Reader Aaron Cashion writes: “Watched your DVD about drawboring today after reading your ‘Workbenches’ book. Really enjoyed both. I had never heard of drawboring, and this will defintely be going into my arsenal. Where can I get a good eggbeater style hand drill? Are there new quality ones being made or should I go the … Read more
Reader Questions
A Leg Vise Mystery
Woodworker LÃ?©vis ThÃ?©riault of Fredericton, NB, sent these interesting photos of a leg vise he purchased in an antique shop. The real head-scratcher here is the round post at the bottom of the chop. I haven’t seen a parallel guide like this that wasn’t threaded. LÃ?©vis questioned whether the woodworker perhaps used a block of … Read more
What is Not a Tool Mark?
Question: I often see dovetail layout lines left showing on the exterior of pieces. As I’m in final cleanup up of a blanket chest (yes, the Union Village chest from your article) the layout lines are still visible after I’ve got the piece smooth. However, the lines do not uniformly show on all edges. What … Read more
Those People Had Knives
Milford Brown writes: Since you are interested in the older hand-powered woodworking, I wonder what, if anything, you know about the history of marking knife use? I recently had occasion to dismantle an old pine blanket chest (because of extensive powderpost beetle damage in the sapwood edges of its top and bottom boards) that had … Read more
Poll: Should we Flag Glossary Terms in Each Issue?
Reader David Raeside writes: As always, I have found the Winter 2008 issue of Woodworking Magazine to be a fine piece of work. One of the features of the magazine that I particularly enjoy is the Glossary. I have a suggestion for improving the connection of the Glossary with the texts of the articles Ã? … Read more
The Best Uncle in the World?
Reader James Carpenter is trying to put together a list of tools to purchase as a gift for his 6-year-old nephew. Man I wish I’d had an uncle like him. The best present I got from an uncle was a “Men at Work” LP. In any case, James has been doing a lot of research … Read more
Get a Flat Frog Sandwich
Reader Tim Williams writes: I have a number of old Stanley planes that I’ve spent a lot of hours cleaning and refurbishing. I’ve read multiple places about how when tuning up a plane, it’s a good idea to flatten the mating surfaces of the frog so the iron beds well, with lots of contact, to … Read more