A Hard Lesson in Tool Care

My students learn two things about me very quickly: I care deeply about their education, and I care just as deeply about the tools we use while learning together. In...

Restoring a Divider: Part 2

Tapping a New Thread When you can’t find the right thumb screw for an old tool (see Part 1 here), your best option is to drill and tap a new...

Resurrecting Chisels

Old chisels can be brought back to life using these simple steps. If ever there was a type of used hand tool that was a good candidate for restoration, it’s...

Making Your Own Chisel Handles

From the Archives: You don’t have to own a lathe to make replacement handles that will feel like an extension of your hand. A few months ago I had to...

J.T. Towsley Jointer Restoration

Vintage woodworking machinery can be a great bang for your buck.  Vintage woodworking tools have always held a certain appeal to me. Earlier this year, I was out in California...

Moby Dick, the Great White Planer

Moby Dick, the Great White Planer The newspaper advertisement was brief: “PLANER, 24″, $450. Call.” My friend Charles Poth and I had been looking for just such a machine. We...

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