Charms Woodworks

09/20/2024

Canvas Rebel reached out for an interview and it’s now live. 🎉 So grateful for the chance to share a bit about my creative journey!

We're excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Cathy Harms. We hope you'll enjoy our conversation with Cathy below. Alright, Cathy

06/15/2024

The bench vise is the heart of the workshop. To help you choose one for your needs, we've selected the best bench vises for every project.

05/29/2024

These amazing Girl Scouts just earned their woodworking badge! They used handsaws, hammers, and wrangled power tools to build a license plate roof birdhouse. These girls are excited to be new homeowners and eagerly await their first occupancy.

05/29/2024

Thinking of getting a cyclonic separator for your workshop? Check out my review of the Oneida Dust Deputy.

Check out our Oneida Dust Collector review for the 4-1-1 on this dust collection system, as told by a professional woodworker.

02/17/2024

I tried it and here are my thoughts.

The Drill Doctor drill bit sharpening system brings dull bits back to life and is designed to extend the life of twist and masonry bits.

02/23/2023

Thank you Family Handyman for the opportunity!

Dust collection is an important part of a clean and safe shop. We found the best dust collector systems on the market.

05/05/2022

Check out my piece about woodworking road trips that inspire. 😊I’m honored to be asked to write for a magazine I’ve read for many years.

Cathy Harms embarks on woodworking-centered road trips that inspire new interests and renewed awe for the masters.

05/15/2021

Just hanging around engraving gifts for a bride-to-be and her bridal party. ❤️

04/30/2021

A walnut wall-mounted folding desk (or Murphy desk) for a wonderful, busy family. 🙌

My latest commission was for a two-person solid walnut desk to fit in a small space that flexed as a guest bedroom and a study area for the kids. I designed the folding desk with these specs:
~It had to fit two older kids comfortably.
~Customer requested solid walnut, no veneer, no plywood.
~A walnut butcher block table top, finger joints connecting each strip of wood.
~Walnut-colored shelf standards recessed into the case with dado-cut groove.
~Bridle joints for the leg because they are strong and showy. The chalkboard is inset into the frame with rabbet cuts.
~I added a recessed magnet into the back of the leg so when folded up it's secure and stays flush.
~Chalkboard artwork was done using silkscreen stencils and removable chalk paste.

This much walnut was hard to come by, it was scarce in my area and priced high. I drove to numerous lumber stores and sawmills—to Raleigh and Gibsonville—then to Holly Springs where I found gorgeous, figured rough lumber to mill.

📸 by J.B. Haygood Photography

04/20/2021

Thank you for the shout out! ❤️

Cathy Harms (), Raleigh, N.C.
Cathy designed this bench to showcase its slab seat, with clean lines on the base that serve to highlight the grain. “The ash slab was a gift from my friend’s dad back in Iowa. He is a woodworker who has built his own sawmill and kiln. I picked it up on an RV road trip through the Midwest and brought it back to North Carolina,” Cathy says. She retained the bark on the underside, drilling angled holes through it to accept the turned tenons at the top of the legs.
Ash, 13-5⁄8W x 57L x 19-1⁄4H
Photo: Sandy Everett Photography

04/12/2021

Yesterday we discovered the first egg in my daughter’s birdhouse build (with license plate roof)! One of the best parts of spring.🐦🌼

These birdhouses are my new favorite beginner woodworking project for kids. I made 14 birdhouse kits for my daughter’s troop and am making more kits this week. Since lumber prices are so high right now I used cedar pickets for the troop project. It’s not as thick so it was more challenging for little hands to line up and nail together. If it fits your budget, I recommend using 3/4 thick wood for these beginner birdhouses. It makes the build process much easier for kids. The birdhouses were decorated with POSCA paint pens, my go-to for embellishing outdoor projects and rock painting with the kids.

04/07/2021

Look who’s featured in the latest issue (June 2021) of Fine Woodworking Magazine! Alright, I’ll just tell you. It’s me! I’m super proud of this piece (check it out on pg. 70) and honored to be featured in my favorite woodworking magazine. Still swooning over the the top notch design work and ex*****on within these pages.