Woodworking 101: Basic Sharpening
Sharpen a Plane Blade There are many ways to sharpen plane blades, and woodworkers have strong opinions on the best technique. Here is a simple, reliable method to achieve a sharp edge. It takes [...]
Exploit the Weakness of the Tree
In hand-tool woodworking, brains almost always trump brawn. For example, when I need to remove a lot of material from a localized area, I need to think like a tree assassin and exploit its [...]
Cut Rabbets by Hand
Even if I have an entire shop filled with power equipment, I like to cut my rabbets by hand. Why? It’s fast and fun. Once you master a rabbet plane or a moving fillister plane, your router table [...]
Christopher Schwarz DVD Combo Pack
Here's a great gift idea, at a 27 percent savings! Included in the DVD Combo Pack: "The Last Word On Sharpening," "Build an 18th-century Workbench," " [...]
Mouldings in Real Time
There is a lot of nutty, stupid boasting in our craft. Examples: I can build that highboy in a weekend. I can rip faster than a table saw. I can eat more pies than you. But one of the boasts …
A Look at H.O. Studley’s Blades
When I inspect an antique tool – especially one that hasn’t been messed with much – I always take a look at the cutting edge. How was it sharpened? What is the shape of the edge? Did they do any [...]
Konrad Sauer Reinvents the Panel Plane
Whether you love them or hate them, the English form of the infill plane has remained almost unchanged since it was invented in the 19th century. An infill plane is a metal shell that is stuffed [...]
Jeff Miller: Modern With an Old-tool Streak
In my book, Jeff Miller might just be one of the keys to the future of woodworking. The furniture he’s built during the last three decades is decidedly contemporary. It has clean lines, simple [...]
Make Square Rabbets – Theory and Practice
I’ve been using rabbet planes for years and I have made my peace with them. However, there are thousands of woodworkers out there who are driven to distraction by these simple and essential [...]
A Handplane from Orlando?
Nope! Disney hasn’t entered the world of toolmaking. This isn’t about an amusement ride, either. The Mouseplane is a new woodworking tool introduce by Power Adhesives, a United [...]
Planes are Stupid; Saws are Smart
I am married to a very smart woman. This has its advantages – life is never boring. It also has its disadvantages – she does not suffer fools (such as myself) lightly. What the heck does this [...]
‘Handplane Essentials’ – Now Available in Byte Size
After hours and hours and hours of work (please, some kind soul, send Vodka), I was finally able to get “Handplane Essentials,” by Christopher Schwarz, into a PDF format that plays [...]
