What kind of small toys or devices click when you rotate them forwards and backwards? Seeking mechanism or design... [more inside]
posted by pallen123 on Nov 21, 2009 - 13 answers

I bought a lathe and a friend asked me to make new handles for the door of his wood stove. His current handles are both severely charred and ugly. Any recommendations as to good (and beautiful) char-resistant wood and/or methods for controlling the charring which occurs where the handle attaches to the stove?
posted by frogmoses on Oct 15, 2009 - 12 answers

Where can I find woodworking plans or guides for creating outdoor furniture with a minimum of fasteners? [more inside]
posted by odinsdream on Sep 8, 2009 - 13 answers

I'm thinking about commissioning some custom furniture and don't have a clue how to go about it. [more inside]
posted by bpm140 on Sep 6, 2009 - 7 answers

WoodworkingFilter-- I need a basic list of wood sculpting tools [more inside]
posted by nax on Aug 31, 2009 - 7 answers

Carpentry-Filter: Can you help me identify this butcher block style wood, and figure out how to best cut, sand, and finish it for my project? Pics inside. [more inside]
posted by wfrgms on Jul 24, 2009 - 13 answers

Is there such a thing as a face-mounted doweling jig? [more inside]
posted by gilgamix on Jul 16, 2009 - 6 answers

I am looking to make Five Intersecting Tetrahedra out of wood. I have made the paper model using the instructions here - when it's done, it looks like this. However, I am at a loss when it comes to figuring out the angles at the apex of each point where three units meet. [more inside]
posted by alrightokay on Jun 26, 2009 - 10 answers

A tree that I was sentimentally attached to has died. What long-lasting thing can make out of its wood? [more inside]
posted by sciapod on Jun 1, 2009 - 26 answers

Woodworkers of MeFi, what reference books about wood do you recommend? Please note that I'm not looking for books on the craft of woodworking so much as for reference books on the varieties of wood and their properties. [more inside]
posted by orange swan on May 18, 2009 - 11 answers

What do I need to know to become a coffin builder? Are there regulations I have to follow? How should I sell them? How much should they cost? [more inside]
posted by davey_darling on May 7, 2009 - 20 answers

How do I clamp a 3' long bookcase for gluing, without expensive long clamps? [more inside]
posted by condour75 on Mar 15, 2009 - 23 answers

Can someone help me fix my beautiful old wooden doors? [more inside]
posted by bonecrusher on Feb 16, 2009 - 7 answers

Where can I learn to build furniture in or near Montgomery Country, Maryland? [more inside]
posted by Loto on Jan 18, 2009 - 5 answers

How likely is it that a funeral home is dishonest? They're pushing a $11,000 mahogany coffin whose wood was apparently soaked in sea-water for seven years first. Google doesn't seem to think this is a standard carpentry practice, although I have found mention of briefer immersions in order to drown any parasites that might attack the wood during later storage and processing. [more inside]
posted by d. z. wang on Dec 28, 2008 - 27 answers

Emergency gift filter! Where can I find a top-notch woodworking supply store in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx, Long Island or northern Jersey that's open this Sunday (Dec. 21)? [more inside]
posted by DeWalt_Russ on Dec 19, 2008 - 10 answers

Can you recommend a good woodworking pocket knife for a 12 year old? [more inside]
posted by genefinder on Dec 16, 2008 - 14 answers

Can anyone recommend a reliable, affordable handy(wo)man in Brooklyn / NYC? [more inside]
posted by Dr. Wu on Dec 8, 2008 - 2 answers

Does anyone know where I can find plans for building a gallows? I want to build a miniature gallows for hanging plush pandas on stage with my band.
posted by tastypiesinc on Nov 7, 2008 - 10 answers

Looking for the real name of a "locking" or "clicking" hinge for a project. [more inside]
posted by gzimmer on Nov 5, 2008 - 2 answers

Looking for plans to build a futon frame out of wood. [more inside]
posted by gzimmer on Oct 26, 2008 - 5 answers

I'm a not-too-handy college student who needs a final project for a required woodshop course. Suggestions? [more inside]
posted by mccarty.tim on Oct 9, 2008 - 13 answers

Woodworkingfilter! How do I square a piece of wood without a jointer or planer? [more inside]
posted by WinnipegDragon on Sep 12, 2008 - 13 answers

I'm at the point where I'm about to apply varnish to a burled redwood table top. What's best to bring out the details of the burl? [more inside]
posted by sub-culture on Sep 3, 2008 - 5 answers

What nice hand-made gifts can I make as a beginning-to-intermediate woodworker? [more inside]
posted by WinnipegDragon on Aug 12, 2008 - 18 answers

Woodworking: What is it called when there are long pieces of stronger wood inserted into a table top made of softer wood? [more inside]
posted by idledebonair on Jul 29, 2008 - 6 answers

My daughter is beginning to learn to build furniture and has a particular interest in learning how to identify exotic and really any furniture-quality woods. She is a visual learner so pictures rather than wordy descriptions work best for her. [more inside]
posted by mumstheword on May 25, 2008 - 9 answers

I want to get started with woodworking. Where can I start? [more inside]
posted by sweetkid on Apr 13, 2008 - 9 answers

How hard would it be to build this desk? [more inside]
posted by mekanic on Mar 5, 2008 - 21 answers

Wood router recommendations sought. [more inside]
posted by amtho on Mar 1, 2008 - 11 answers

I have a mirror that looks like the one in this picture. The frame broke. [more inside]
posted by sweetkid on Feb 22, 2008 - 7 answers

Where can I buy wood in the Bay Area that is not Home Depot or Lowe's? [more inside]
posted by fief on Feb 9, 2008 - 14 answers

What are some good beginner's level woodworking books that don't require any/many power tools? [more inside]
posted by drezdn on Jan 25, 2008 - 8 answers

What set of power tools can I assemble that will allow me to build things out of wood and will store in a closet? [more inside]
posted by Foam Pants on Jan 22, 2008 - 23 answers

Woodworking filter: What steps can I take to ensure a home-built bed can withstand, umm, nocturnal escapades? [more inside]
posted by toomanyplugs on Jan 18, 2008 - 15 answers

What's new in Canoeing/kayaking or woodworking? [more inside]
posted by drezdn on Oct 22, 2007 - 15 answers

Constructing a floor to ceiling desk/bookcase/close/organizer thing, but I don't have a good idea and need some help. [more inside]
posted by stormygrey on Oct 4, 2007 - 5 answers

how can i figure out where i should place the holes and how large they should be on a bamboo recorder i am making? [more inside]
posted by KaeporaGaebora on Sep 27, 2007 - 6 answers

Ways to cut threads into wood? [more inside]
posted by drezdn on Jul 10, 2007 - 4 answers

Bending a piece of wood... how? [more inside]
posted by dobbs on Jul 9, 2007 - 11 answers

Calling all woodworkers! Can you help a noob build a very unbalanced but sturdy piece of furniture? Googling about joinery has proved fruitless and my woodworking skill is lacking. Feel free to also tell me to give up and recommend custom furniture makers in the Atlanta area! [more inside]
posted by TheNewWazoo on Jun 26, 2007 - 21 answers

Where can i find a good beginners carpentry or woodworking class in Los Angeles?
posted by cwarmy on May 24, 2007 - 4 answers

I have a bunch of wooden casing moldings around the interior doors of our Washington, DC home, and over the past 75 to 100 years, they've taken quite a beating. I'd love to slowly replace the worst of them with identical moldings, but despite a pretty exhaustive search on my own, I can't find anyone who still carries anything with the same profile. Does anyone have any tips for molding manufacturers/sellers that have good variety, especially of moldings that are accurate to the turn-of-the-century period? [more inside]
posted by delfuego on Apr 13, 2007 - 12 answers

I have a family heirloom desk that is heavy wood (likely maple), has two drawers on the right side, and no center drawer. It is from a time long before typewriters were in common use. How do I install a keyboard drawer on an antique desk without permanently damaging the desk? [more inside]
posted by mshellenberger on Feb 23, 2007 - 3 answers

What should I expect to pay for some custom millwork? Assuming, of course, that the hive mind doesn't tell me I'm an idiot... [more inside]
posted by phearlez on Dec 28, 2006 - 10 answers

How do I build a rack to store spools of thread? [more inside]
posted by 10ch on Nov 13, 2006 - 11 answers

I'm about to buy a house that has a workbench in it and I'd like to learn some woodworking. Can anyone point me to some resources for learning the basics? I mean I know measure twice, cut once, but beyond that, I'm lost.
posted by sholdens12 on Nov 3, 2006 - 15 answers

This being a historical antecedent of this, I have a two part question: [more inside]
posted by Chrischris on Aug 3, 2006 - 1 answer

I have a 1997 Telecaster Plus with a rosewood fretboard that I'd like to darken up a bit. [more inside]
posted by KevinSkomsvold on May 19, 2006 - 11 answers

I want to get thin birch plywood pre-cut into small pieces. [more inside]
posted by sevenless on Mar 5, 2006 - 14 answers