There are plenty of different types of woodworking projects. Turnings. Cabinetry. Lutherie. Believe me, if there are plenty of choices. But, then there are decorations. Woodworking projects that are just used seasonally to make your yard or home look more festive.

Whether they are decorative reindeer for Christmas, red white and blue decorations for Independence Day or even spooky coffins like the one I built a few years back to add some fright to the Halloween decorations in the yard, you have lots of options out there for bringing a unique woodworking element to your holiday celebrations.

So today, tell us if you have ever built a decorative holiday themed project.

In order to get tight joinery and excellent results with your woodworking projects, you have to start with flat, straight and true boards. And, when it comes to edge jointing your boards, there are lots of options out there.

From shelling out big bucks for an aircraft carrier sized jointer to some clever and creative work arounds, everyone has their favorite method for getting their boards edge jointed.

So, what is your preference? How do you get those arrow straight board edges when it comes time to mill your lumber?

Dovetails. One of the toughest joints to master, yet one of the prettiest to look at.

There are lots of ways to cut a dovetail joint, but any way you go, the cutting starts with careful marking of baselines (shoulders) for the pins or tails.

Here comes the question – how do you mark those baselines? Do you use a square to mark those baselines from the edge of the board, or do you use a gauge to mark the baseline from the end of the board? Do you even cut dovetails to begin with?

Here’s a great philosophical one for today. Classic wooden joints have been around for millennia. Dovetails and mortise and tenon joints were used by ancient Egyptian woodworkers back in the time of the pharaohs.

Until recently in the craft, flawlessly executing those joints has been the hallmark of a truly talented woodworker. But as time has passed, many new joinery methods have been developed to help shorten the learning curve for new woodworkers. Dowel joints, biscuits, pocket screws, the Festool Domino and other joinery methods have allowed woodworkers of many different ability levels to build beautiful furniture without mastering the classic joints.

This week, do you believe that a true craftsperson can use these joinery methods and still be called a ‘true’ woodworker? Should it even matter?