Jonathan Benson makes his triumphant return to the Woodsmith Woodworking Seminar stage this Thursday! 

Back in the spring of 2005, Jonathan, a master furniture designer, builder, and author, took us step-by-step through some of his favorite methods for veneering. Jonathan has just finished writing a book called  "Veneering: A Comprehensive Guide." (You can see examples of his work at his website.) He builds beautiful furniture.

His "Constructivist Hall Table" combines striking walnut veneer with a granite top. Its kinetic design makes you feel it could get up and walk away at any minute. The "Pyramid Pedestal" mixes bubinga veneer and Cocobolo on the base, vintage African satinwood arms, a granite top and gold plated capstone with a halogen light under the top for illumination. You can find some more examples of his work at our Gallery.

When I think about it, probably 80% of my routing is done on a router table. A router table makes my work more accurate. It handles multiple (or repeat) cuts easily. And they’re definitely best for routing small parts safely, not to mention, large bits that would be unsafe (or impossible) to use in a hand-held router. And with the right accessories, like the Feather-Loc featherboards shown in the photo above, it becomes even safer.

Phil Huber took the usual tips seminar and went a step further. During his seminar — "Router Table Tips, Tricks & Techniques," which is the subject of this weeks Woodsmith Woodworking Seminar podcast, he shows us some practical uses for a router table like routing joinery for drawers using a 1/4″ straight bit. Plus, he gives us some great pointers for perfect rails and stiles with just one router bit — a slot-cutting bit. You’ll be surprised at just how easy it is to rout stub tenon and groove joints with this bit.

If you’d like to follow along in the seminar guide, it’s available from PlansNow for only $4.95. It has a lot of great information and is 18 pages long! Guides from previous (and upcoming) seminars are also available here.

One of the biggest differences between a great custom cabinet and something you’d find at Cabinets-R-Us is a great-looking panel. So how do you end up with panels that pop? Well, there’s more to it than randomly gluing up some boards.

Craig Ruegsegger starts by choosing boards with the right grain pattern, then he spends a lot of time blending them for a balanced look. During this week’s Woodsmith Woodworking Seminar, he’ll take us through 4 or 5 steps to obtain that perfect panel.

One of the reason’s Doug Hicks’ table saw is so versatile is because of all the simple "shop-built" jigs and accessories that he’s accumulated over the years. These accessories allow him to do more with the table saw and do it faster, better, safer, and with a lot less effort.

During this week’s Woodsmith Woodworking Seminar podcast, you’ll learn all about 10 of his "Favorite Shop-Built Table Saw Jigs." He’ll even show you how to build a few of them. If you want to know how to build all of them, make sure to visit PlansNow and order a copy of the seminar guide for download. It costs only $5.95 and includes an outline of the seminar (you can follow along as you watch the podcasts!) and detailed plans for his ten favorite table saw jigs and accessories.

Remember you can also subscribe to the Woodsmith Seminar Video Podcasts using iTunes.

My grandpa was a serious handyman. He used the workbench in his shop for everything from planing a board to rewiring a motor. In the process, he hammered, pounded, chiseled, drilled, gouged, beat and mauled what seemed like a thousand dents and holes in the top of his workbench. But he was proud of that bench and so many times if he’d made a big hole or a dent in it, he’d get out his chisels and a scrap of hardwood and repair the dent by patching it with a "dutchman." I never connected those bowtie-shaped patches with fine furniture at the time, but in effect he was adding an inlay.

During this week’s Woodsmith Woodworking Seminar — Router Inlays: Adding Decorative Details — Dennis Perkins, an assistant editor for Woodsmith and ShopNotes magazines, will show us how to use a router inlay kit. Instead of a chisel, he routs the recess with a router fitted with a kit that includes a bushing locked to the base plate, a removable sleeve, a down-cut spiral bit, and a home-made template. The offset created by the sleeve matches the diameter of the spiral router bit. The removable sleeve allows him to rout the inlay and the matching recess with only one template.

Another way to add inlay to a project is to use color-tinted epoxy. Dennis will demonstrate an easy way to do it. Woodsmith used the process to add a decorative detail to an end table project that was featured in the magazine. The seminar is Thursday (2/15) starting at 6:30pm at the Woodsmith Store.

Bringing home and setting up a new tool, especially one that gets used as often as the table saw, provides the average woodworker with several opportunities to CYOM.

Don’t know what CYOM means? Well, let’s just say that we’ve all done it at one time or another. Since few stationary power tools are shipped completely set up and ready to use right out of the crate, the first thing you’re likely to do is CYOM — “Consult Your Owner’s Manual.”

The owner’s manual will help you with several things, like removing backlash from the raising and tilt mechanisms and adjusting the trunnion. But there are lots of tune up tips that are left to the imagination (or aren’t required until after you’ve used the saw for several weeks). That’s where Craig Ruegsegger can help.

He’s put together quite a few quick and simple tune up techniques that will vastly improve the quality of the cuts you’ll make with your table saw. These tips and techniques are the subject of this weeks Woodsmith Woodworking Seminar Podcast: Tuning Up Your Table Saw for Perfect Cuts. You’ll find this seminar and all the previous seminar podcasts at WoodworkingOnline.com.

During the seminar, Craig makes a few references to the seminar guide or handout. This guide is full of great information, including a couple of articles from ShopNotes magazine. The cost is only $4.95 and the 9-page guide can be downloaded and printed right from your computer.

Remember you can also subscribe to the Woodsmith Seminar Video Podcasts using iTunes.

The next time you build a cabinet in your shop, be sure to stop and thank the guy who figured out how much of a real work- and timesaver a router, mounted upside down underneath a table, could be. I know I do.

Sure, building the carcases is no small effort. But without a router table to help with the drawers and doors, building cabinets can be a chore. Phil Huber has figured this out, too. And that’s why he’ll concentrate on showing us an easy way to build no-fuss drawers on the router table during this weeks seminar. Plus, he has some great tips for routing perfect door rails and stiles with just one router bit.

The Woodsmith Woodworking Seminars are held each Thursday, starting at 6:30pm, at the Woodsmith Store in Des Moines.

Whether you’re setting up shop for the first time or looking for more space in an existing shop, you’ll get some valuable tips from this seminar. Jim Downing doesn’t just show you how to arrange your tools. That’s going to be different for every person and every space. He also explains the strategies for getting the most efficient use of whatever space you have. Learn about things like maintaining zones for handling materials, leaving room for assembly work and how to double up equipment to save space.

Toward the end of the seminar, Jim uses some resources on the Workbench magazine web site, including an interactive shop planner. Using this, you can set up a space the same size as your shop, then move tools around to customize your shop’s layout. You can also watch a video of Workbench’s space-saving shop and download the accompanying article.

Click to watch the podcast #10: Tips for Setting Up a Great Home Shop. Each week you’ll find a new Woodsmith Woodworking Seminar podcast at WoodworkingOnline.com.

Remember you can also subscribe to the Woodsmith Seminar Video Podcasts using iTunes.

Jim Hockins; Paint and Finish Manager, The Woodsmith Store

Kelle Collins; Interior, Decorative and Faux Finish Painting by Kelle Collins