The Sole of an Old Machine

Instead of writing about the flatness of plane soles, perhaps I should talk about something less controversial, such as religion or politics. When purchasing a vintage plane, the flatness of the [...]

Tapping Not Whacking

Cincinnati is not a tourist destination like nearby Big Bone Lick, Ky., So when people come to visit our shop I try to accommodate all their requests so they consider their journey to [...]

About Plane-Shaped Bass Boat Anchors

Whenever I teach a class on handplanes, I’m amazed at what the students bring to set up and use. I’ve seen Holtey planes and Harbor Freight planes in the same class. And there’s [...]

A Foul Mouth Will Get You in Trouble

Sometimes it seems like there are 100 things that can go wrong with a handplane before it will do one thing right: Eject a perfect and fluffy shaving. Lately I’ve been using a lot of [...]

What to Eat in Cincinnati This Weekend

Anyone who has spent more than five minutes with me knows that I am obsessed with food , almost as much as I’m obsessed with woodworking. Both of my parents cook (my mom has run a number of [...]

Faces in the Face Grain

As a 4-year-old, the woods behind my grandparents’ house in Bronxville, N.Y., was both foreboding and magical to me. My grandfather would take me for walks there almost every day during the [...]

LVL: Getting Under My Skin

Today we glued up two chunks of what will become Managing Editor Megan Fitzpatrick’s workbench. For those of you just tuning in, I haven’t broken my vow of workbench chastity. The [...]

Three Magnets Make Sharpening Easier

The most miserable aspect of hand work is setting up the tools for the first time. Removing the coarse manufacturing scratches from the unbeveled faces of your edge tools can be grueling, boring [...]