Chris Marshall

Chris Marshall has been writing for Woodworker's Journal as a contributing editor and field editor since 2001. Prior to that, he spent five years developing home improvement and woodworking books. He's written five of them and has served as a contributing writer on many more. A wood and tool junkie since childhood, Chris thoroughly enjoys building projects and reviewing woodworking tools for the Journal. When he's not assembling new machinery, sawing parts, taking photos or crunching text for an upcoming story, he enjoys spending time with his family and a houseful of pets at their home in Virginia.

Articles from Chris Marshall

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  Top Trim Routing Techniques: Trimming Shelf Lipping

  One of the most important router techniques to learn is how to shave a piece’s shelving without damaging your piece, called trim routing.

  
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  The Trim Router’s Top Ten Best and Most Versatile Workshop Uses

  Small and lightweight, the trim router is more than just a smaller version of your shop router, it can do the job of many tools in your shop.

  
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  Top Trim Routing Techniques: Mortising Inlays

  Making mortising inlays require thin flush cuts, and the small cutting size of the trim router makes it the perfect tool for this cutting job.

  
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  Top Trim Routing Techniques: Hole Drilling

  Just like you can with a plunge router, you can use a trim router and a template to drill perfect holes for shelf pins better than you can with a standard drill.

  
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  Top Trim Routing Techniques: Signmaking

  Even without a plunge base, you can use your trim router and a few letter template guides to carve out softwood signs in almost no time.

  
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  Features Worth Shopping for in a Trim Router

  Modern trim routers include many special features that can significantly expand their usefulness in the shop, both built-in and as attachments.

  
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  Top Trim Routing Techniques: Cutting Joinery

  Trim routers may not make the best options for cutting joinery, but for small-scale projects or shelf dadoes, it can make those cuts very well.

  
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  Top Trim Routing Techniques: Flush Cutting Plugs

  A lot of tools in your workshop can trim wood plugs, but few can do it more accurately or quickly than a trim router with a straight bit.

  
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  How to Attach Shop-Made Featherboards Conventionally and with Magnets

  Making your own featherboard is always an option, but attaching them to your jointer, table saw or router table can be difficult, here are some options.

  
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  Featherboard Techniques: Router Table Panel Cutting with Double Featherboards

  Panel raising on a router table requires precision, with even pressure needed to ensure full cuts, which is where high-rise double featherboards come in handy.