Generally speaking, I like tools: power tools, hand tools, woodworking tools, farm tools. Tools. Also generally speaking, I like old things. I’m no Luddite (I’m very fond of Netflix) but am much more likely to smile over a thrift store treasure than a new iPhone. Be it a hat, lamp or hardback, old things...
Sorry zinc, I am not attracted to you. Yes, you keep the elements at bay, but your non-stop shiny countenance is irritating. It looks out of place on my traditional projects. And you do not age well. Zinc, it’s over. I’m going to go get me a stripper. </stupidliteraryexercise> There are lots of ways...
Rust, the mortal enemy of steel and iron can be removed a few different ways. You can remove rust by eroding it with abrasives and steel brushes, you can use chemicals or acids, you can submerge rusted objects in a bath of baking soda and water and reverse the corrosion through a process called...
by Megan Fitzpatrick page 20 Someone saw this deburring wheel on Instagram and clued me in to it; sold. It’s really a metal-working tool for knocking off sharp edges and small bits of metal. But if, like me, you have rusty old tools sitting around your shop (say inherited chisels that haven’t been used...
by Megan Fitzpatrick page 20 Someone saw this deburring wheel on Instagram and clued me in to it; sold. It’s really a metal-working tool for knocking off sharp edges and small bits of metal. But if, like me, you have rusty old tools sitting around your shop (say inherited chisels that haven’t been used...
Read Christopher Schwarz's favorite hardware sources for Roorkee chairs (a folding chair that's perfect for the campaign...or for camping in your backyard).
Three of the enemies in my shop are rust, zinc coating and black oxide. 1. Rust: No explanation needed. Rust is the enemy of steel, and steel is what allows us to tame wood. 2. Zinc coating: Many steel fasteners are coated with an ugly layer of zinc to protect them from rust in...
Christopher Schwarz’s new DVD, “Super-Tune a Handplane: How to turn a flea-market find into a fast, accurate and smooth-cutting tool,” is now available in our store for pre-order. I watched the two-day shoot for this video (ya know, just to make sure he got everything right (ha)), and I now feel confident that I...
One of the first times I was a guest on Roy Underhill’s “The Woodwright’s Shop,” I was explaining the construction of a schoolbox from the book “The Joiner and Cabinet Maker,” and I had made a terrible mistake. Before we shot the show, Roy explained each shot to the crew that was filming it....
