May/June 2025 Wood News from Highland Woodworking

Introduction A Word About Tariffs
World trade has been upended by the on-again off-again tariffs that have suddenly made all of our imported tools more expensive for us to source. Because of this fluid situation, we decided to publish our new Spring/Summer catalog only as a digital book. We are doing our best to maintain existing prices wherever feasible. With consumer confidence down nationwide, we can tell that woodworkers have slowed down their investment in new tools for their shops.

Please know that as a small family-owned business, we have always offered woodworkers more than just tools and supplies. Since we founded our business in 1978, we have emphasized education for the woodworking community, and have promoted woodworking as a hobby and pastime in many ways.

Please continue to shop with us for all your tool needs, and please partake of the depth of resources on our website that we offer below to help you evolve as a skilled woodworker. We are extremely grateful for your generous ongoing support, which is what will enable us to continue serving you in the future.

Sincerely,
Chris Bagby, co-founder

Browse Our New Spring/Summer 2025 Online Tool Catalog
We are excited to announce the publication of our new Spring/Summer tool catalog that’s available now in digital form only. Besides the 80 pages of woodworking tools, we have also included stories about a number of our favorite American tool suppliers, including an interview with Thomas Lie-Nielsen of Lie-Nielsen Toolworks in Warren, Maine. You’re welcome to take a look now at this brand new catalog!

All About Workshop Wisdom, the First Woodworking Search Engine
Norman Reid has written a detailed review of Workshop Wisdom, our Woodworking Search Engine that contains access to more than 6000 articles and videos that we’ve published in our newsletter Wood News over the past 5 decades. We invite you to use it to research any woodworking topic.

Show Us Your Shop - Mark Weber
Mark Weber designed and built a shop behind his home in New Jersey that was built in 1783. It’s a well-organized, well-equipped shop that even contains a finishing kiln to handle drying wood that he harvests from some of the cherry and maple trees on his property.

Take a Tour of the Berdoll Sawmill - a Sawmill Like No Other
Curtis Turner takes us on a tour of the Berdoll Sawmill in Cedar Creek, Texas. Founded in 2009 by Brandon and Brandi Berdoll, the family-owned company specializes in finding and harvesting massive logs, and slicing them into huge slabs using large bandsaw mills.

Designing and Building My Last Shop
Michael Smith of Mountain Park, GA had a long career as a high school shop teacher, so he is an expert on woodworking shops. Here is the second of a 10-part series he wrote for Wood News on designing and building a workshop.

Upcoming Classes at Highland Woodworking
Are you just getting into woodworking? Been woodworking for years? Join us for one of our in-person classes to hone your technique, build a guided project, or just have fun making something!

Listen to Splinters - Gary Rogowski's Podcast
Listen to Gary's latest chat from the Northwest Woodworking Studio. Check out his Online Woodworking Mastery Program.