Years ago Don McConnell (now with Clark & Williams plane makers) shamed me into sharpening my own saws. He was down for a photo shoot and I mentioned that I...
I’ve always wanted to build a Roubo workbench “by the book.” Use a massive single plank for the top, tree trunks for legs and all the traditional joinery, such as...
If I’d lived in the the early 18th century, odds are I’d be rotting by now. Life expectancy in England in 1700 was about 37, according to the National Bureau...
What’s this? It’s a lovely mountain scene that would make Bob Ross proud. Happy little trees. Oh look, the big gymnosperm is reflected in the water. I can almost taste...
Question: I know you get thousands of questions everyday, but I thought I’d ask (being the noob woodworker i am). I’m building my first workbench (been reading your blog, great...
Holding a “most pathetic workbench” contest is like holding a competition for the “most unusual burro act.” Yes, you think in your sick little mind that you are ready for...
Question: First off, thanks for compiling your hand plane articles into one nice volume (“Handplane Essentials”) , I’ve enjoyed reading it, and go back to it for reference. [...]
Many woodworkers think it’s bonkers to use a curved cutting edge in a jointer plane. After all, the plane is designed to make things straight and flat, so using a...
Perhaps I’m the oddball here, but I’ve always found cutting tenons by hand to be more challenging than any sort of dovetailing. Tenons require a lot of precision sawing if...
“A craftsman is one who understands his tools and uses them with skill and honesty. It does not matter whether his tool is a chisel or a planing machine, it...
