What Woodworking Topics and Learning Resources Does FineWoodworking Cover?

Updated

FineWoodworking.com is a woodworking education site built around three core skill areas—joinery, hand tools, and shop machines—delivered through step-by-step articles, video workshops, e-learning courses, project guides, and a magazine archive spanning more than 45 years. It suits woodworkers who want structured, expert-led instruction across both hand-tool and machine work, from small skill-building projects to complex furniture builds. Note that the site distinguishes free browsing from member access: the page states that "UNLIMITED members" get full access to the article archive, digital plans, and hundreds of how-to videos, and it includes Subscribe and Log In links, so plan on a subscription for the deepest content.

Core Skill Topics

The site organizes its instructional content into three project guides, each a curated collection of how-to articles, plans, and projects:

  • Joinery — techniques and projects centered on connecting wood.
  • Hand Tools — hand-plane making, hand-tool technique, and related builds.
  • Shop Machines — machine use and shop setup, reinforced by the annual Tools & Shops issue.

Shop tips are a separate, lighter-weight category—short, practical fixes rather than full instruction. One example from the page: a plywood bracket with an embedded magnet that lets you open and close a blast gate one-handed.

Learning Formats

Format What it is Example from the site
Step-by-step articles Written instruction with a project focus "Make a Pocket-Size Coffin Plane" by Bill Howes, pitched as a starting project for wooden hand-plane making
Video workshops Multi-part filmed builds with an instructor Cabinet on Stand with Tim Coleman; Queen Anne Side Chair with Dan Faia; Carve a Greenwood Bowl with David Fisher
E-learning courses In-depth online courses led by named experts Listed under "E-Learning Courses from Fine Woodworking"
Project guides Curated collections of how-to, plans, and projects Joinery, Hand Tools, Shop Machines guides
Magazine Print/online issues with features and online extras Issue #326 – Tools & Shops, featuring Bill Howes, Mark Harrell, Owain Harris, and more
Forum Member discussion and Q&A "Discussion Forum" with recent posts and replies

What the Projects Look Like

The project range runs from beginner-friendly small builds to bucket-list furniture:

  • Pocket-size coffin plane — a compact hand-plane build intended as an entry point into plane making.
  • Shaker oval boxes — demonstrated at Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, by demonstrator Chuck Thorne, who covers the history of the boxes alongside the build.
  • Cabinet on stand — a Tim Coleman series on a form associated with his teacher, James Krenov.
  • Queen Anne side chair — cabriole legs and an ornamental back splat; the site describes it as a bucket-list build for many woodworkers.
  • Greenwood bowl — David Fisher carves a log into a finished bowl using tools typically reserved for preparing firewood.

Magazine and Recurring Features

The magazine anchors the site's editorial content. The current highlighted issue is #326 – Tools & Shops, the annual tools-focused issue, and the page also lists recent issue numbers (#325, #324, #323) with their cover dates. Each issue is paired with "Online Extras"—additional material from featured woodworkers and teachers. The forum's "Recent Posts and Replies" and the issue threads give a sense of an active community around each release.

How to Decide If It Fits You

  • Choose it if you want a single source covering joinery, hand tools, and machines, with video instruction from named craftspeople and a deep magazine archive.
  • Expect a subscription for the full archive, digital plans, and video library; the free surface is browsing, forum reading, and select articles.
  • Start with a project guide matching your current skill focus, or a small build like the coffin plane if you're new to hand-plane work.
  • Check the forum for real-world troubleshooting before committing to a complex build like the Queen Anne chair.