Tool Skills

Tool Skills Product Finder

• Video: Upgrade Your Jointer with a Segmented Cutterhead

  with Roland Johnson

  Learn step-by-step techniques for upgrading a jointer with a state-of-the-art segmented cutterhead

• How to Master the Plunge Router

  by Gregory Paolini

  When it comes to getting the most from your plunge router, it makes sense to go a routing guru like Gregory Paolini. He has more routers than most woodworkers, ...

• Q & A: Need a Smoothing Plane? Start Small, Then Go Big

  by Chris Gochnour

• Video: How to Use a Height Gauge

  with Mark Schofield

  Learn how to dial in more precise machinery set-ups by using a height gauge.

• Do More with Your Dado Set

  by Steve Latta

  The dado set is a great tablesaw accessory that is unmatched at a variety of operations-grooving, dadoing, rabbeting, and tenoning-but you must use it properly ...

• Are You Getting the Most from Your Combo Square?

  by Philip C. Lowe

  The combination square is one of those essential tools that no woodworker should be without. Even if you are just starting out as a woodworker, it won't take long ...

• Consider a Shaper

  by J. Speetjens

  Even though routers and shapers perform the same basic functions, there are critical differences. In this article, professional furniture maker J. Speetjens demonstrates ...

• A Mallet is a Must-Have

  by Philip C. Lowe

  With its massive square head, a woodworker's joinery mallet is light enough to control but heavy enough to deliver plenty of power where you need it. The joinery ...

• Low-Cost Scraper Plane

  by Brian Boggs

  Most wood surfaces are easily handled with a sharp, well-tuned bench plane, but occasionally you'll run into an area of wood so ornery that only a scraper can deliver ...

• 9 Reasons to Own a Shoulder Plane

  by Chris Gochnour

  With its narrow profile, precisely milled sole, and blade that cuts fully into corners, the shoulder plane is much more than a specialty tool. In fact, contributing ...

• Buying Old Tools

  by Matthew Teague

  The used-tool market is a fertile place to find quality hand tools for affordable prices. Furniture maker Matthew Teague offers a road map to those just dipping ...

• Video: Sharpen a Marking Gauge Cutter

  with Scott Gibson

  Improve a pin-style marking gauge to mark clean lines across grain

• Video: Dick Jarmon: Ultimate Tool Collector

  with Matt Berger

  Porter-Cable's No. 1 fan shares part of his antique tool collection at 100th anniversary gala

• Tip: Lock Down Router Bushings without Damage

  by Kenneth Shaw

• Holtey to Sell Handplanes in Parts

  by Matt Berger

  High-end plane maker will offer do-it-yourself kits for the 'competent woodworker'