Watching Woodworker's Journal editor in chief Rob Johnstone burnish a cabinet scraper will teach you how to achieve this skill - useful when you want to keep your tools ready to use for smoothing out knots -- and you'll also get a glimpse into Rob's shop.

The boat model constructed in the Family Boat Builds featured in this issue's Shop Talk department takes a spin in the water in this video.

 

See the video . . .

I used to teach router table classes and the most popular part was, hands down, making cabinet doors. Virtually every bit manufacturer offers door making bits in several profiles. These come in a set, where the mating profiles are two separate bits, and a single bit form, where both cuts are contained in one bit. The bit I'm using is the single cutter type. I prefer this, since you only need to adjust the height to switch between cuts.

 

If you're doing woodworking on a shoestring budget, you'll be happy to know that the only tools you need to cut tight-fitting mortise and tenon joints are a square, knife and marking gauge, a fine-toothed saw, and couple of sharp chisels and mallet. You may also wish to use a drill or brace and bit, to remove waste from the mortise ahead of chopping it to final size, and of course, you'll also need to supply some elbow grease and a healthy dose of patience.