I am not a Luddite by any stretch and am intrigued by these fast-paced developments in only a few short decades. I enjoy learning how machines work and how they are designed to fulfil criteria of manufacturing. The mid to late-1800’s were an exciting time in mass-produced furniture making to say the least.

With this understanding, the question follows of how the criteria of speed and production applies to a small furniture maker. I embraced machines in my early years of cabinetmaking and box making. I could create larger quantities (small batches) using machines and power tools. Applying hand tools would only slow me down and impact the yield. After all, woodworking had gradually moved away from hand tool work over two centuries. It made little sense to introduce hand tool woodworking to my cabinetmaking.

I made a sizeable investment in machines and power tools to effect increased production. To apply reason to all this, it is more relevant to introduce production-oriented methods to large scale furniture manufacturing. For the small furniture maker creating one-offs or one piece at a time, there isn’t much of an advantage to automating the processes. For the small maker, each furniture piece is different from the last. The advantage of repeatability no longer factors in. It becomes more important to create a superior piece of furniture that doesn’t appear to have originated from a factory.

Wood selection, grain orientation and highlighting wood graphics all come together to form the advantage of a small furniture maker. Attention to detail, hand carved details, fussy hinge installs cannot be reproduced in a factory. These are all characteristics that define the unique furniture created in a small workshop. Since the advantage of speed no longer applies, why not move away from noisy and dusty machines, and instead use hand tools? Hand tools lend themselves well to unique furniture as attention to detail separates it from its factory counterpart.

Over the past century, machinery and power tool makers discovered an untapped market in small furniture makers and woodworkers. Through clever marketing, machinery makers convinced small makers and woodworkers how machines will save them time and provide guaranteed results. I like to compare it to the domino (no pun intended) effect. A woodworker buys in and convinces another that the machine is a time saver. Like dominos, they all fall and acquire the machine. Soon, any alternative methods to the machine are abandoned. With these machines, comes an inordinate amount of setup time and expensive bits, blades, and attachments. In the meantime, centuries old manual hand tool skills are lost!

This brings me to today’s topic. In my earlier workshops I would think nothing of firing up a machine to perform a task. The secondary effect of loud noise was something I could not do much about. I simply learned to live with it as other woodworkers did. It was expected that a woodworking shop would be a noisy environment. Very few people questioned this and went about their furniture making and woodworking. It is interesting how we as humans adjust to environmental conditions. We unknowingly continue until exposed to improved, different or alternative conditions.

During my cabinetmaking training, noise was constant. Shared workspaces meant machines running while others carefully fit joinery at the bench. We were told this was standard, this was the reality of professional shops. If we wanted to succeed, we had to get used to it. So I did. I never thought to challenge it. No further thought was given to this, I just continued with my education. Looking back, it’s remarkable how easily we adapt to our surroundings, even when they’re less than ideal. I do need to mention that the dust collection in these large educational shop class environments is above par, with very clean spaces overall.

I outfitted my early workshops with some of the same style of machinery along with rudimentary dust collection as did most woodworkers of this era. Dust was constantly an issue, and I went to some lengths to minimize it. My efforts were fruitless most of the time even with dust collection in place. Machines simply generate large amounts of airborne fine dust. It becomes difficult to capture this, especially in a home workshop environment.

Noise was constantly an issue as well. My workshops at the time were in the basement of homes and machine noise emanated throughout. Although I made some effort at acoustically isolating the workshop from the living space above, the noise would travel through the home HVAC ductwork. In other words, the noise would find its way throughout the home at different intensities through the heating and cooling ductwork.

The dust and noise were overwhelming at times and ear protection was critical. Often, I would wear ear protection throughout my time in the workshop. My productivity was good, but I do recall spending an inordinate amount of time cleaning the workshop after my daily stint there. I often wondered if there was a better way, a way to make woodworking more peaceful, dust free and enjoyable. The noise and dust were wearing me down.

So years later and with further furniture making studies, I was introduced to hand tools and the quiet, noise and dust free environment they deliver. The period from 2004 - 2010 can be considered a revival of hand tools. Several woodworking magazines caught the wave and published articles on choosing and using hand tools. Woodworkers had seen the light and began substituting hand tools in place of machines. I would say this trend, although it continues, is more subdued now where woodworkers combine machines along with hand tools. This shift is not as extreme and more palatable.

In my furniture making, hand tools have reinvigorated the fine art of woodworking and opened up a deeper appreciation of the process as much as the outcome. I continue to be fascinated with techniques and skills developed hundreds of years ago and the tools that evolved in this period. So much so, that I have begun creating some of these hand tools, namely molding planes. More on this to come…

Woodworking with power tools and machines have become normalized over the past century. Our lives are rapidly being overtaken with technology that performs the labor-intensive tasks we were once accustomed to.

Machines bring an inordinate amount of noise and dust into our lives. This is the consequence of introducing expediency to our woodworking. Advancements in technology are viewed as progress, but our minds and bodies have not kept up.

Our bodies were designed to move and work. Hand to eye coordination is a trait developed over thousands of years. We are distancing away from this by having technology overtake our daily lives.

It is unlikely we will ever return to our former lives where tasks were hand powered. Instead, we need to strike a balance between progress and maintaining tradition.

This can occur through hand tool woodworking. There is much to be said of how woodworking was performed in earlier times. More specifically, woodworking is based on wood as a medium. Machines distance us further away from this medium.

Machines were developed for expediency in production environments. Machines process wood with little regard of the many intriguing characteristics of wood. With machines, wood is simply fed through and retrieved at the other end. Woodworking today revolves around machines that perform tasks that were formerly executed with hand tools.

We are rapidly losing the skills developed over countless generations. Substituting a machine for a hand tool task is far too easy in our modern world. Machines, although magical in how they process wood and spew completed furniture components out, should have a limited place in small workshops. This is what I advocate.

Combining machines with hand tools with a heavy emphasis on hand tools is a good compromise. Machines can process wood in the early stages of a furniture build. I speak of this with the knowledge of having worked in both environments, that of machines and that of hand tools. I call it my transition to hand tool woodworking.

Through exposure to hand tools and their application in furniture making, I have come to appreciate that woodworking and furniture making is far more fulfilling with hand tools. The tactile feedback of working with the nuances of wood is incomparable.

The compelling reasons for hand tool woodworking also revolve around a quiet, dust free shop environment. Creating furniture without the overarching concern for noise and dust allows me to enjoy the process and better focus on the task at hand.

After a mid-career furniture making education, I pivoted to using hand tools in my furniture making. Early doubts about the longevity of this change were quickly erased. Instead, I developed an appreciation of how hand tools provide a vastly different woodworking experience, a more fulfilling one.

Speed and expediency are no longer criteria in my furniture making, replaced instead by quality, patience, attention to detail, enjoyment and improved craftsmanship.

My emphasis has shifted away from that of seeking the end result or prize through any means. Instead, I invest more time in the selection of woods and in the process. A quiet environment in which to perform my woodworking has been the greatest benefit to my current furniture making.

Machines tend to make us want to work faster. After all, machines were designed with this singular purpose in mind. Many hand tool workshops, including mine, apply machines to work wood in the early stages of a furniture build.

In a hybrid shop environment, the ideal is to separate machines from the hand tool or bench area. With this separation, the traditional aspect of hand tool woodworking can be maintained in a dedicated space.

People and other woodworkers are often surprised to see that I use machines in my work. I explain that machines perform the grunt work so I can save my energy for handcrafted joinery, smoothing surfaces and the detail work that comes later.

Link to book: Quiet Woodworking: In An Unquiet World

For many woodworkers, it can actually be a step closer to the material, to the craft, and to the reason we started building things in the first place.

When I pick up a hand plane or a chisel, I’m not just shaping wood. Instead, I am responding to its nuances.

There’s a subtle but powerful feedback loop that happens with hand tools. I can feel the direction of the grain and sense resistance before tear-out happens. I can adjust, not by dialing in a setting, but by shifting my hands to accommodate the grain.

This level of control is difficult to reproduce with machines. Power tools remove material quickly, but they also remove the tactile feedback between us and the wood.

Hand tools bring it back. The resulting quality of the surface speaks for itself.

A well-tuned hand plane leaves a surface that doesn’t need sanding. With hand tools, I can skip this tedious step, the whole process of “going through the grits”.

Instead of a fine, pervasive dust, I get clean, continuous shavings. The fibers are sliced cleanly and not torn. The result is a finish-ready surface that reflects light differently, creating a chatoyance that sandpaper cannot provide. After sanding, it becomes important to apply a finish to wood to bring out it’s beauty. Through hand planing, I can skip this step. Simply burnishing the wood afterwards is sufficient of a finish. Let’s not forget, sandpaper and abrading wood surfaces is a relatively recent phenomena. Over centuries, scraping and hand planing performed this task.

Once you experience the simplicity in this, it’s hard to go back.

I prefer to work without the noise that we associate with woodworking. There is something different about a quiet workshop. I don’t listen to screaming motors and the roar of dust collection in the background, just the sound of “steel on wood” or “wood on wood”.

This has changed how I work. I have slowed down, taken a step back and notice more. I think more clearly through processes before removing wood. I place an emphasis on wood grain in my work because of how important it is when using hand tools. It is no longer about fast-paced production, instead more about refinement and honoring & respecting the wood medium. After all, wood is simply a medium to a machine. It can be particleboard, plywood or plastic for that matter. Not so with hand tools.

Hand tools are often labeled as slow. This is only true in the early stages of dimensioning wood. When I dimension large quantities of lumber, machines are the obvious answer. For detail work, adjustments, refinement and one-off work, hand tools are faster. The work is more predictable and I have better control over the process. There is relatively no setup, no need to bring out the “machinists” measuring tools. I can achieve precision simply by counting thin shavings.

Hand tools lower the barrier to entry for new woodworkers, it keeps the focus on the work itself, and not on acquiring expensive machines. Machines that promise efficiency and a solution can be substitutes for a lack of skills. Hand tool woodworking builds traditional skills that machines can’t teach. You develop a sensitivity and an awareness of how wood behaves, how tools interact with it, and how small adjustments make a big difference.

Hand tools also connect us to a long tradition of craftsmanship. The techniques, the tools, an approach refined over generations. If you haven’t spent much time with hand tools, incorporate them into your workflow. You don’t need to abandon machines to appreciate the more traditional woodworking focus they offer. I have and have never looked back. Hand tools have become an intrinsic component of my woodworking and furniture making.

I occasionally research previous furniture and design styles to develop a better perspective of the evolution of design over centuries. I often read that much today has already been done before, and after seeing some good examples of early decorative art and period furniture, I find some truth in this old adage. My favorite influential maker is George Hepplewhite and the associated furniture of his era. Furniture of the late 18th century has been mostly characterized by Chippendale and the cabriole leg design element. George Hepplewhite, however, is much less written about and known, and was characterized by the slight, tapered legs of his furniture and lightness and delicacy of his pieces. A considerable amount of 20th century furniture has been derived from this late 18th , early 19th century period and in particular the makers Chippendale and Hepplewhite. American Federal style furniture had its origins in the Hepplewhite style. Much of the design elements of this particular period have made their way into furniture of the past century. This can be considered a “revival” of a previous style in time, but I like to think of it as simply embracing design elements which were and continue to be pleasing to the eye.

When I flip through examples of furniture and decorative art representative of previous periods and styles, it is easy to see what worked and what didn’t work. Design elements which are pleasing and well-proportioned are carried into later periods, whereas the not so pleasing styles typically die off. Another trend is how previous styles of furniture are sometimes renounced and discarded only to be replaced with a radically different style of furniture. We see this very same phenomenon today in everything ranging from fashion, automobiles, and continue to see it in furniture styles and decorative art. A “revival” of a previous period, style of furniture, or decorative art then occurs, much like what occurs in the fashion world today. The reason I raise this, it is something to consider for designers and furniture makers today. We all have our favorite style as makers, but it is important to incorporate proven design elements in our designs, elements that have demonstrated the most success over the past few centuries. Since what we are designing is often derived from a previous style or work, it makes more sense to derive elements from successful styles of furniture or decorative art.

I’m a big fan of clean, simple lines with minimal adornment, although I like to incorporate some inlay and color into my work. The inlay work sparks my creativity and in a strange way provides me the impetus to complete the furniture so as to add the inlay detail. I can relate the piece of furniture to a large canvas and the inlay is the artwork. Other makers might define themselves through another feature on their work, perhaps some carving or marquetry. George Hepplewhite often distinguished his work with added inlay. A large proportion of Hepplewhite and Federal style furniture is inlaid with the exotic woods which had come into popularity by the late part of the 18th century and early 19th century. The cabinet in the photo above is representative of my minimal adornment philosophy.

A few art movements came to be in the early part of the 20th century. One of the defining art movements of this era was “cubism”. Cubism had a great influence on both modern art and later generations of art. Even today, if we look at art from the cubist movement, it looks contemporary and modern. Early 20th century Europe was a great turning point where innovative art movements were appearing all over. the continent such as Fauvism in France, a forerunner of Cubism, expressionists such as the Brucke and the Blaue Reiter in Germany, and Futurism in Italy. This spirit of innovation had gradually been evolving since the the 19th century and it is said the Cubism innovative art movement was begun by Picasso and Braque.

Cubism can be defined as follows, “leaving the tradition of seizing natural objects from a single angle under the laws of perspective, a tradition which had existed since the Renaissance, and while shifting the viewing point of the object to different positions,at the same time dividing it into many fragments seen from various angles, and rearranging these fragments later became an important characteristics of Cubism“. Cubism went through different phases over its short life, ranging from analytical to synthetic cubism. In its relatively short lifespan, much innovation occurred within the Cubism genre which has influenced later art movements.

The Cubist emphasized a flat, two-dimensional surface and rejected the idea that art should imitate nature, refusing traditional techniques such as perspective, foreshortening, modeling, and chiaroscuro. Spanish painter, Pablo Picasso and French artist Georges Braques in Paris founded the movement before World War I. The movement is considered to have its roots in the work of Post-Impressionist, Paul Cezanne. It reduced everything to cubes and other geometrical forms. Cubist artists depicted drastically fragmented objects, sometimes showing multiple sides simultaneously. Cubism was the forerunner of abstract art.

Cubism can be regarded as a wide ranging art movement that lasted from 1907 until the middle of the 1920’s. I designed the wood art in the photo above as a tribute to Cubism. It was an interesting exercise in design for me with cubism in mind, along with other criteria such as limited materials, stability, introduction of metal into the work, etc. The work depicts three levels of cubes, the larger virtual cube, the middle solid cubes, and the single dimension cubes in the form of inlay.

Taking a step back, the aesthetics and pleasing proportions are definitely at the forefront. I’m usually drawn to a piece of furniture or object that stands out with respect to the “look” of the piece. This one characteristic causes me to stop and further examine the piece by trying to understand what has drawn me to this particular design. This analysis aids my design process as I better understand what characteristics of an object or piece of furniture I am drawn to. We all have different styles of furniture that we are drawn to, but the common theme is good design. My favorite style of furniture is modern and contemporary. Typically even an admirer of period styles of furniture will stop at a well-designed modern piece of furniture to further analyze it.

We’ve all heard the saying that everything has already been discovered or invented. I have even heard of this saying applied to furniture design. After all, we’re re-shaping the same objects over and over... adding curves, changing proportions, adding ornamentation, removing the ornamentation, using darker or lighter woods, utilizing curves, replacing curves with straight lines, utilizing thicker or thinner components, etc. It is easy to come to this conclusion, however, I regularly see new pieces of furniture or decorative wood objects that make me sit back and say “wow, that is an interesting, unique design”.. or “that is a cool design, I wonder if it’s been done before”. In light of this, the boundaries of design are limitless, one just needs to think outside the box. Also, I feel that often using pre-existing styles as templates for a new design sometimes handicaps the designer, where the designer subconsciously has the existing style in mind and cannot get past it. Sometimes it is better to begin with a clean slate, in my case, hatch an idea then transfer it to pad and pencil and begin to sketch it without being influenced by pre-existing designs.

So I have conceptualized and hatched a design and transferred it to paper. I now have a sketch on a pad and need to evolve this sketch into an object. At this stage I begin to refine the design, since it is but a sketch at this point. The sketch now evolves into a drawing with more defined, straight and equidistant lines. This process involves a few iterations and I build from my previous drawing with each of the iterations. This process results in a drawing which closely resembles the wood object I wish to create. Although the shape of the object has been essentially defined, an important component of the design is yet to come. Many of my designs have the type of wood and the grain graphics of the wood as the focal point. I usually begin with the design and then select woods with interesting graphics. Graphics is another word for grain pattern and the mix of heartwood and sapwood on a board, which can be either pronounced or subdued. I then spend time determining how to incorporate this interesting wood into the design.

On occasion, I instead create a design around a particularly interesting board or set of boards which have exciting, interesting graphics. Basing a design around a particular board or set of boards can be quite challenging, and I like to rise to challenges. I find challenging myself expands my skills and provides me a different outlook on the design process. Instead of a methodical approach, it is instead “material based” for lack of a better set of words.

These are my two approaches to design. The first one involves drawing and refining a design and then acquiring a selection of woods to make the piece. The second approach involves having wood with interesting graphics and basing a design around this wood. This approach is more of an artistic approach to my craft, whereas the first approach I would say is the craftsman method. They both have their place and serve a purpose. I typically use the artistic approach for speculative work and use the more structured craftsman method for commissions where a design needs to be defined. Once the design is fairly complete and drawings ready, the technical details are determined. These details involve the dimensions of the individual pieces of wood, the joinery involved, is there any alternative media in the piece?

I get excited about finding a board or boards with interesting graphics and color and then creating an object with this wood. This must be the artist in me...

dy·nam·ic - Characterized by continuous change, activity, or progress.

As my wood art or studio furniture is being handcrafted, sometimes the design I originally envisioned can be improved at different stages, or the original design can remain as is.

Having this flexibility provides a continuous excitement for the wood artist or studio furniture maker along with the benefit of improvising on the original design after seeing the wood art at various intermediary stages. An excellent example is the hall table design in my previous posts. I had chosen to invert the base of the table for both aesthetic and technical reasons. Not to say the original design of the maquette would not have worked, inverting it just simplifies a design dilemma for me and introduces a new aesthetic to the piece. After creating the maquette, I realize I needed to have a fairly stable, strong sub-base to be able to support the V-shaped arch, whereas inverting the base utilizes the points of the arches as legs.

Often, we become fixated on a particular design and don’t bother seeking out alternatives which often stare us right in the face. Case in point, I have been creating a new design for smaller furniture pieces, and as part of my philosophy I strive to use as many materials in my possession as possible, without continuously sourcing new material for the components. Scale model representations below.

Working with material at hand sometimes limits what I can do, but on the other hand challenges me to work within certain constraints, in this case certain materials. So this would be an instance of what I like to call “dynamic design”. Sometimes the beauty of a design is also in its simplicity. Simplicity is one of the tenets of the minimalism philosophy. I must admit that I am a fan of “minimalism”, and have read at least one book on the subject. You tend to gain a different perspective on design after being exposed to the philosophy of minimalism.

I began by tackling two large grey bins that were literally overflowing. I could not place one more scrap piece in them. The laborious task of sifting through them began. It was much like an archaeological dig of past projects. Each layer reminded me of an earlier project and once I got to the bottom I could see some of my earlier work. I moved the larger pieces to two large cardboard boxes to be stored away in a completely different part of the building. The remainder I intend to use as fireplace kindling. Once I got through the first grey bin, the second one was easy. I conditioned myself to be discriminating and if I thought the offcut was not worth saving, it would become kindling. It has been at least 3 years since these bins have been completely emptied.

Next were 3 other wood piles that had grown to an unwieldy size. One pile in particular beneath my vacuum pump had become an eyesore. This had to get sorted out. I recently purchased a new shop vacuum and the box it came in was a large enough size for these longer offcuts. Next issue was where to place the box. If I kept it in plain view I would have accomplished nothing except move wood offcuts from one pile to another. I needed to find an unused space, preferably out of sight. The space behind a dust collector was not used and just the right size. The large box of offcuts was also placed on a small dolly with casters I had lying around. Now I can conveniently access these longer offcuts and if necessary easily move the box to a different location.

With this all done, I tackled the shelves under two of my larger workbenches below. It is so true what they say that these shelves eventually become storage for anything and everything. By now I was merciless, I wanted clean surfaces free of clutter. This exercise also provided me the opportunity to get re-acquainted with some buried tools and hardware.

The last task was to clean the tops of the two smaller, identical workbenches below. In one case, the workbench top had not been cleaned in maybe 3 years. Everything was removed from each of the two workbench tops and put back in its place, be it drawers or cabinets. From now on I will work hard at leaving workbench surfaces free of clutter and deal with offcuts as I work through a project. After all, I have enough offcuts already to last a lifetime. Will I ever use them all, probably not. Maybe donate them to woodworkers that create smaller objects?

Last but not least is a large beast of a workbench (seen below) I made years ago. I had moved this workbench to an area of the lower level workshop and it has slowly become a storage area with occasional use as a workbench. I need to tackle this area next and cull some of the wood, tools and hardware accumulated over the years. I have always enjoyed using this workbench and want to make it available once again. So I will be cleaning and tidying up this area up tomorrow with the intent to have a usable workbench once again.

I’m not 100% sure of the origins of the Moxon vise design, but it is widely attributed to Joseph Moxon. Joseph Moxon (8 August 1627 – February 1691), hydrographer to Charles II English printer specialising in mathematical books and maps. Moxon’s 17th century book. The Art of Joinery first described the double-screw vise. In this historical publication was documented the Moxon vise - a double-screw held to a workbench top with clamps or holdfasts in order to facilitate certain work.

The main criteria for me was to be able to hold work above the standard height of a workbench. Rather than piece together the hardware for the vise itself, I opted for the Benchcrafted Moxon Vise hardware kit as it includes everything mechanical. I would need to supply the wood and shape the vise jaws (chops). This would be for the basic vise. A more complex version with an additional work table behind the vise would involve several more steps. The overall length of the Moxon vise has yet to be decided on, but will be in the 28 to 32 in. range.

So after deliberating on the design, I simply went at it and worked on the front and rear jaws. Not having 8/4 stock available to me, I opted to laminate some 4/4 maple pieces instead. In the past, I have had success with the strength and stability of 4/4 boards laminated together. In selecting the boards, I mixed the grain orientations up so each of the laminated boards would counter the grain of the other board. This, in my opinion, balances out the internal stresses of the woods and keeps it all straight and stable. Laminating one of the jaws here with 4/4 boards. As they say, one never has enough clamps. In the pic below, this was almost the case, but it worked out. I do have other clamps, but for the most part, they are lighter.

The Moxon vise build continued and the vise was completed a couple of days after beginning the project. There was a considerable delay in determining the optimum length of the vise. This actually held me back since making it too short is essentially non-correctable later. Too long and there is a weight penalty as these Moxon vises tend to be heavy, especially with the Benchcrafted solid iron handwheels. Although the extra mass and weight can be your friend when clamping boards down, portability of the unit is also a consideration. I would need to determine the size of panels I most often worked with. In my work, I never go over about 20 inches in width so I set this as optimal distance between the screws. Then, using guidelines on screw hole placement provided in the Benchcrafted instructions, a final length of 28 inches was decided on. I did follow the suggested screw hole placement in the Benchcrafted instructions, this saved some time. Next was to mark the 3/4 inch screw holes and begin drilling, careful to have the holes in the front and rear jaws perfectly aligned.

Mortising for the captive nut in the rear jaw inside face was performed using bevel-edge and mortise chisels. Hard maple is well.. hard! In this case, the mortise chisels excelled at hogging out material from the 3/4 inch deep mortise. With a softer hardwood, lighter bevel-edge chisels would have been sufficient. I also oriented the nut so it would align well with the long edges of the rear jaw, mostly an aesthetic consideration.

After test-fitting the Benchcrafted hardware and ensuring it worked smoothly, the next step was to attach a large block of wood to the rear. This block of wood both stabilizes the vise assembly and allows holdfasts to clamp the Moxon vise to the workbench top. Several other intermediate steps were performed, always careful to get alignments exactly correct. There is almost no room for error in making these vises since replacing either of the jaws is both time and material consuming.

A table extension and vertical support was then added after ensuring the stabilizer was effective at clamping down the Moxon vise to the workbench. The table allows me to extend horizontal boards for marking dovetails. I customized the design to use an extra row of dog holes in the center area of my workbench. I have two of these workbenches set as my primary workbenches, so the Moxon vise will be completely portable between benches. The vise can also be located almost anywhere on the workbench surface as the holdfast locations are optimized to clamp the stabilizer block of wood at rear of the vise. I am using Gramercy holdfasts but any holdfasts can be set up for use with the vise.

More detail of the handwheel, screw, and captive nut can be seen above. The table is reinforced below both long edges for maximum support, this to allow for any mallet work. i.e. chopping out dovetails. A large design consideration was to not make the Moxon vise too heavy as I would often be removing it from the workbench top and/or moving it between workbenches. The table size was optimized for this vise and the type of work I do. When designing your own Moxon vise, you need to determine the size of boards and panels you most often work with. The overall length of the Moxon vise is an important consideration in its design, it is best to get it right the first time!

Workbench accessories - any workbench add-ons that facilitate the holding and clamping of boards or panels. Boards or panels can be mounted on their edge and along their length. You get the idea...

Workbenches can be large in size, massive in weight and beautiful looking but their ability to hold and clamp boards is one of their most important criteria. So holding or clamping a long, wide board along its length can be a challenging tasks of a workbench. In an earlier workbench I incorporated a sliding board jack that worked in conjunction with the face vise. This has and continues to work well since I had built this workbench from the ground up and allowed for the addition of the sliding board jack. With two of my newer slab-type workbenches, adding a sliding board jack was much more of a challenge. I did not want to modify the workbenches or drill screw holes through the tops. Adding an apron or skirt with dog holes along the length of the workbench top was an option, but this involved modifying the workbench itself.

Enter the portable board jack. I designed it to easily attach to the underside of a slab-type workbench top where it serves to support the free end of a long plank or board. It can be left attached to the workbench or removed when no longer necessary. It can also be moved across the length of the workbench or relocated to the opposite side of a workbench. It can just as easily be moved to another workbench. The nice part is there are no modifications necessary to the workbench.

After a period of testing, I was pleasantly surprised at how well it works. It’s completely unobtrusive and designed to accept standard 3/4 inch or 20 mm accessories such as surface clamps, bench dogs and shop-made planing stops. The portable board jack can be adapted to any slab-type workbench top without an existing apron or skirt as can be seen in the images. A face vise at one end keeps the board securely clamped on edge. Jointing the edge of long boards has become so much easier and second nature to me now.

The hole arrangement on the portable board jack is optimized for the work I do but can be modified if necessary. I no longer give any thought to attaching or clamping a long board on edge and along its length to my workbenches. Often, I simply need a peg to be able to rest the free end of a board on. This allows me to quickly and easily flip the board around to work both long edges.

Now, I just selected my most-often used side of a workbench to work on and leave the portable board jack attached. In the future, I will possibly be creating another board jack for my other, similar workbench. This adds to the versatility since it will no longer be necessary to move the board jack from bench to bench.

So this is how I now attach and clamp long boards to a workbench. These are boards that are too long to simply clamp to a face vise. It just makes it so much more pleasant to perform hand planing or hand tool tasks once a board or panel is securely clamped. I like for this to be straightforward so I can focus on the task needed instead of spending needless time on securely attaching and clamping a board to a workbench.

This alternative tail-vise setup is used when face planing boards. Most flat, regular benches can easily be modified to incorporate this hand planing setup using bench stops (Roubo style). Photos below are of the bench stop setup on the workbench in my workshop. This bench has been modified for adapting the two bench stops. Adapting a bench can be expanded for longer bench stops, more holes for versatility, etc. I chose this particular hole spacing for the type of work I do. I am also left-handed and plane left to right, therefore I set this up on the back side of my bench which is unencumbered by a face vise ( the face vise at front of bench ).

It is critical to get the 3/4 in. dowel holes square to the bench and in-line with each other, to ensure that the 12 in. bench stops are perpendicular to each other. The side bench stop does a great job of preventing the board from rotating sideways while hand planing with diagonal strokes. It has a large bearing surface to keep any size board from rotating. The side bench stop is also movable within a 12 in. span on 3 sets of holes, allowing for narrow boards and wider boards (2 in. to 14 in.).

The side bench stop can be swung around towards the front bench stop with a parallel set of holes, this is to accommodate shorter boards. Pictures above and below provide a better explanation.

The wide front bench stop also serves to prevent the board from rotating or shifting sideways as it has a large bearing surface for the front edge of the board. Bench stops (front and side) are friction fit so they can be raised (1/4 in. to 3/4 in.) to accommodate thicker boards, very much like a bench dog. Otherwise, the minimum height of the bench stops would be approximately 1/4 inch. The hole spacing is arbitrary and based on the type of board sizes I typically hand plane in my own furniture making. two inch long birch dowels are glued in the bench stops using ebony wedges. The wedges are inserted into kerfs created in the ends of the dowels for tightness. Kerfs at the ends of the dowels are cut on a bandsaw.

A benefit of having a board simply against bench stops is that you really cannot drag the plane back in your strokes since it would pull the board back. This trains you to lift the hand plane instead of dragging it back. The only wear on the blade then is from the forward stroke. Also you eliminate the tendency of bowing a thinner board caused by clamping between bench dogs and tail-vise and distorting the board while planing. You also gain more tactile feedback and control of your planing and it becomes easy and quick to re-orientate the board end for end or flip it over, etc.

Typical bench stop setup to act as a tail vise.

More holes can be added to allow for very short boards as done in bottom pictures. It is then a matter of swinging the side bench stop around towards the front bench stop. The spacing and location I have selected is optimized for the length and width of boards I typically hand plane in my furniture making.

The bored 3/4 in. holes can also be used for bench dogs and holdfasts for irregular sized pieces.

Align side bench stop to be perpendicular with face of front bench stop using a large square to mark holes. This ensures complete edge of the bench stop is against the board to be planed.

Side bench stop set to narrowest width, closest to edge of bench.

Bench stops can be raised or lowered as conventional bench stops for thinner or thicker boards.

A short, narrow piece of lacewood being planed.

Parallel set of holes bored to accommodate shorter and wider boards shown above. It is recommended to lay out all the holes you will need for this system and then drill them. This method ensures that all holes are square and perpendicular to each other and the front bench stop.

A small, wide panel being face-planed.

So still using this 20 yr. old system along with a newer tail vise system I developed a few years later. I’ll post about that in coming weeks!

As a few of you may know, my woodworking and furniture making career is the second journey in my life. A long, first career in the hi-tech industry preceded my current career. It is often fruitless to view life through a rear-view mirror but I often think of how it would have been if the leap had been taken earlier on. When I began in hi-tech, technology was rapidly advancing and I could not absorb enough of it. My life revolved around computer technology and software. I worked for possibly the best multi-national computer firms and there was a mutual respect of what we brought to each other. Hi-tech today is quite likely the same where change is fast and furious. However, sometime in the middle of the hi-tech career I began to realize that grasping the latest technology was becoming a full-time job. It became increasingly difficult to keep up with the latest in hardware and software. I shrugged this off and continued on the journey, after all I did need a career and a paycheck.

My performance was above par but it became obvious I could not keep the façade going for several more years. The technology was just not as exciting to me anymore. I felt something was lacking in my life and began to seek a creative outlet instead.

A short time later I discovered woodworking through an evening class and was smitten. The creative aspect of woodworking and making tangible objects with the hands was the part lacking in my life. My focus began to turn to woodworking and the hi-tech career simply devolved into a series of jobs and earning a paycheck. One thing led to another, I launched a small part-time woodworking business over 25 years ago, it grew but not enough for me to leave hi-tech. The struggle of juggling employment with the part-time business eventually took its toll. I retreated and told myself the next step was to become a full-time woodworker. Life gets in the way however! A marriage, new home, a couple of downsizings later and I could finally live the dream of having my own furniture making business. So I wrote a book about the journey!

I often ask myself if I had remained in the hi-tech industry for perhaps ten years too long. Looking back, I should have possibly exited hi-tech, struggled at woodworking and not look back. The hi-tech employment became a crutch and it was the paycheck that kept me from leaving. It is difficult to say what the best path would have been. Circumstances were different in my case, it has all worked out in the end, but the “what if” lingers! Today, I see many younger woodworkers taking the leap into full-time woodworking and commend their courage. After all, why pursue a career you no longer have an interest in. This is one of life’s biggest lessons and as mentioned earlier it is difficult to look back through a rear-view mirror. I recently read an article that summarized people’s biggest regrets later in life. The regret of not having pursued their dream was high on the list. To summarize, pursue your passion! To add to this, I began to embrace hand tools and the hand tool skills that accompanied them. More studies ensued and today I work mostly with woodworking hand tools. So even within woodworking, there are multiple paths one can take in the pursuit of creativity. I teamed up with a videographer and created the following video in the form of a 5 minute synopsis of my exciting second career in woodworking and specifically furniture making!

A younger generation of makers has slowly begun to appreciate the creation of things with their hands. Increased waste going to landfills brought awareness to the never-ending cycle of consumerism. Let’s face it, people are much less likely to throw out something they have created themselves. The virtues of designing and making an object has returned people to their heritage of being self-sufficient, inventive and to not be reliant on industrially produced goods. Through handcrafting, people could imprint their own mark on an object and customize the design to reflect their own aesthetic. The current maker movement is simply an evolution of the arts & crafts movement which has defined creative people for countless decades. The maker movement is an updated form of the craft movement where new materials, technology and ideas are being incorporated into craft.


A spin off of the maker movement has been the return to creating one’s own furniture. In fact, a large and growing segment of the maker movement revolves around designing and building furniture. The best part of this is how young people have once again embraced the creation of their own furniture for reasons different than in the past. In the past, the younger consumer could not afford furniture so instead built their own. Today, the reasons for building your own furniture revolve around handcrafting, channeling creativity into a furniture design, and the process of creating an object. It isn’t so much about the result but the experience of getting there. Younger makers today are turning furniture design on its ear by shunning age old design constructs and paradigms, and instead embracing a fresh outlook on furniture design.

In the past, bolder and radical furniture designs were the product of reclusive studio furniture makers with limited means of communicating with one another. Today instead, younger makers are informed primarily through social media. Practicality and functionality of design have become the new criteria for furniture design. The furniture of this new generation of makers embraces universality and democratizes design.

Social media plays an important part in design today within the maker movement. Through social media, furniture designs have become instantly available to both inform and influence other makers. Through social media, makers can quickly adapt an existing design to their own aesthetic or style. The process of fleshing out designs is considerably accelerated through social media and democratization.

So from what I observe, things are looking up for furniture making and woodworking in general. There is a resurgence occurring in this decades old creative outlet. A new awareness of the virtues and benefits of creating objects using wood as a medium is occurring. I am fairly active on social media and an often awed by radical new furniture designs from this new maker movement. Along with this, the democratization of design will hopefully benefit us all as we can extract elements of shared designs to incorporate into our own work.