I try to stay abreast of the world of workbenches and workholding. But sometimes a place like Evans Wood Screw Co. escapes my eye. For six years, this Franklin, Ind., enterprise has been cranking out wooden vise screws for workbench builders. You can find the company at TheTraditionalCarpenter.com. The small site offers a good selection … Read more
I see a lot of workbenches. Lots of them are gorgeous. Many of them are tough. Few benches are both. Last weekend at Woodworking in America in Pasadena, Calif., I got to use a massive Nicholson-style workbench made by Erik Mortensen, an instructor at Cerritos College. For the most part, the bench is made from … Read more
Lake Erie Toolworks showed off a new wooden vise screw kit at Woodworking in America that can be used to make a nice wagon vise or shoulder vise. Both vises work brilliantly and allow you to easily use a wooden screw to make these traditional vise forms. The vises use the same robust vise screw … Read more
I swore on a stack of “Mechanicks Exercises” that I’d stop writing about coping saws. It’s not healthy, and I know that. But at Woodworking in America last weekend in Pasadena, Calif., I ran into Lee Marshall from Knew Concepts. He was holding a big red saw that was too big to be a fretsaw. … Read more
Our first west coast Woodworking in America Conference is off to a great start in Pasadena, Calif. If you’re in the Los Angeles area, you can still join us for the event which runs through Sunday at the Pasadena Convention Center. The event consists of two parts: the Marketplace, where you will find an unmatched … Read more
The first stop after leaving the Los Angeles International Airport: the Lowe’s in nearby Hawthorne, Calif. I needed lumber, tools and hardware for my first demonstration at Woodworking in America tomorrow: Build a Sawbench in an Hour. Buying dimensional lumber on the West Coast is always a shock. About a decade ago, I bought some … Read more
In every craft, there is a magic device that acolytes must learn to manipulate and master. In joinery, I think dividers (aka the compass) are our totemistic thingy. In journalism, you have to learn the FOIA (Freedom of Information Act). And in traditional carpentry, you need to master the steel square. I suck at using … Read more
