AW Extra Newsletter Archive

AW Extra - New Tools for the Well-Equipped Shop

2011-04-21T14:52:00Z

April 21, 2011 Today in AW Extra: New Compact Routers New Set-Up Jig for Lock Miters Win a Lathe or a Blade and Bit Set! New Specialty Saw Blades New Two-Handed Sander Start Planning Your Spring Projects! New Compact Routers Laminate trimmers (also called trim routers) are popular with woodworkers because of their diminutive size. Despite having limited power and not-so-precise adjustment controls, laminate trimmers are handy for small woodworking tasks. The game is about to change, though, thanks...(read more)

AW Extra - Spring into Outdoor Projects for Summer Enjoyment

2011-04-14T14:51:00Z

April 14, 2011 Today in AW Extra: 3 Projects for Gardeners Craftsman Style Outdoor Chair Win a Lathe or a Blade and Bit Set! Cypress Chest Café Table Start Planning Your Spring Projects! 3 Projects for Gardeners This spring, build something you can enjoy all summer. Each one of these three projects takes only about a day to build. Made from rot-resistant woods and assembled with weatherproof glue and rust-resistant fasteners, they’ll enhance your garden or deck for years to come. Read...(read more)

AW Extra - Get Framed! 18 Routed Picture Frames + an Ingenious Frame-Making Tip

2011-04-07T14:50:00Z

April 7, 2011 Today in AW Extra: 3 Routed Picture Frames Fab Frames Win a Lathe or a Blade and Bit Set! Make Quartersawn Picture Frame Stock Weekend Picture Frames Start Planning Your Spring Projects! 3 Routed Picture Frames Your router table is perfect for making picture frames and these three profiles are the perfect place to start. Each one illustrates a basic technique. Use them as springboards to create your own unique frames. Read the full post 3 Routed Picture Frames > Fab Frames Forget...(read more)

AW Extra - Happy April Oops! Day!

2011-03-31T14:48:00Z

March 31, 2011 Today in AW Extra: Oops! Sanding Au Naturel Oops! Flying Sawdust Win a Lathe, a Blade and Bit Set or a Tablesaw! Oops! Welded Router Oops! Talkin' Trash Start Planning Your Spring Projects! Oops! Sanding Au Naturel Disrespect your belt sander and you may feel like calling for Mommy ! Wouldn't it be better to tame your belt sander instead. Read the full post Oops! Sanding Au Naturel > Read the full post Tame Your Belt Sander > Oops! Flying Sawdust A saw that buzzes through...(read more)

AW Extra - 4 Ways to Be a Hero

2011-03-24T14:46:00Z

March 24, 2011 Today in AW Extra: Heroic Act #1: Build a Genuine Heirloom Heroic Act #2: Help a Fellow Woodworker Win a Lathe, a Blade and Bit Set or a Tablesaw! Heroic Act #3: Master a Difficult Joint Heroic Act #4: Man Up! Start Planning Your Spring Projects! Heroic Act #1: Build a Genuine Heirloom You've got the tools and the know-how, so why not go for broke—build an outstanding piece of furniture. This grand walnut bookcase conjures up images of an early 20th-century lawyer’s...(read more)

AW Extra - Frame & Panel Special—4 Ways to Make Doors

2011-03-17T14:44:00Z

March 17, 2011 Today in AW Extra: Slot & Spline Doors Tombstone Doors Win a Lathe, a Blade and Bit Set, or a Tablesaw Divided-Light Doors Curved Doors Start Planning Your Spring Projects! Slot & Spline Doors This simple frame-and-panel door is held together by splines cut from the same 1/4" plywood as the panel, so both parts fit the slots in the stiles and rails. This joinery is much faster to complete than traditional mortise and tenon joinery. Read the full post Slot & Spline...(read more)

AW Extra - Woeful Woodworking Tales for the Ides of March

2011-03-11T15:42:00Z

March 10, 2011 Today in AW Extra: Oops! Biscuit Slots Refuse to Align Oops! Router Bit Gouges Template Win a Tablesaw! Oops! Kink Sinks Saw Blade Oops! Tongues Refuse to Fit Grooves Start Planning Your Spring Projects! Oops! Biscuit Slots Refuse to Align I was cutting biscuit slots for a long edge joint the other day and everything was humming right along. But when I put the boards together, they didn’t line up worth a darn! Boy, my plate joiner technique could sure use some tips . Read the...(read more)

AW Extra - Great Projects to Celebrate Gustav Stickley's 153rd Birthday

2011-03-03T20:03:00Z

March 3, 2011 Today in AW Extra: Stickley Style Chest of Drawers Craftsman Style Magazine Rack Win a Tablesaw! Mission Style Bookstand Modern Mission Cabinet Start Planning Your Spring Projects! Stickley Style Chest of Drawers This striking chest of drawers is closely modeled after one of Gustav Stickley’s most famous designs. This version is nearly identical in appearance, but its joinery has been modified to strengthen the case and improve the operation of the drawers. Read the full post...(read more)

AW Extra - My Dog's Clamp Storage Tip + 11 More from Humans

2011-02-25T16:49:00Z

February 25, 2011 Today in AW Extra: 7 Classic Ways to Store Clamps Clamp Leash Cabinet Door Clamp Rack Win a Tablesaw! Clamp Camp At-the-Ready Clamp Rack Overhead Clamp Rack 20 Furniture Projects—Now Available! 7 Classic Ways to Store Clamps Woodworking clamps are like potato chips. You can't buy just one. In fact, there are so many different types of must-have clamps, keeping them organized and accessible can be a real chore. Here are seven solutions to stimulate your creative thinking...(read more)

AW Extra - The Jig is Up! 9 Must-Have Woodworking Jigs

2011-02-11T16:39:00Z

February 11, 2011 Today in AW Extra: 3 Great Router Jigs 4 Handy Tablesaw Jigs Win a Tablesaw! Ingenious Sharpening Jig Precision Box Joint Jig 20 Furniture Projects—Now Available! 3 Great Router Jigs These classic jigs for dadoing, mortising and making shelf-pin holes will expand your woodworking capabilities by leaps and bounds. They’re indispensable in any modern woodworking shop . Read the full post 3 Great Router Jigs > 4 Handy Tablesaw Jigs These useful jigs take advantage of...(read more)

AW Extra - Meet an Exotic South American and Other Gorgeous Woods

2011-02-04T16:19:00Z

February 4, 2011 Today in AW Extra: Experience the Magic of Cherry Compare Mahogany and Its Look-Alikes Win a Tablesaw! Unlock the Beauty of Oak Give Knots a Chance Meet an Exotic South American 20 Furniture Projects—Now Available! Experience the Magic of Cherry What is it about old cherry that’s so fascinating? Freshly planed cherry is surprisingly bland in color, but after a few years, it glows like the embers of a warm, comforting campfire. To make that magic happen doesn’t require...(read more)

AW Extra - Think Spring! Think Outdoor Projects!

2011-01-28T16:10:00Z

January 28, 2011 Today in AW Extra: Build a Garden Arbor Consider Using Plastic Lumber Win a Tablesaw! Build a Sunburst Patio Table Bone Up on Outdoor Finishes 20 Furniture Projects—Now Available! Build a Garden Arbor Add romance to your garden with this inviting gateway . It's a big undertaking, because of its design and scale. But it isn't a difficult project, because all the parts go together with simple joinery and basic tools. Read the full post Build a Garden Arbor > Consider...(read more)

AW Extra - Shop Projects to Fight the Winter Blues

2011-01-21T16:00:00Z

January 21, 2011 Today in AW Extra: Build a Heavy-Duty Folding Shop Table Upgrade Your Crosscut Sled Breaking News: Laguna Tools at Rockler Plumb Your Shop with Air Add a Double-Duty Shop Stool Win a Tablesaw! Build a Modern Router Table 20 Furniture Projects-Now Available! Build a Heavy-Duty Folding Shop Table Need more bench space? Here’s a folding worktable that’s both big and strong. And we do mean strong. It sets up in a minute for routing, sanding, planing—you name it—and...(read more)

AW Extra - It's Not Too Late! More Woodworking Resolutions for 2011

2011-01-14T21:23:00Z

Today in AW Extra: Master Hand-Cut Dovetails Explore Your Inner Woodworker Build a Solar Kiln Win a Tablesaw! Upgrade Your Hand Plane Flatten Monster Boards 20 Furniture Projects—Now Available! Master Hand-Cut Dovetails The handmade half-blind dovetail joint is an enduring symbol of fine craftsmanship. Mastering this joint typically takes lots of practice , but with American Woodworker Editor Tom Caspar's innovative new method , you can make perfect half-blind joints the very first time...(read more)

AW Extra - Woodworking Resolutions for 2011

2011-01-07T21:16:00Z

Today in AW Extra: Mill Perfect Edge Joints with Your Jointer Choose the Right Drawer Slides Turn a Wooden Baseball Bat Win a Tablesaw Build a Budget-Friendly Workbench Learn the Basics of Bent Lamination 20 Furniture Projects-Now Available! Mill Perfect Edge Joints with Your Jointer Jointers are supposed to cut straight, square edges—but all too often, they don't. Few things are more frustrating, especially when you're trying to mill perfectly-fitting edge joints. Here's a six...(read more)