Rob Johnstone

Rob Johnstone has been part of Woodworker's Journal's since 1997, becoming editor of the print magazine in 1998 and editor in chief in 2007. He began woodworking at age 13 in his family-owned cabinet shop and, as an adult, trained to become an accomplished luthier. He eventually opened his own cabinetry and custom fine woodworking business. Rob has brought many of the most well-known authors in woodworking to the Journal's pages and introduced Woodworker's Journal Online Survey. When, in his free time, Rob isn't woodworking, he enjoys hunting for sharp-tailed grouse with his bird dog, playing music and/or listening to his son's rock band and cooking on his high-tech stove.

Articles from Rob Johnstone

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  How to Make a High-Gloss Finish While Turning on a Lathe with Friction Polish

  Friction polish can be a turner’s best friend, creating attractive, high gloss finishes on projects while they’re still turning on the lathe.

  
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  How to Stain Veneers to Match Hardwood Plywood Lumber

  Trying to stain veneers to match your projects isn’t always a matter of matching types of wood, but how the veneer is structured and cut.

  
• How to Find Information on Sustainable Forest and Lumber Management

  These days, learning more about sustainability and forest management is foremost in many woodworker’s minds, thankfully there is a lot of information on the internet.

  
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  Modular Bookcase and Entertainment Center Project

  A durable and modern project with a removable center piece for displaying your TV made with some deceptively simple woodworking techniques.

  
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  Cheap and Easy Replacement for the Locking System for Old Routers

  Trying to use your old router in a new way can unveil some big problems, like a bad locking system, thankfully our author has a quick fix.

  
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  How to Sharpen and Burnish a Cabinet Scraper in Three Steps

  To properly get your cabinet scraper in working order and keep it maintained, you should take a burnishing rod to it in three easy steps.

  
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  How Do You Prevent Your Router From Causing Tearout?

  Even with a solid set-up on your router table, using the wrong bits for a project can lead to unwanted tearout in the grain of your wood.

  
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  Why Are There So Many Different Types of Screw Head Styles

  There are several different screw head types on the market each requiring its own driver, but why isn’t there a standard head for all screws?

  
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  Reinforcing Kitchen Pantry Cabinets with Dado Joints or Biscuits

  Adding biscuits can reinforce some joinery, but they aren’t typically used with dados, so what is the best way to reinforce a dadoed kitchen cabinet?

  
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  Cherry Lumber | An Exotic American Hardwood or a Second Rate Wood Species?

  Cherry lumber has been one of my favorite kinds of wood ever since I first smelled it being machined in my father’s cabinet shop. Its pungent and distinctively fruity smell is just one of the pleasures that accompanies the working of this durable and beautiful hardwood. Cherry, in my mind, is nearly the perfect hardwood [...]