We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. You can tell a dull drill bit more or less immediately. If you're drilling wood, you'll likely see thin wisps of smoke as it starts to burn.

A hole is nothing. Or more precisely, it’s the absence of something—wood, metal, concrete, or any number of different materials. Since holes are nothing, why do we care about them and how to make them ...

The “mortise” is the recess where the tenon goes. It can be cut by hand with a mallet and mortising chisel, or mechanically with a mortising machine and a hollow chisel bit. If you don’t have those ...