Heartwood: Woodworking by Rob Porcaro

Consider the strength of the end to side-edge joinery which we have put into three categories: mortise pair and free tenon, Domino, and dowel.  When did you see a properly made joint fall? I never have in my work. The dowel joint gets the most criticism regarding strength. Let’s discuss that. As an example, consider […]

Dowel joinery. It takes little equipment. Even beginners can do it with care. Yet among many woodworkers, it just does not get the states it deserves. Let’s consider. I learned the principle and technique mainly from pages 130 – 140 of The Fine Art of Cabinet Making, by James Krenov, published in 1977 and read […]

Before we get to dowel joinery and angled joinery, let’s briefly cover some more options for joining with a pair of mortises and a loose tenon. I mentioned the Multi-router. It has been around for a long time and now done by Woodpecker. Then there is the PantoRouter, designed by a very clever engineer prolifically […]

Progressing in the discussion of mortise and tenon joinery, it is now time to bring in Domino.  Put simply, it is a way to make a pair of matching mortises into which is placed a manufactured tenon. Properly set up, it gives fast, precise mortising and an accurately fitting tenon. We all know Domino. I […]

Now let us briefly go through some machine options for the classic mortise and tenon. However, the discussion on this post is that we can move on to more practical construction. For the mortice, the router takes over. The welcomed speed and accuracy make the whole job easier and more accurate. My changes of systems […]

The next few posts will cover a major woodworking task: how to join boards together from an end-grain edge to a side-grain long edge. As you are planing and designing a project, it helps to be aware of the many available options. To make a project, we want to engage in effective, pleasant working tasks […]

There are very few! Yet I, and I think the readers themselves, appreciate what does come in.  By the top trusted, popular, skillful blog-ranking companies documenting online, Heartwood is consistently ranked in the top 10 most popular woodworking blogs in the english/US language. It is between #6 – #9. That rates above some major woodworking […]

We all have squares in the shop. No, no, not nerds, but the 90° measuring tools needed for nearly every project. I will go through what I use in my shop. Not covered here are straightedges. Just squares.  Let’s start with “combination” squares – the blade can be slid along most of its length. I […]

These are tools that will surely come in handy but like all tools, they have capabilities and limitations. So let’s get the hands on. A variety is available. I have one with a flat face and one with a front-to-back curved face which is more useful. Blades are approximately 2” long. Other types are available, […]

For drafting work, the 0.5mm 2H pencil lead is perfect. HB lead tends to smear on the drafting paper, making a less neat drawing and more difficult erasure.  I use the wooden pencils, also 2H, infrequently because the point easily enlarges in contact diameter. That interferes with the precision of the drawing, especially in small […]

Now let’s go through some less commonly used writers – not actually pencils – that can help in the shop.  First is the one with the thick lead in the wooden handle. This is the CretaColor 5.6mm white chalk lead. Plain white chalk is a decent alternative. The black charcoal lead is less useful but […]

Pencils are tools. Nearly every project in the shop involves using them, and using the right ones for you really helps. I will explain my preferences. Of course, yours may differ but hopefully the lists in these posts will be of value.  The list starts with a good-old #2 (neutral HB lead) hexagonal wooden pencil […]

Here is the shop-made fence that I have been using since well before the current manufactured versions became available. It works very well for planing a board to a straight, 90° edge. Here is how to make it. Start with settled dry wood. I used quarter-sawn walnut with a straight, even grain. It is 11” […]

I have had these small sayings posted in the shop for a long time. I look at them often for their help. The one from the late Sam Maloof, above, is on the door of my drafting setup. I really need that advice! In the photo below, it is from the late James Krenov. It […]