woodworking Archives | WoodWorkers Guild of America

WWGOA’s Top 5 of 2019

December 19, 2019 By Editor & filed under Blog.

As we near the end of 2019, WWGOA is looking back at what videos and articles our community has found most useful. We’ve rounded up our top 5 most popular videos and articles, picked by YOU. Read below to see the best of 2019.

Ebonizing Wood

September 19, 2018 By George Vondriska & filed under Skill Building.

The next time you’re working on a project that calls for a dark, opaque accent that looks like ebony, try ebonizing wood for the right look. It’s a fairly simple process, but works better on some woods than others. Ebonizing wood is not the same thing as simply coloring wood with ebony stain. When you…

Walnut DIY Knife Block Plans

November 22, 2017 By Seth Keller & filed under Last Minute Woodworking Gifts, Plans and Projects, Woodworking Projects.

Storing kitchen knives is a perpetual problem. Some people buy them one by one, and when not in use, the knives jangle inside a drawer getting dull and nicked. Other people store an enormous set of nine or ten kitchen knives, six steak knives, scissors, and a sharpening steel in a huge angled knife block…

10 Beautiful Woodworking Projects for the Home

July 18, 2017 By Editor & filed under Blog.

In this project guide, you will find instructions for ten of our favorite home woodworking projects, all curated by Woodworkers Guild of America contributing editors. These handcrafted items will be sure to complement any home style and make excellent gift ideas. Implementing a variety of common woodworking techniques, these plans are suitable for many different…

7 Must-Have Router Bit Types

June 29, 2017 By George Vondriska & filed under Skill Building.

Select from these router bit types for your next project. A router is one of the most versatile tools you can have in your shop, and there are MANY different router bits available. Here’s a guide to the seven bits I find most useful, and what I typically use them for. 1/8″ Round Over Bit.…

Rock-Solid, Low-Cost Bookcase Plans

May 18, 2017 By Paul Mayer & filed under Cabinetry, Plans and Projects, Woodworking Projects.

This bookcase plan is designed to be large enough to handle all of the books belonging to the voracious reader in your family, virtually indestructible to withstand years of abuse, and easy on the pocket book using inexpensive materials from your local home center. For about $100 you can have a bookcase that would cost…

Electrolysis Rust Removal

May 2, 2017 By George Vondriska & filed under Shop Tips, Skill Building.

Ever get to an auction or flea market and stare lovingly, but in despair, at a hand plane that you’d love to own, but are going to pass on because it’s too rusty? There’s a solution for this problem. Electrolysis. It’s crazy cool, and easy to do. Here’s the overview; submerge the tool in a…

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…

9 Last-Minute Woodworking Gift Ideas

December 2, 2016 By Editor & filed under Blog.

If you’re in need of a last minute gift idea, then put your woodworking talents to use and handcraft something valuable. For inspiration, we have compiled a collection of nine woodworking projects perfect for gifting when you don’t have a lot of time. These step-by-step demonstrations provide all the information you need to whip up…

Meet the Woodworker: Charlie Kocourek

November 23, 2016 By Editor & filed under Blog.

Meet Charlie Kocourek, winner of the “Best Furniture Making Blog” and “Best Cabinet Making Blog” categories in the 2016 WWGOA Blogger Awards! October 2016, WWGOA hosted a competition dedicated entirely to all those talented woodworkers out there who share their work with the blogosphere. We asked you to nominate and vote for your favorite bloggers,…