Seth Keller, Author at WoodWorkers Guild of America

Homemade Router Table with Shop-Made Router Base Plates

June 25, 2010 By Seth Keller & filed under Jigs and Fixtures, Skill Building.

MAKE YOUR ROUTER A MORE FLEXIBLE TOOL WITH THESE SHOP-MADE BASE-PLATES. Everyone knows that the router is an incredibly versatile tool. A huge variety of router bits, aftermarket jigs, fences and guides for sale at home renovation and specialty woodworking stores make the possibilities for the router seem endless. The easiest way to broaden the…

Fix a Screwed-Up Table Top

May 4, 2009 By Seth Keller & filed under Furniture Making, Skill Building.

Did you use too long a screw, and now it’s poking through the tabletop? Here’s a ‘swell’ repair solution.Sending a screw up through a tabletop while attaching it to the apron is a disaster, there’s no question about it. I managed to do this four times when I grabbed the wrong length screws from a…

Perfect Hinge Mortises on Small Boxes

April 22, 2009 By Seth Keller & filed under Hardware, Skill Building.

Patience and Accuracy Pay Off. There is nothing quite as beautiful as a small wooden jewelry box and its promise of treasures hidden inside. Poorly installed hinges that bind or catch can ruin the anticipation of opening the lid. Installing hinges to hold the lid in place can be tricky, if not downright maddening. The…

Tame That Wayward Nail

March 3, 2009 By Seth Keller & filed under Shop Tips, Skill Building.

Errant nail? Pull, Don’t Push for the Cleanest Fix Air-nailers have made fastening much more efficient. I use my air-nailers on a daily basis to fasten small pieces of trim to cabinets, frames and doors. While the process is much more efficient, there’s a little less control when driving the nails, compared to hand nailing.…

Wood Staining Techniques: Stretch That Stain

August 28, 2008 By Seth Keller & filed under Finishing, Skill Building.

Wood Staining Techniques: How to turn that chunky old stain into a finish you can use. A client of mine dropped a large suitcase down her stairs and snapped a spindle on the railing. I was confident the spindle was a stock item at a home store, but I needed to match the stain and…

Use Chamfers to Hide a Poorly Aligned Panel Glue-Up

August 26, 2008 By Seth Keller & filed under Gluing and Clamping, Skill Building.

Small chamfers fix a gluing mistake.I’m under the gun. This small end table is the perfect gift for an old college friend, but I only have a couple of days left to complete the task. The only thing left before finishing is to square up and sand the top. Aaaagh! In my haste, I haven’t…

5 Expensive, But Worth Every Penny Woodworking Tools

October 29, 2006 By Seth Keller & filed under Buying Advice, Tool Education.

These expensive woodworking tools pay for themselves in accuracy and efficiency. I’ve been building custom furniture for many years and, like most of you, I’ve acquired my woodworking tools as I can afford them. The tools in this list might seem expensive, quirky, and even redundant, but stay with me and I’ll prove their worth.…