The Woodshop Life Podcast

Guy Dunlap

I have been a woodworker for long as I can remember. I fell in love with the craft when I was in junior high school, and I have been building furniture since. I treated woodworking as a hobby for many years, and then in the 1990s I opened my own shop and started a business making custom furniture. While I enjoyed the freedom and fulfillment it gave me, it was not as financially rewarding as I hoped it would be. So after a few years of trying very hard to make it work, I realized I would have to go back to a regular job and make furniture as a hobby again.

In the summer of 2016, I moved back again to doing woodworking full time. I have a very active presence on You Tube where I post videos of what I am currently working on, complete step by step project videos, and tips and technique videos. Recently I started giving classes in my shop, and really enjoy it. I also take on commissions for custom furniture and cabinetry. My days are very full!

Huy Huynh

My journey into woodworking started back in 2001. During high school and college I worked on a construction crew that specialized in roofing and framing, so rough carpentry came naturally to me. In 2011 shortly after graduating college, I bought a foreclosed “fixer-upper” and like many woodworkers, my interests were sparked by learning more complex DIY skills (carpentry, electrical, and plumbing). In 2013 I got married, and my wife was determined to change the “bachelor pad” into something more inviting. She wanted a hall tree to organize our jackets, shoes, and dog leashes.

With minimal tools I decided to build my own Arts and Crafts style hall tree rather than buy a piece of mass produced furniture. I quickly became obsessed with designing and building cabinets for our house and for my workshop. Being an electrical and aerospace engineer, I gravitated to the more technical side of cabinet making. However, I wanted to develop my weaknesses as a woodworker, which was design. Designing and building furniture incorporates both the technical and creative side to woodworking.

Sean Walker

Woodworking became a passion of mine in 2012 when I bought my first home. I soon realized that I needed furniture, and lots of it! I figured it would be a whole lot cooler to build my own furniture instead of buying , so I went to Lowes to stock up on a bunch of tools. Little did I know that I would end up spending more money on making the furniture rather than buying it. But what I did gain in the end, was the love for the craft. Ever since then I’ve been out in my shop building!

How Much Glue?, Using Hickory, Veneer Projects, and MORE!!!

Brians Questions: I have a question that i would like your input on. I have a double car garage that i use as my workshop. I want to build an outfeed table for my tablesaw. I was thinking of something that could be multi use. I was thinking of making two 2'x 4' workbenches that would be on hinges so i could open it as a 2x8 or close it so its 4x4. I was thinking of using castors as well as adjustable feet. Im not 100% sold on the idea and was just hoping to hear some suggestions from...

Published on: 2026-08-07

By Woodshop Life Podcast

Skill Progression, CNC Hold Downs, "Feel" of a Finish and MORE!!!

Brians Questions: Hello! I recently got into woodworking in part after being inspired by finding a local lumber yard and not being beholden to the big orange box. I’ve realized my next step is to figure out a planing method - the wood I buy is rough sawn, and I’m not in a position to buy a planer or jointer given the size of my garage shop/price constraints. I’ve done some research on hand planes and plan to start experimenting with some used/refurbished ones. Do you think this is a reasonable method for small/medium projects (bookshelves and tables would be...

Published on: 2026-07-24

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Making Jigs, Color or Grain Match, Angle Madness, and MORE!!!

Brians Questions: Love the show. Thanks for getting right to the questions. I have a project where I've made hundreds of the same item. Over that time, I've come up with a bunch of different jigs and processes that I've iterated over time to make things go faster and work better. I wonder if you have experience with and thoughts about how to approach this kind of woodworking-at-scale and if Huy in particular has any take-aways from making all those drawer knobs recently. Thanks! Mike Hey guys, my name is Van Whitmire and I recently started listening to your podcast....

Published on: 2026-06-26

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Fixing Boo Boos, Why Use Veneer?, Wood Movement and MORE!!!

Brians Questions: Hey guys, thanks for answering all of my questions in the past. I have something a little different this time. While cutting a mortise on the router table into a leg, I accidentally touched the outside of the leg to the router bit and did some damage. I happen to have the offcut and the grain is a perfect match (see photo). What would be your process to go about repairing this so it is near invisible? My thought was to use a wheel marking guage and chisels to remove a sliver of the leg. I have no...

Published on: 2026-06-12

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Mouse Poop?, Dark wood Marking, Veneer Glue and MORE!!!

Brians Questions: I frequently work with dark wood, and need to mark the cuts. Do you have a recommendation for a white pencil or pen that is fine tipped? Thank you for the great show and your time to produce it. -George What has been your favorite veneering project (or what project would you like to do with veneer) George Guys Questions: Hey guys, your recent talk about bandsaws made wonder if anyone is using anything cool for bandsaw infeed and out feed, im using roller stands and doing resaw cuts that are about 10’ long. I also was curious...

Published on: 2026-05-29

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Design Software, First Veneer Projects, Extinct Tools and MORE!!!

Brians Questions: Hi guys! Long time listener, first time question-asker! Thanks very much for the show. I've been listening for a few years now and love the no-nonsense, down to business approach of your show. I am a hobby woodworker, but have begun to get a few paying projects, which have been really fun and rewarding. One of the things that has forced me to do, as opposed to things I make for fun, for myself, or for gifts, is to do more design and modeling up front. I've gotten proficient enough with Fusion 360 to be able to create...

Published on: 2026-05-15

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Face Frames, Rubio Monocoat, Accurate Marking and MORE!!!

Brians Questions: Hello and greetings from Texas, I’m an amateur woodworker who may have bitten off a little more than I could chew. I started building full closet cabinets for my walk-in master closet, and at this point I’m too far in to turn back, so I’m learning as I go. All of the cabinet boxes are installed, and I’m now working on shelves and drawer fronts. My question is about face frames. I’ve seen a lot of people recommend assembling the full face frame first and then installing it as a unit, rather than attaching each rail and stile...

Published on: 2026-05-01

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Leg Glue Up, Kitchen Drawers, Radial Arm Saw? and MORE!!!

Brians Questions: I am getting ready to build a mission style entertainment center. This project will use what I'm told is arched pedestal legs which was used a lot by Gustav Stickley. I will be gluing up three 5 3/4"x 28" quarter sawn white oak blanks to make the legs. I will then route the curve using a compression bit and template which I made using the Shaper Origin. My question is what are some good methods to ensure there is a tight (almost invisible) line on the glue up of the blanks. The legs are going to be a...

Published on: 2026-04-17

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Which Drum Sander?, Drawer Slides, Door Repair and MORE!!!

Guys Questions: I am going to be adding a 25/50 drum sander to my shop. I can’t afford a powermatic so it is between the Jet and Laguna Supermax. I went to AWFS this past year to see them in person and Jet was not at the show and Laguna only brought their large tools. I called one of the nationwide woodworking stores that sells both brands and asked the employee which he thought was better and his response was “ they are both great tools, but if you have a problem with either one of them Jet will take...

Published on: 2026-04-04

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Estimating Materials, Grain Selection, Maloof Chairs and MORE!!!

Brians Questions: My sister and brother-in-law would like to recruit/hire me to install/build built-in bank of drawers and shelves for them for their new home. The only relatable experience I have with this type of woodworking is building a face frame cabinet and constructing some under the bed drawer storage, each of which I have done exactly one time. The remainder of my woodworking experience has involved making small knick-knacks such as cutting boards, boxes, etc. Considering your experience with built-in shelving and closets, I was hoping you could lend me your expertise in regards to the following questions: 1....

Published on: 2026-03-20

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Shop Lighting, Router Table, Easy Veneering, and MORE!!!

Brians Questions: Hello gentlemen, I love your podcast. I appreciate the care and detail you put into maintaining a consistent format and clean, listenable audio. Having been a radio production director in a former career, I loathe most podcast audio, so your effort to provide a professional listening experience is apparent. In my brief time as a woodworker, I’ve found it difficult to source hardwood. I don't have any woodworking stores nearby—the closest is several hours away. Buying from private parties feels unreliable, and I strongly prefer kiln-dried wood. Furthermore, online ordering is expensive, even for small stock. So far,...

Published on: 2026-03-06

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Router Bearings, Easy Finish, Loose Router Bits, and MORE!!!

Brians Questions: I currently have a Sawstop PCS 1.75, an 8” Laguna spiral head jointer, a Jet two-stage dust collector, a Laguna 1412 bandsaw, a Bosch cabinet style router table, a Dewalt DW734 lunchbox planer, an entry-level CNC, a Festool ETS125, a Festool dust extractor and various smaller power tools. I’m not particularly happy with the stability, adjustability and fence on my Bosch router table and I feel like my planer isn’t giving my a consistent cut across its width. I’m thinking of upgrading either the router table to something with an Incra lift, or maybe a planer like the...

Published on: 2026-02-20

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Skill Development, Stabilizing Wood Defects, Flat Assembly Table and MORE!!!

Brians Questions: How do I take my woodworking skills to the next level, short of attending an expensive workshop? Up to this point most of what I've learned has been from either your podcast or YouTube videos (special thanks to Guy for all of his router table videos.) I have quite a few small projects under my belt, such as cutting boards, boxes, and a face frame cabinet. I'd like to move on to building small furniture pieces, but I don't feel that I have the skills to figure out how to design or build something of that scale without...

Published on: 2026-02-07

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Bench Dog Holes, Helical Head Issues, Heating The Shop, and MORE!!!

Brian's Questions: Gentlemen, I thoroughly enjoy your podcast, so thank you for all that you do. What is you opinion on dog holes in the workbench? If you use them, how? Include favorite accessories. Thank you again. Josh What is the best way to accurately put dog holes in your workbench without buying a $300 one time template tool? Josh Guy's Questions: Hi guys, Thanks for the awesome podcast, I learn new things with every show and for that I am so appreciative! I’m in the early stages of designing/building a dining table made from quarter sawn ash (just purchased...

Published on: 2026-01-23

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Radial Arm Saw?, Making Drawers, Ignoring Wood Movement and MORE!!!

This Episodes Questions: Brians Questions: Since my work typically uses traditional joinery, I cut a lot of tenons. I’ve tried all kinds of methods, but I am really looking for that one method that works for all size boards (cutting bedrail tenons on the table saw isn’t going to happen) and is quick to setup – something that corresponds to the ease and simplicity of cutting mortises using my floor standing mortiser: using your layout lines on the workpiece, you walk up to the machine and start cutting. Easy. For that reason, I really gravitate to the idea of using...

Published on: 2026-01-10

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