Rex Krueger
Published 29 Apr 2026All my plans!: https://www.rexkrueger.com/
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April 30, 2026
Where did Dovetails come from?
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April 20, 2026
How to sharpen a Thin Scraper | Paul Sellers
Paul Sellers
Published 12 Dec 2025We try to cover every woodworking hand tool we can to pass along the knowledge we have to future generations.
We’ve been asked for this video a few times, so here it is. How to sharpen a thin scraper. It has many uses, and the art should not be lost.
It takes only a couple of minutes to do, and you can approach even the wildest grain with this single tool.
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April 17, 2026
This is how drawers worked before screws
Rex Krueger
Published 16 Apr 2026The book I mentioned (affiliate): https://amzn.to/4mC2TWT
All my plans: https://www.rexkrueger.com/
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March 25, 2026
QotD: Advice to beginning woodworkers
Are you finding woodworking as easy as you thought? Or is your ardour being cooled by disappointment? If you have not encountered any serious set-back you are indeed fortunate. If you have, don’t worry; take heart — and the advice below.
One thing is certain: that, even though the craft is a lifetime’s study, the application of a few simple principles will assuredly bring success in woodworking. In the first place, never start a job until you know precisely how you are going to do it. Pass its construction step by step through your mind, so that you may hit upon the snags and mentally smooth them out. Making full-size working drawings is part of this thought-before-doing process. It compels you to think out your construction. Besides, full-size drawing is an aid (sometimes an indispensable aid) to setting out, and you need all the aids you can get.
Charles H. Hayward, “Beginner’s Trouble: Some Helpful Advice”, The Woodworker, 1936.
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March 19, 2026
The Two-Handed Chisel Technique You Should Learn
Rex Krueger
Published 18 Mar 2026All my plans!: https://www.rexkrueger.com/
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March 12, 2026
Deep Diving: Bit Sharpening | Paul Sellers
Paul Sellers
Published 14 Nov 2025Auger bits need sharpening from time to time, and they can seem complicated when, in fact, they are not. With a small saw file, auger bits of any size can be readily sharpened with just a few file strokes.
In this short video, I explain the process and walk you through what to look for in buying secondhand and how they will work for you.
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March 5, 2026
You Use This Every Day – Why This Shape?
Rex Krueger
Published 4 Mar 2026https://workingwoodenplanes.com/
https://www.eaia.us/
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February 19, 2026
An American anarchist
I’ve never met Christopher Schwarz, but I’ve read a lot of his writing in books, magazine articles, and blog posts. He’s forgotten more about hand tool woodworking than I’ll ever know, and he’s amazingly generous in sharing his knowledge with others. He calls himself an anarchist, which often puzzles people who only know of anarchism from media-presented bomb-throwing nihilists and conspiratorial Russian stories. Here he explains what he means when he uses the term:
“Chris Schwarz and Meredith Schwarz” by jessamyn west is marked with CC0 1.0 
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I get asked a lot about what I mean by the word “anarchism”, and if I could please explain what I mean when I use that word.
My answer is always unsatisfying. Here’s why.
For the love of creamed corn, why would I publicly discuss ideas that are – for now – a crime in our country? Why would I say – for example – that I think that copyrights and patents on things that use public money are bullshit? That wars are founded on lies? And that the state – in general – seems to be a menace to peaceable living?
That would be stupid. Dumb nuts.
Also, I am a practitioner of anarchism, not a philosopher.
If you want to know more about American anarchism (and aesthetic anarchism, specifically), you need to ask a philosopher, not a front-of-house worker. Read Native American Anarchism (Hachette Books, 1983) by Eunice Minette Schuster for an easy on ramp. Or Josiah Warren’s Equitable Commerce (1852) for the full banana.
The Anarchist’s Tool Chest: Revised Edition by Christopher Schwarz – Link.
Or follow the trail of breadcrumbs left in The Anarchist’s Tool Chest to figure it out yourself. The book describes how to disrupt the furniture industry by building things that never need to be replaced. It’s also about how to jailbreak yourself from a tool industry that offers up aluminum jigs as a substitute for skill.
That book is not the only path. There are other ways to throw a bunch of ball bearings into the guts of the IKEA robots.
Buy antiques or used furniture. The other week I was in Savannah, Georgia, and visited one of my favorite antique stores. The price of handmade antiques has hit bottom. So-called “brown furniture” can be bought for less that the cost of the materials used to make it.
Even though I make furniture for a living, I sometimes save time and money by purchasing vintage industrial furniture for our warehouse, fulfillment center and workshop. Megan’s giant oak desk from the 1960s cost us zero dollars (we just had to move it from an insurance office). Our printer and scanning station? An old workbench from Pennsylvania. Our associate editors’ shared desk? A giant vintage drafting table from Sweden.
And if you think for a moment, there are other industries and organizations that can be farted upon by your actions. The clothing industry is even worse than the furniture industry when it comes to making flimsy crap and abusing workers.
Yes, you can buy ethically made jeans, shirts and socks. Yes, you will pay a premium for these items. And if you can afford that path, great. If you can’t, then buy secondhand clothing.
I’ve always wanted a pair of R.M. Williams boots but could never afford them on a writer’s salary. Last year I found a used pair for about $100 where the owner had ragged out the elastic part of the slip-on boots. It was a stupid easy fix. And now I have boots I shall wear at my funeral.
The other side of the equation is that I’m denying the new-boot-goofin’ industry my dollars. Forever. I don’t have to buy a pair of shoddily made boots that can’t be re-soled and will have to be replaced in a couple years. All my future “boot money” will go to our local cobbler so she can re-sole them every few years.
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You can build a chair (Seriously)
Rex Krueger and Lost Art Press
Published 18 Feb 2026Patrons saw this video early: / rexkrueger
James’ Video: • Making a Chair With Friends – Christopher …
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January 29, 2026
This is how woodworkers carried their entire shop (for centuries)
Rex Krueger
Published 28 Jan 2026Patrons saw this video early: / rexkrueger
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January 18, 2026
OSS Lockpick Pocketknife for Secret Intelligence Operatives
Forgotten Weapons
Published 23 Aug 2025In early 1944, the Office of Strategic Services purchase 1,000 specialized pocketknives made by Schrade. Instead of regular blades and tools, these were lock picking knives, with one small blade, three different picks, and two rakes. Able to easily pass as a normal pocketknife on casual inspection, nearly all of them were issued out to OSS Secret Intelligence agents across the European, Mediterranean, and Far Eastern theaters of operation. Today only a few are known to survive …
OSS Equipment Catalog from Headstamp Publishing:
https://www.headstamppublishing.com/p…CIA Equipment Catalog from Headstamp Publishing:
https://www.headstamppublishing.com/p…
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January 11, 2026
Paul Sellers’ Thickness Guide | Paul Sellers
Paul Sellers
Published 19 Sept 2025Often in our woodworking projects, we might need many repeat cuts that guide our planes to give stock of precise thicknesses, and I make guides just like this one to give me the precision I need.
They are quick and simple to make, and you can change the thickness of the strips to match the thicknesses you need.
To access the Thickness Guide drawing follow: https://paulsellers.com/thicknessing-guide-drawing-and-cutting-list/
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January 6, 2026
Woodworking was WORK. What happened?
Rex Krueger
Published 5 Jan 2026Patrons saw this video early: / rexkrueger
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December 18, 2025
How to Carve a Star | Paul Sellers
Paul Sellers
Published 25 Jul 2025I have been asked to create this video for some time but couldn’t get to it. Here it is.
All you need is a good sharp chisel. This chisel is an Aldi, £2.50 version, so nothing special. The steps I show guarantee a positive outcome, but please be prepared to put in some practice on a scrap of wood. Avoid softwoods because they have hard and soft aspects surrounding the growth rings which are sometimes difficult to work with. I’m using cherry, but there are many choices that have consistent grain, such as poplar, oak, and walnut.
Carving this star took me a little over half an hour to do. With practice, you will get to understand the grain of the wood, direction and the chiselling techniques I used. I hope you enjoy creating your star!
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December 12, 2025
If You Want to Start Woodworking — Build This First
Rex Krueger
Published 10 Dec 2025Join the Mailing List: http://eepurl.com/g3rkmv
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