Need a place to keep your tools? Build this sturdy, spacious tool tote from a single board of almost any wood. You don’t need any hardware; just wood and glue.

Getting started with hand tools? Japanese saws are easy to use and produce a superior finish. They can also be much more affordable than comparable Western saws.

You need a vise for woodworking. Right? Wrong! Vises are a pretty new invention and woodworkers for centuries have used simple fixtures to hold their work. With a few scraps of wood and a few hours of work, you can transform the $30 Workbench into a complete workholding solution for all your woodworking tasks.

Need a plane for rough work? You can convert your Stanley 12-404. All you need is a block plane iron and a file.

If you’re getting into woodworking, you need a bench, but buying one is expensive and building your own takes some skill. But if we look back in history, we see that woodworkers used a simple, low bench. We can build this bench out of construction lumber and it’s just a weekend project.

Even wonder what makes a plane work well or poorly? Do you know what some planes are considered “cheap”? It’s not just cost.

You might have the Stanley 404 or you might need a cheap plane. This tool isn’t great, but it can be VASTLY improved with some simple tuning and sharpening. The end result is a totally usable tool at a low price.

Do you need a good mallet for your woodworking? You can make one with just a hatchet, a saw, and a drill. In this fast, easy project, you can make a durable and effective tool and you’ll use for years.

New to turning? Curious about the Spindle Gouge? Check out this tip sheet with all the details.

If you’re a new woodturner, you need to know about the parting tool. This essential tool lets you cut things off of turnings and set exact diameters. Learn all about it.

Want to try an easy project with simple hand tools? You can make this bench with construction lumber and just a hatchet, a drill and a hand-saw. Best thing: its actually really fun!

If you need mortise-and-tenon construction but faster and easier, try this turned and wedged joint. It’s strong and attractive and you can make it on the lathe in minutes instead of hours.

Ever wonder why some turners use wet wood or logs straight off the burn pile? Want to try it? Get the basics with this tip sheet.

Buying a big machine just to straighten board edges is kind of like swatting a fly with a sledge-hammer. You can do the same thing and do it really well with other tools.

When James Wright from Wood By Wright contacted me about doing a collaboration and then suggested we both build low-angle planes, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to build a dedicated shooting plane. 

If you make more than a handful of tools, it’s cheaper and more effective to harden your own blades.  It’s also not very difficult or expensive.

So, I learned how to weld.  But once I had a welder, I also needed a way to cut, sand, shape, grind, de-rust and de-burr my metal.  And so, I purchased the mighty angle grinder.

If you have a cheap, flexible tool that allows people to get into bowl-turning safely, then who really cares what you call it?

In my opinion, sharpening isn’t complicated (although it does take some time and practice to master) and it doesn’t need to be expensive.  Some common products will get the job done.