woodworking tools

New Product: Yeti Smart Bench

February 28, 2020 By George Vondriska & filed under Blog, Buying Advice.

Every once in a while, I come across a tool that makes my jaw drop. The Yeti SmartBench, $5,995, is a great example. It’s a portable CNC that’s capable of cutting 4’ x 8’ sheets. What looks like an aluminum sawhorse or scaffold is a fully operational, small footprint, portable CNC router. Broken down, the…

Father’s Day Gift Ideas

May 15, 2018 By George Vondriska & filed under Blog, Buying Advice, Product Review, Skill Building.

Looking for the perfect gift for the woodworker in your life? With Father’s Day right around the corner, this is timely. But whatever the event, your favorite woodworker is certain to love these gift ideas.

WWGOA’s Top 10 of 2017

December 18, 2017 By Editor & filed under Blog.

With 2018 just around the corner, WWGOA has taken some time to look back at your favorite articles and videos from the last year. We’ve picked out our most popular woodworking topics of 2017 for you to check out below! 1. WOOD JOINTS: WHICH WOODWORKING JOINTS SHOULD YOU USE? There are tons of woodworking joint…

Must-Have Woodworking Apps for Your iPhone Pt. 1

October 21, 2017 By Paul Mayer & filed under Blog, Buying Advice, Tool Education.

In the earliest days of woodworking (or even just a few years ago for that matter), who would have ever thought that we would be talking about how to best utilize our telephones in the woodworking shop? Well, times they certainly are a changin’, and smart phones are capable of performing tasks that we would…

3 Reasons to Use Quarter Sawn Wood

March 7, 2017 By George Vondriska & filed under Skill Building, Understanding Wood.

Quarter-sawn wood costs about twice as much as plain-sawn. So, why use it? In order to understand the benefits (and extra cost) let’s look at how the material is milled from a tree. Imagine this is a log ready to go through a sawmill. I’ve sketched out plain-sawn cuts on the bottom half, and quarter-sawn cuts on the…

4 Table Saw Sleds That Will Improve Accuracy

July 10, 2013 By Jerry Seabaugh & filed under Jigs and Fixtures, Plans and Projects, Woodworking Projects.

Sleds are a very valuable asset. They provide a way to allow the work piece to travel parallel to the blade or cutter head to ensure an accurate cut on both large and small pieces, and even irregular shapes. They can have hold downs, clamps, and/or fences to hold the work piece secure during the…

Magnetic Clamp Pads: “Magna Pads”

July 10, 2013 By Bruce Kieffer & filed under Cabinet Making, Woodshop Projects, Woodworking Plans, Woodworking Q & A.

I love the name…It describes this clamp pad perfectly! I use shop-made 1/4″ thick mdf clamp pads to protect my work when I’m clamping. My clamp pads are easy to position on clamps across short distances, but impossible to set across distances that are greater than my reach. My solution was to embed a small…

General Mobile Base

July 10, 2013 By Staff & filed under Buying Advice, Product Review.

Although I’ve been in and around woodshops for a really long time, or maybe because I’ve been in woodshops a really long time, I’m never positive the first place I position a tool is the best one. Lesson learned? Keep everything mobile. That’s where General International’s new Heavy Duty Mobile Base comes in. The base,…

The Case for Cordless Nail Guns

July 10, 2013 By Paul Mayer & filed under Buying Advice, Product Review.

I have been a big fan of pneumatic nail guns for years, and like many woodworkers I have an arsenal of guns that can shoot anything from a tiny pin to nearly a railroad spike. I marvel at the power and precision of these tools, but like anything they have their downsides. For example, I…

Rockler Cord and Hose Holder

July 10, 2013 By Staff & filed under Buying Advice, Product Review.

I love having dust collection connected to my portable power tools, but I hate tangling with the cords and hoses. Rockler’s new Cord and Hose Holder, $29.99, helps solve this problem. The Cord and Hose Holder is adjustable in height and rises to a maximum height of 40” above the bench. It’ll clamp to benches…