How do you cap off a great year of woodworking articles and videos? Well, we decided to collect our favorites in two posts (part two coming soon).  Each editor was asked to submit two selections. Of course, Anissa, Barry, and Jon Binzen weren’t able to whittle it down that far and submitted between 5 and 10.

As Anissa said:

“Oh man, Ben, this is hard. I’m looking through the folder of articles I worked on this year ( I know it was open to anything, but this just seemed less daunting), and I want to choose all of them! What we get to do for work is so cool!”

Well said Anissa!

What were your favorite articles and videos in Fine Woodworking this year? Let us know in the comments section!

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Video Workshop: Machine setup

Tom McKenna Editorial Director

“Machines scare me sometimes. Not using them, but fixing and tuning them up. I’m not a mechanic or machinist, so I fear that I’ll mess up something. But this video workshop takes all the fear away. In it North Bennet Street School instructors Matt Wajda and Ellen Kaspern give a soup-to-nuts description of how to tune up essential shop machinery.”

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Composing: A Flexible Design Process

Mike Pekovich Creative Director

“Tim outlines a solid step-by-step design routine that obviously works based on how beautiful his furniture is. The biggest insight the article offers is that the design process doesn’t stop at the drawing board. Tim strategically leaves himself wiggle room when building that allows him to refine the design as he goes.”

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How to create custom moldings with handplanes

Jon Binzen Deputy Editor

“I’d seen hollows and rounds in many shops don’t have any myself and didn’t really grasp how they worked. It seemed to me a skill lost in the misty past. But Bickford’s article made the way they work clear and remarkably approachable and made their benefits seem compelling. Now that I have the theory down, I may have to rise from my armchair and give them a try.

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Dave Fisher carves a greenwood bowl in 3 minutes

John Tetreault Deputy Art Director

“This is the kind of video that makes you want to stop what you’re doing and go make something. Watching this brings out that joyful feeling you get when creating anything with your hands. This just happens to be working green wood, chipping little chips and making precise, tiny shavings with a few strange tools and lots of skill.”

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Becksvoort’s Shaker Noir

Anissa Kapsales Associate Editor

“It’s a beautiful, timeless design, and he is always so efficient in his methods. And I had a ton of fun shooting it, remember the Becksvoort playing the spindles video?”

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Designer’s Notebook: A Finer Side of Pine

Barry Dima Associate Editor

“Pine’s the best wood. Prove me wrong. Spoiler alert: You can’t.”

 

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The Polisher – Lynn McMurray

Ben Strano Digital Brand Manager

“I met Lynn on a tour of Lie-Nielsen’s factory during their open house, and I immediately knew that I wanted to tell her story. Easiest video to make ever. Point a camera at Lynn and the rest just pours out of her. I hope everyone finds something to be as passionate about as Lynn is about her job!”