431 days ago
by Brit |
42 comments »
When I did my research, I found a number of good saw vise designs on the web. Some were simple, whilst others were more complex. The fundamental requirement of a saw vise is that it clamps a saw securely while you sharpen it, everything else is just icing. So it can be as simple as sandwiching the saw plate between two pieces of wood in a vise on your bench. Last December, I had the privilege of attending a saw sharpening class with Paul Sellers at Penrhyn Castle in North Wales. At the beginn...
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426 days ago
by Brit |
62 comments »
You know I said at the end of my last post that I’d post a picture of each saw and tell you how I was going to sharpen them and why? Well I lied. :-) The temptation of my restored backsaws, a saw vise and a bundle of saw files was just too much. I had to sharpen a saw, but which one? I thought about it for a while and settled on the little Spear & Jackson 8” Dovetail saw. Remember this one?
I chose it for two reasons:
For a dovetail saw, the depth of cut is quite big at 50mm. ...
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576 days ago
by Brit |
66 comments »
Sorry it has taken me so long to post the final part to this blog series. Life just gets in the way sometimes. However, here it is and I hope you enjoy it. In this episode I wanted to look at using a hand brace and explore some of the so called hints and tips out there to see if they really are useful. I’ll also show you how to get in touch with your inner level.
I’m assuming you’ve sharpened your auger bits like I showed you in the last episode. A sharp auger bit is paramount for drilling...
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734 days ago
by Brian Havens |
10 comments »
In the last shop update, I briefly mentioned a grooving plane that did not work so well. The idea was to have a tool that could quickly make the grooves in the bottom of draw and box stock to accept the drawer/box bottom. The new design really rocks, so much that I made three sizes (widths): 1/8”, 3/16”, 1/4”. Although these are intended for making the grooves on drawer and box sides, I have been discovering more uses for the flexible design of these planes:
Shop Jou...
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605 days ago
by JeremyPringle |
7 comments »
A few months ago I bought two nice pieces of highly figured maple. 8/4, 9” wide and about 4’ long. And the best part… I got it cheap. So it has been in my shop while I sat around trying to decide what to do with it. I made up my mind. About 16 months ago I made a spice cabinet out of pine and dyed it to look like walnut. I love it, loved everything about it. But I want to make another one, a better one, one from awesome wood. So, thats what I am going to do. This is...
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618 days ago
by Brit |
36 comments »
I thought I’d mix it up a bit in this part of the blog and record a video where I:
Discuss what to look for when you pick up a secondhand brace and consider buying it.
Mention variations in design and size and why you would use one size over another.
Address Racerglen’s question on restoring plated braces.
Answer lysdexic’s question as to why the Yankee 2100 represents the pinnacle of brace development.
YouTube only allows uploads up to 15 minutes in length (...
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1320 days ago
by gizmodyne |
13 comments »
Falling BehindThe class is about halfway through with an agenda of the following:Sharpen four chiselsSharpen a card scraperTune and Sharpen a Smooth PlaneTune and Sharpen a block planeS4S boards with hand toolsCut DovetailsMake dovetailed box with mortise and tenon handle.
So far we have finished our chisels and card scraper and worked a bit with the chisels. Our instructor has given demos on how to tune a plane as well.
Sharpening A Card ScraperFor the last two weeks Kristin and I have...
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1003 days ago
by helluvawreck |
17 comments »
Yesterday, I took every tool that was in my main tool chest out of the box and cleaned and vacuumed out the box. While I was at it I laid my tools out on the work bench and cleaned and inspected them and took some of the bigger Stanley planes apart one at a time and cleaned all the parts. The iron in three of the planes needed sharpening so I did that before I reassembled them. I then put a few of the tools and put them in other drawers instead and put some other tools with these because this...
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345 days ago
by Paul Sellers |
12 comments »
Making the Workbench with Paul Sellers
If the video below is not working please use this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru2ZiNsWek
This replicates my personal workbench, one I have used and preferred over all others for, well, actually, half a century. Let’s talk briefly about benches and specifically working workbenches and not images of what a bench should be. Anyone can build any bench type they like, regardless of whether it works well or not, is big and clunky and la...
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65 days ago
by nobuckle |
7 comments »
Ever since I saw Mafe's router plane I’ve had the desire to make one. As I do most often I look here on LJs for inspiration. Well, I found it. As I searched I came across this gem of a router plane made by Tinnocker. Tinnocker got his inspiration from Mafe’s design as well. I used a picture of Tinnockers design to come up with my version of a router plane.
The body of the plane is hard maple. The handles are from some old chair spindles I had laying around, The plane iron is a ...
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