Sure—zombies have already taken over mainstream culture, so it makes sense. Still, it seems as though just about everybody and their grandma has a morbid fascination with how to survive a zombie doomsday. And if there’s one thing that you can count on just about every craftsman on YouTube to do well, it’s making survival…

A huge bonus for any manufacturer is the ability to upcycle any wasted material from the manufacturing process into entirely new products. We’ve seen this before with discarded cardboard upcycled into surfboards and even sawdust as a result of pencil manufacturing upcycled into Duraflame logs. More recently, tequila brand Jose Cuervo has been to getting…

As the story goes, Leonardo Pisano Bigollo was a young man in his twenties during the year 1202. A member of a prominent local trading family, he spent a lot of time traveling to the Middle East. During his travels to the Arabic countries, he became enamored by the mathematical ideas and formulas used in…

When it comes to summertime activities, few things beat a lazy ride around a lake or down a creek in a canoe. And while today you can fetch a decent newer model for anywhere from $500-$2000, nothing beats the beauty and craftsmanship of a traditional dugout canoe. And if you’ve ever wanted to make your…

Porches. Porches are ridiculous without a good place to sit. If you don’t want to tear your porch down, you could toss some tree stumps up there, but if you have the slightest bit of woodworking skill, you could build yourself a bench. Chris Salomone of Foureyes Furniture has skill a’plenty, and has been busy…

Known for kamaboko fish cakes and traditional woodcraft, the town of Odawara, located in the western Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan, is a woodworkers paradise with expansive wooded areas and a history rooted in centuries-old woodworking traditions. Deep in that forest—in a repurposes shrine—sits the Japanese wood houseware manufacturer brand Hikiyose. Known for their unique aesthetic…

This past Sunday, Canada-based woodworker John Heisz uploaded a video he made documenting a paper saw blade that he had made from standard printer paper cutting wood with surprisingly clean results. Unsurprisingly, the video went viral in a matter of hours and is currently sitting at over an impressive 4 million views. While we’re still…

While saw blades come in a multitude of sizes and colors with a range of different kinds of teeth, you surely haven’t seen a saw blade like this for sale at your local hardware store before. Canada-based woodworker John Heisz recently cut a circular disc/blade from regular ‘ol printer paper (no teeth) and installed it…

When it comes to documenting a build, few people can top Frank Howarth’s creative use of camera shots and storylines to make otherwise mundane processes seem like Hollywood handiwork. And like any skilled videographer, Howarth spends just as much time building his own rigs for specific shots as he does actually filming them. Most recently,…

Considered by many to be “The Contemplative Man’s Recreation,” fly fishing is also a favorite for craftsmen who prefer to make their own equipment –– be it tying a fly on the side of a stream or making their own fly fishing rods altogether. But with well over 160 or so steps that go into making…

As if table saws aren’t already one of the most nerve-wracking shop tools to work with, now there’s another friendly reminder that you should always keep your wits about you when working on your next wood project. Toledo, Ohio–based hardwood dealer and founder of KenCraft (AKA “The Woodworker’s Candy Store”) Ken Spitulski was recently cutting…

Having graduated from the ISI Yogyakarta (Art Institute) of Indonesia as a Craft Major just last year, 24-year-old Indonesian native Dedy Shofianto’s wood sculptures carry the same level of expertise you would expect from artists twice his age. As the winner of multiple Craft Prototype Design competitions during his tenure at ISI Yogyakarta, Shofianto specializes…

While it’s natural to want to have every advanced woodworking tool under the sun available at your disposal – we’re looking at you, Frank Howarth – there is also something to be said about the simplicity of working with the least amount of tools possible, or even having a workshop to work out of at all.…

There’s more than a handful of reasons why the humble bicycle is an object of obsession for many an industrial designer or engineer. Aside from the zillions of proportion variations, material combinations and CMF studies that go into the design process, it is also one of the few objects that can be designed for users…

From basketballs to doorbells, seemingly everything can be connected to smartphones these days. Now, not even the humble toolbox can escape the power of Bluetooth. For their new Pro Series ball bearing tool storage units, Craftsman is introducing the new Bluetooth Smart Lock technology for users to secure and unlock their precious tools through their…

At age 80, fourth generation Japanese toymaker Masaaki Hiroi still cranks out classic wood toys from his workshop where he has spent a lifetime mastering his craft. While many might be worried about retirement and slowing down during their eighth decade, Hiroi continues to keep his mind and hands active doing what he loves to…

While the electronic Boosted Board skateboards may be taking over today’s streets, nothing beats the simplicity of an original cruiser board when it comes to getting from A to B. As a self-confessed “hater of plastic”, German industrial designer Tom Wilhelm set out to create a wood replacement to the plastic Penny board that just…

Having born a toy company out of his living room with the desire to revive the “glamorous ’60s American modernist vibe and carve it into awesome contemporary wood toy designs” for his two young daughters, Brooklyn-based architect and designer Vlad Dragusin has since expanded Candylab Toys into a team of four after successfully launching his…

The last time we checked in with Swedish designer, craftsman, and innovator Love Hultén, he was blending mid-century style and American walnut to create a series of drool-worthy retro gaming devices powered by a Raspberry Pi. More recently, the master of fusing traditional artisan knowledge with modern technology turned his attention from video games to…

Centuries ago, the process of manufacturing wood objects such as bowls, utensils, and even toys involved foot-powered lathes that were powerful enough to dwindle rough chunks of freshly-cut wood into the usable items. While we’ve since replaced the need for foot power with electricity, the process of getting from wood block to finished object hasn’t…

While covering over 1,000 miles on a dog sled in only a matter of days in whiteout conditions is certainly awe-inspiring, designing and building lightweight carrying vessels by hand that can withstand demanding Alaskan winter terrain while transporting a human is equally impressive. As a builder of Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race sleds, retired Alaska…

It’s not necessarily common to hear that somebody was “inspired by sushi” unless we’re talking about taking lunch early for a plate of California Rolls and a Sapporo. But for Tel Aviv-based product designer Ori Ravgad, “inspired by sushi” led to an entirely new dimension of constructing wooden veneer objects. Specifically, Ravgad was inspired by…

Considering how pianos can become the centerpiece of a living area within a home, it’s surprising that we haven’t seen more collaborations between instrument manufacturers and hand-crafted furniture manufacturers. If we did, we’d probably see a lot more pianos like the KIYOLA ‘Made In Japan’ Series KF-10 from Roland and Karimoku Furniture. Designed by Karimoku’s…

As far as turning wooden bowls on a lathe goes, Frank Howarth is the man. Even so, the master himself needs an added challenge every now and again…and this one is three years in the making. For his most recent project, the woodworker/filmmaker took a bowl he had previously turned from a raw piece of…

As a professional carpenter who has worked in commercial construction for over 30 years, Ontario-based woodworker John Heisz is no stranger to making use of old and rusty saw blades that he comes across. As a matter of fact, he has an entire YouTube channel where – among other projects – he injects new life…

Having received multiple awards from countless institutions as well as being a favorite for the world’s elite, Steinway & Sons pianos continue to pass all standards since the company was founded by German immigrant Henry Steinway in a loft in New York City in 1853. Unsurprisingly, making the world’s best piano is a time-honored process…

Completed in 1912, Portland’s Steel Bridge is the only double-deck bridge with independent lifts in the world and the second oldest vertical-lift bridge in North America – after the nearby Hawthorne Bridge just a stone’s throw down the Willamette River. For his 3rd-grade son’s recent school project, our woodworking YouTuber Frank Howarth of Frank Makes…

First invented by German physicist and astronomer Christoph Scheiner in 1603, the pantograph was used for centuries to copy and scale diagrams and text leading up to the introduction of more modern solutions used today. More recently, Brooklyn-based designer Ian Stell utilized the functional mechanism to create a collection of tables and chairs that can…

While some dusted off their lightsabers or danced around the house in Darth Vader socks this past unofficial Star Wars day (May the Fourth be with you), Frank Howarth of the YouTube channel Frank Makes celebrated exactly how you would expect him to: by turning wood on a lathe. Unlike his usual lathe projects, however,…

Although the sport of lacrosse may elicit thoughts of East Coast prep schools, the game was in fact invented by a confederacy of six Native American nations – the Iroquois – whose territory once stretched from Lake Erie in the west to Lake Champlain in the east. Unlike the contemporary lacrosse sticks of today that…

Like many other designers and engineers who work in front of the computer all day, robotics engineer Mike Parris was tempted to leave the office environment for good in favor of working directly with his hands. At the time, Parris was working as a robotics engineer at Carnegie Mellon developing the technology that would later…

While most people prefer to park their car on the street in favor of using their garage as a workshop or walk-in utility closet, stuntman and woodworker Ben Tardif had other plans: he converted his entire garage into a giant marble rollercoaster. Called Marble Mountain, the ‘still under construction’ marble machine consists of 25 sections…

The wild and unpredictable color combinations that result from melting crayons has been the cornerstone of many an arts and crafts project for decades – but why haven’t we seen a wood shop project yet? Whether or not you have a particular fondness for the Grateful Dead and funny tasting mushrooms, it’s hard to deny…

Although wood is a considerably easy material to work with, replicating designs by hand can be difficult unless you have years of experience and a penchant for crafty jigs. Inspired by key duplicators that are common in any hardware store, the Clone 3D is a professional grade copy carver/pantograph that allows existing objects to rotate…

According to Cornwall, UK-based traditional wooden boat builder Ben Harris, a wooden sailing boat is perhaps the most glorious instrument the human hand can build. Perhaps unsurprisingly then, his mother even said that his first word was ‘log’. Having been working with wood professionally since the young age of 15, Harris first cut his chops…

As the host of one of the most satisfying woodworking channels on YouTube, Frank Howarth of Frank Makes tends to seamlessly balance interesting wood projects with clever videography skills regardless of the challenges from either thrown at him. To date, the Portland, Oregon-based Howarth has recorded and shared the build process of everything from lawn…

In most cases, sitting on a flat wood surface for hours at a time isn’t what most people would consider comfortable, but with an innovative new wood block cushioning system, they may be singing to a different tune. The Block System, which was masterminded by the mad geniuses at Los Angeles-based Sitskie Furniture Co, was…

For those who might have seen the mesmerizing Kawai Tsugite joint (which fits perfectly in three different ways) pop up somewhere on the internet every now and again, you were likely one of many who were looking for a deeper explanation. Thankfully, engineer and woodworking master Matthias Wandel (yes, the same Matthias who built the…

Having left a degree in Aerospace Engineering in 2007, Alex Bishop put complex manufacturing and engineering principles behind him in favor of something a little more meditative that “connected him with nature”: working with wood and making acoustic guitars by hand. A life-long ‘Maker’ who has always had an obsession for making things and manipulating…

Invented by naval engineer Richard James in the early 1940s, the Slinky has provided generations of kids and adults with a never-ending supply of satisfying levitating tricks and was even declared as the official national toy of the United States after having been declared “a recreational device that exemplifies the inventiveness of the American spirit”.…

When it comes to interior lighting options, few designs ever openly encourage users to actually interact with light bulbs beyond placing them in a socket – however the Arc Wall Light from industrial designer Vedat Ulgen is anything but your average light design. Made from solid walnut, the hand cut Arc Wall Light features channels…

When it comes to bicycle frame design, the decision to use a light-colored wood such as white ash isn’t always a feasible design decision – but who the heck needs feasible when you can ride around town on a bike that looks like Keim’s Arvak? Since unveiling their Arvak frame design in April of 2014,…

For all of the noise that comes pummeling through the crowdfunding tunnel, every so often we hear a story that truly stands out amongst the latest 3D printers, minimal wallet designs and coffee makers. With over 100 years and four generations in the making, LunoWear just might be one of those stories. Founded by two…

The last time we heard from Swedish designer, craftsman and innovator Love Hultén, he was sending ripples through the design community with his modular Brix System of handcrafted wooden electronic devices. Inspired by his own childhood experiences of playing with the retro 1979-1987 “Legoland Space” LEGO bricks, the conceptual collection consists of eight 6:1 scale…

If you were to take on a fourth-generation Italian company that produces chairs, sofas and other furniture as a client for a new furniture collection, the chances of straying too far from tradition are likely to be somewhat slim. Rather, the focus would more likely be on enhancing existing details and processes while maintaining the…

Anyone who plays the electric guitar knows the struggle of finding the perfect guitar – something that both sounds amazing and matches your personal style. While classic profiles such as the Les Paul, the Telecaster and of course, the infamous Stratocaster can fit the sound and style of many different musicians, it is sometimes the…

In the case you haven’t heard about the wonderfully-wacky and potentially life-changing Liquid-Glide yet, stop doing whatever you’re currently doing and immediately watch this. Born out of one of the more frustrating feelings in the first world – struggling to get the last bit of ketchup out of the bottle or the last squirt of…

It’s been an interesting past few years for bicycle design and fabrication – among other reasons, the combination of both traditional craftsmanship techniques and more modern manufacturing methods have not only changed how bicycles are made, but also what they are made out of. While some have opted to use additive manufacturing technologies to create…

Okay, perhaps we’re all glad that winter is over (at least in the Northeast US) – but that doesn’t mean we can’t start preparing next winter’s adventures…particularly if it means having a full-year to consider riding a pair of handmade skis on the slopes next season. In the case that you find yourself in Norway…

Having featured his designs at over 16 international design exhibitions since he started studying product design nearly five years ago, young South Korean industrial designer Seungji Mun has shown no signs of slowing down his hustle. The designer, who attended the Kaywon School of Art and Design in South Korea and graduated in 2012, has…