They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. You can, but sometimes it takes a while. After my first book, “Shop Drawings for Craftsman Furniture” was published in 2001 I began selling large format printed plans of many … Continue reading →
Here is a link to the SketchUp model of the modified Harvey Ellis/Gustav Stickley bookcase that was the subject of a weekend build workshop held April 9-10, 2016. Click and drag with the left mouse button over the model image … Continue reading →
I had heard nice things about the Alabama Woodworkers Guild before I left last week to teach a two-day seminar in building a Stickley cabinet and an evening SketchUp workshop. When I arrived on Friday I found a shop that … Continue reading →
My cynical side believes that there isn’t much difference between history and marketing, and my rational side has to admit that a lot of recorded history exists to sell something. Maybe not a specific product but a set of ideas … Continue reading →
I spent a little time this morning making a SketchUp model of one of the pieces from Gustav Stickley’s “The Craftsman” magazine. This table has always intrigued me, it was designed by Ernest Gimson in the early 1900s. This was … Continue reading →
The biggest advantage of SketchUp (or any other CAD software) isn’t in making an initial plan. That takes a while no matter what method you use. But if you want to change something, or make new design that is similar … Continue reading →
At the Alabama Woodworkers Guild – April 8-10, 2016 In a few months I will be traveling to Maylene (just south of Birmingham), Alabama to present not one, but two workshops for the Alabama Woodworkers Guild. The main event will … Continue reading →
This piece is available to purchase – scroll down for information. This is a hand carved, hand painted rendition of the Hebrew word Chai. It means life, now and in the hereafter. The carving is solid basswood, and the frame … Continue reading →
Making jigs (and writing about making jigs) is a popular topic. So popular that some woodworkers (and some authors) spend so much time creating jigs that they never accomplish much of anything else. I’m not one of those guys. I’m … Continue reading →
One of the curious things about woodworking is that you don’t really know how thorough to be in one step until you are knee-deep in the next. With experience you develop a routine and can move along efficiently. Without experience … Continue reading →
I only have a few classes scheduled (at the moment) for the coming year. Space is limited and my classes often fill early. Here are dates, places and information about signing up: SketchUp Weekend at Rockler Denver, January 30-31, 2016 … Continue reading →
This piece is available to purchase – scroll down for ordering details. This little table is 16″ in diameter and the top is 18″ above the floor. It is made entirely from solid quartersawn white oak with through mortise and … Continue reading →
Bits and pieces of this piece have appeared here for the last month or so. I’m blessed with a talented, lovely and charming wife, and this is a collaboration between Joyce and I. If you don’t read Hebrew, this is … Continue reading →
The details that make the difference between furniture that is ho-hum and furniture that is WOW are most often subtle. If all you know about historical pieces is based on second hand information, you might believe that the way things … Continue reading →
There was a time when I was snooty about finishes, proudly boasting that I used no stains or dyes, preferring the beauty of the natural grain with a hand-rubbed oil finish. While there is a lot to be said for … Continue reading →
It isn’t getting what my dad used to call the “gray hair discount” and it isn’t the fact that almost everyone calls you “sir”. Those things don’t make up for the creaking joints and failing eyesight. It’s the color that … Continue reading →
When you reach a certain age you find yourself becoming more careful about some things, but not giving a hoot about others. There are a lot of interesting things I could pursue, but I find myself deliberately avoiding some new … Continue reading →
Like a guy who remembers the first girl he kissed, I know exactly when and where my fascination with Byrdcliffe carving began. In the late 1980s I came across one of the best books about the Arts & Crafts period, … Continue reading →
A few weeks ago I spent the weekend teaching a class on carving reproductions of the panels from the Byrdcliffe Iris Desk at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking deep in the corn maze of central Indiana. Carving is the … Continue reading →
I’ve never been to Madison, Wisconsin but it is one of my favorite places because it is the home of the University of Wisconsin Decorative Arts Collection. This is an online image resource that I highly recommend, but with the … Continue reading →
Space is still available for this class August 1 & 2, 2015-Click Here to sign up at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking website. On the weekend of August 1 & 2 I’ll be teaching a weekend workshop at the … Continue reading →
I don’t teach classes very often; a few times a year at most. While I really enjoy teaching, I’m not crazy about travel, hotels or unknown sources of food. I don’t actively solicit teaching jobs, but when somebody calls or … Continue reading →
About a week ago I stumbled across a Facebook post where people were offering up “Get Well” wishes and speculating on my possible demise, in response to a “Weekly Woodworking News” video from Stumpy Nubs. Stumpy was looking for an … Continue reading →
Last evening, Chuck Bender, Glen Huey and I sat down with Dyami Plotke, Tom Iovino and Chris Atkinson and recorded a conversation about our new adventure 360 Woodworking. You can listen to the conversation by tuning in to the Modern … Continue reading →
Over the last few years it has become obvious that the values we have for the craft of woodworking, creating and marketing content, and relations with the audience are not shared by the management of Popular Woodworking and its parent … Continue reading →
It wasn’t long ago that I didn’t know what a Makerspace was. You can think of it this way: imagine that you have a neighbor with a really cool, well-equipped wood shop. Take your conception of “really cool and well-equipped” … Continue reading →
A completed piece of furniture provides a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment that people who don’t make furniture miss out on. I suppose it’s like most things in life that take dedicated effort and practice; those who have been there … Continue reading →
I’ve written before about Dean Mattson and his work as a shop teacher at North Salem High School in Salem, Oregon. Shortly after meeting him online, I published “The Future of Woodshop, Win, Win, Win.” That inspired me to travel … Continue reading →
Last week I was honored to be a guest at a chair building class at the Chidwick School of Fine Woodworking in Stevensville, Montana. Most classes at Chidwick’s are comprised of guys in their fifties whose lives are pretty well … Continue reading →
This post is adapted from my book “Bob Lang’s Complete Kitchen Cabinetmaker”. The book details reasonable options to enable readers to make decisions that make sense for them. Good information about hanging cabinet doors is hard to find, and I … Continue reading →
Please Note: The paperback edition of this book has been replaced with a hardcover. CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS OF THE NEW HARDCOVER EDITION OF THE “Great Book of Shop Drawings for Craftsman Furniture”. Revised Edition of the “Great Book of … Continue reading →
This is the season for high school graduation, and after the parties are over it’s time to adjust to the real world. Kids fresh out of school don’t have a lot of good choices. It’s either off to college, the … Continue reading →
This post is adapted from my book “Bob Lang’s Complete Kitchen Cabinetmaker”. The book details reasonable options to enable readers to make decisions that make sense for them. Good information about hanging cabinet doors is hard to find, and I … Continue reading →
Cabinets, Moldings & Built-Ins For Every Room In The Home The first, and only book of it’s kind. Based on Gustav Stickley’s original architectural drawings and information from The Craftsman magazine, this book contains detailed drawings for recreating or renovating … Continue reading →
This is one of my favorite sitting/learning/teaching projects and it was featured on the cover of the final issue of the now defunct “Woodworking” magazine. It’s a strong, sturdy and useful stool, and the layout information in the video will … Continue reading →
“Bob Lang’s Complete Kitchen Cabinetmaker” has been one of my most successful books since it was published in 2006. It’s been reprinted several times (an unusual occurrence for a woodworking book in this day and age) and about a year … Continue reading →
