Archives

After a couple of weeks of working with the legs for this new workbench, I am certain the material is not pine. Yes, I know. Shocker. The good people at Home Depot were mistaken. What is it? Heck [...]

The world needs more makers of new wooden handplanes, especially moulding planes. Vintage moulding planes can, in my experience, be testy. The narrow stocks can be twisted or bowed, the irons can [...]

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Several weeks ago I was planing a piece of palm when my hand slipped, and a deep sliver of the nasty grass dove into the middle finger of my left hand. I dug out as much of the splinter as …

One of the great mysteries of the hand tool world is how Roy Underhill never seems to get older. (Is there a cursed painting in your attic, Mr. Underhill?) The other great mystery is about the [...]

One of my first handplanes, a Stanley No. 5, had a shopmade tote that was all kinds of wrong. Wrong shape, wrong wood, wrongly made. So as soon as I could, I bought a replacement front knob and [...]

There are still some spots open in the woodworking classes I’m teaching this winter. If you’ve recently come into a little money (thank you First National Bank of the Plasma) and have [...]

If you’re parsimonious, tardy or just plain wary, then this post is for you. My book “Handplane Essentials” is now on sale for the first time since its release this summer. [...]

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 curved cutter seems [...]

Years ago I got a phone call from plane maker Larry Williams that changed the way I look at long planes. “Do you have the book ‘American Furniture of the 18th Century?'” he [...]

We’ve just received our shipment of our newest DVD: “Handplane Basics: A Better Way to Use Bench Planes.” And despite my needing a haircut when we filmed it, I’m pleased [...]

I’m a mediocre guitar player. But because I’m a fair judge of craftsmanship, I have an immense respect for real-deal lutherie. Have you seen one of Jameel Abraham’s ouds in [...]