Awesome Woodworking

Woodworker Paul Jackman of Jackman Works acknowledges that pencils aren’t necessarily a popular way to communicate these days, but that didn’t stop him from making 1000 handmade pencils out of recycled pallet wood. It’s a time-consuming and repetitive task, but both the process and the end result are pretty nifty.

With enough shop skills and patience, you can turn ordinary sheets of plywood into beautiful patterned works of art. Woodworker Michael Alm takes us through his process as he transforms thin strips of ply into chevron, diamond, basketweave, and other patterns by cutting them at different angles and intervals.

Woodworker Matt Jordan shares an immensely satisfying woodturning video, in which he transforms a lumpy hunk of apple tree trunk into a beautiful work of functional art – though the final piece wasn’t exactly what he planned to make. The fillers are a mix of blue mica dust and ground coffee.

Woodworker lignum shows off another cool carpentry project. This time, he created the frame for a chair by bending layers of laminated wood slats using a custom-built form. After cutting, sanding, and assembling the pieces, he wrapped the finished frame with hemp rope to create a pliable seat and back.

Tool maker Woodpeckers offers one of the coolest programs for craftspeople that we’ve seen. Over the years, they’ve created more than 100 useful and unique woodworking tools, in very limited quantities, and for a limited time only. Check out their full catalog and check back for new tools often.

There are few more relaxing places than sitting in an old adirondack chair overlooking a lake. But if you want a little more room to spread out, check out this gargantuan version by Jackman Works. Want one for yourself? Just grab these plans and double the dimensions.

Keith Williams of Oddball Gallery shows off a sculpture he created from birch plywood. He first cut and assembled 180 triangular pieces into a geodesic orb, then sanded it to smooth the edges and reveal its grain. The sander time-lapse is so awesome. Here’s its little brother.

Woodworker Ollari’s shows us how – with enough talent and creativity – something as mundane as a hunk of old firewood can be transformed into a beautiful piece of art. We got a little nervous when he started drilling the holes, but it turned out brilliantly.

Furniture maker Lignum walks us through the painstaking process of transforming dozens of straight slats of wood into a beautiful handbuilt bench with smoothly undulating curves. It amazes us that most of the work is done using only clamps, patience, and lots of glue.

Frank Howarth is back with another awesome build – this time, he’s created a wonderful turned bowl using walnut and maple, with CNC cloud-shaped forms set into the sides. The stop-motion and orbiting time-lapse of the build is just the icing on the cake. (Thanks Victor!)

Ever wonder why if you’re gonna drop a couple of Benjamins for your fancy kicks that they’d come in a cheap cardboard box? Woodworker Kyle Toth shows us how to make a proper box for your spendy, trendy sneakers. Ironically, Kyle uses the box to hold his camera gear.