Author: David Ohnstad

A gym bag under the desk revealed more than camping gear—it held the working woodworker’s essential toolkit. David Ohnstad unpacks the hand planes, Japanese saws, chisels, and leather rolls that serious makers actually carry to every project.

Nick Offerman’s five-step woodworking plan inspires but oversimplifies. David Ohnstad exposes the critical gap between good-sounding advice and actionable guidance that actually gets beginners started in the workshop.

The best woodworking plans tell you what to cut—but not how to think like a woodworker. David Ohnstad explores the critical gap between printed instructions and real-world execution, and why staring at 47 pages isn’t the same as understanding your project.

The woodworking internet preaches that bombproof joinery like mortise-and-tenon and through-dovetails are always superior. But this hierarchy ignores a crucial truth: the right joint depends on your application, not just raw strength.

Woodworking internet culture pushes dovetails and mortise-and-tenons as universal solutions. But experienced builders know a dado joint cut in seconds often outperforms techniques taking forty minutes. Learn when to break the rules.

The advice to buy expensive tools first stops more people from woodworking than it helps. David Ohnstad breaks down why starting with affordable gear—and upgrading as you grow—builds better makers and keeps you actually making.

Most woodworking experts say invest in quality tools once. But David Ohnstad challenges that—revealing why budget tools from Harbor Freight might be your smartest first move, not your worst decision.

Thousands of Minnesota woodworkers make the same mistake every July: building moisture-sensitive projects in 85-degree heat. David Ohnstad reveals why your cutting board will warp and what you should build instead based on the season.

New woodworkers often choose ambitious projects without considering their garage environment. Summer heat makes long shop sessions unbearable, derailing progress before it starts. David Ohnstad explains which beginner woodworking projects actually work when conditions aren’t ideal.

Most woodworkers avoid the shop in summer. David Ohnstad argues the opposite: summer’s heat and humidity unlock possibilities for building projects that actually matter—if you stop fighting the season and start working with it.