David Radtke, Author at WoodWorkers Guild of America

How to Make a Sapele and Birch Trivet

November 15, 2017 By David Radtke & filed under Last Minute Woodworking Gifts, More Woodworking Projects, Woodworking Plans, Woodworking Projects.

Here’s a simple project that looks great, and could easily burn up some of that scrap wood you’ve been hoarding for years. This elegant trivet will grace your table, and you can be sure friends will be asking for trivets for their tables, too. Download this as a PDF here Prepping the Wood Check the…

Build a Bow Sander

May 4, 2017 By David Radtke & filed under Plans and Projects, Woodshop Projects.

This cool tool is great for sanding those irregular shapes or cleaning up a radiused corner: stuff where you need that controlled hand/eye combination to get it just right. It’s made from a simple lamination of five 1/8” strips of white oak and has a simple wedge locking system. You don’t need any hardware, just…

Make Your Own Wooden Sign

November 9, 2016 By David Radtke & filed under Easy Wood Projects, Plans and Projects, Woodturning Projects, Woodworking Projects.

Some friends of mine have a cabin in the north woods with an out building for extra overnight guests to bunk up for the evening. It’s a great place to fall asleep on a moonlit night listening to the cooing owls and the foxes rustling through the brush. Both friends have a Swedish heritage so…

Tool Review: DeWalt DWS780 12” Dual Bevel Compound Miter Saw

October 12, 2016 By David Radtke & filed under Blog, Buying Advice, Product Review, Skill Building.

If you’re considering adding a new miter saw to your shop, don’t make a move until you’ve read this great product review of the DeWalt DWS780. Does it make the cut? Read on to find out. I’ve owned several miter saws in my woodworking career. In fact, when I started out in carpentry, we were…

How to Make a Boot or Shoe Jack

December 8, 2015 By David Radtke & filed under Easy Wood Projects, Last Minute Woodworking Gifts, Plans and Projects.

Whether you’re removing tight fitting boots or slip on shoes, you’ll love the quick and easy mechanical advantage of this do-it-yourself boot jack. We’ve laid it all out for you so you can easily learn how to make a boot jack too. We also provide boot jack plans below… Read more »

DIY Woodworking: Shop-Made Drill Press Table Plans

March 24, 2014 By David Radtke & filed under Plans and Projects, Woodshop Projects, Woodworking Projects.

This is a shop fixture that’s worth getting started on immediately. Stationary drill presses are definitely not set up for DIY woodworking. The cast round table below the chuck isn’t woodworker friendly or even metalworking friendly. Once you build this fixture you’ll love its adjustable fence for drilling equally centered holes and the stop block that…

Tools We Love: Dremel Multi-Max

December 27, 2011 By David Radtke & filed under Buying Advice, Tool Education.

I saw this tool demonstrated at a home center last year and bought it on the spot. I have to say the honeymoon is still going between me and this tool because I keep finding new tasks for it. I originally bought it to cut baseboard in place so I could butt built-in bookcases against…

I-Socket Vacuum Automator

November 29, 2011 By David Radtke & filed under Buying Advice, Product Review.

Tools We Love Until I bought this handy device, I’d hardly ever hook my vacuum up to my tools because it was too much bother. Then I’d find myself spending way too much time vacuuming up the mess later. The I-Socket solved my problem, and it’s effortless. It’s a cool plug-in device that automatically…

Custom Diameter Bit

October 15, 2008 By David Radtke & filed under Shop Tips, Skill Building.

A few years ago, I was installing some balusters that the customer had picked up from a salvage yard for his stairway. I went to my local lumber supplier and bought some 3/4″ dowels to insert into the bottom of each baluster so we could glue them into holes in the stair treads. When I…

Utility Blade Scraper: Make Your Own Cabinet Scraper

August 28, 2008 By David Radtke & filed under Hand Tools, Skill Building.

I came up with this nifty tool out of necessity while doing a custom cabinet installation. I had to fabricate some pieces on the job and noticed that there were milling chatter marks and tool burns on some boards that I had to finish and get installed that day. I didn’t have a cabinet scraper…