Archives

Logan loves his vintage woodworking machinery, and when the opportunity arose to purchase a 1950s MOAK jointer, he knew he couldn’t pass it up. The jointer needed work though — the head was [...]

As most of you probably know by now, I’m a woodworker who doesn’t let a bit of rust stand in the way of putting a tool back to work — whether in my own shop or in the woodworking program …

Fast and easy, lasers can literally blast rust away in minutes. I’ve already created lots of things in my woodshop laser center, but with my latest project I didn’t create a single [...]

This beauty dates from 1939. The motor hangs off the back, like a contractor’s saw, but the trunnions are bolted to the body, like a cabinet saw. The body is all cast iron; I made the base below [...]

Back in the late 1960’s, the folks at Record tools in Sheffield, England, redesigned their classic 044 plow plane (or plough plane, as they spelled it). It’s a tool used for making grooves by [...]

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 hole to accommodate a modern fastener. In the case …

I collect all sorts of old tools. I figure that come the day when I need an unusual tool, I’ll have it, even if I only use it once. I’m still looking for the right opportunity to use my latest …

I use dividers regularly in my work. They’re indispensable for spacing out and dividing lengths—whether laying out dovetails, bisecting a line by drawing intersecting arcs, or sketching circles [...]

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 a chisel. Lots of good deals on old [...]

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 face the unpleasant truth about my chisels. [...]

“So this is what they used to look like. Wow!” That’s what I told all my friends after spending hours completely disassembling, cleaning and polishing a Porter-Cable Model 507 Extra Heavy-Duty [...]

I bought this old 18” bandsaw for a song from a used machinery dealer over 30 years ago. “It came from a local high school,” he said. “I heard that it was purchased by the school back in the [...]