[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqnhG5d7vX4] This week I'm ranting on about housing joints and minimal tools. We did run in to some technical difficulties with the sound so it is a bit crackly in places and a bit choppy, so I hope you don't get lost...
As a kid I wasn't a traditionalist, not by a long shot. I remember me and my brother banging out hundreds of hours competing on the Sega Megadrive. My earliest tool cravings weren't for hand tools either but for the ones with power and noise. I remember my Dad had a...
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2Lgs5Bavl8] Here's video blog number one. I'm starting out with a quick rant about 'lumpy' my mallet since this was one of our most repeated comments from the previous videos. Put an end to tear out - Watch This Video...
We have a quick announcement today. We've been working on this new idea for a while but didn't want to mention too much on the blog before now as we've had an unpredictable last year which has made us conscious of false promises. We know now that things are ready to...
Advice on buying hand tools is always an interesting and provocative subject that has the ability to either enlighten or confuse those new to woodworking. On the surface there are many contradictory approaches to planning your first tool kit, dig a little deeper and...
In our previous workshop time had allowed us to create a systematic approach to building workbenches. The fine tuned layout allowed the work to flow like a human driven conveyor belt; from timber entering through the door to passing over machines, and as the wood...
When thinking of a new project to start a question which always needs to be determined is which wood to use. For personal projects the obvious answer for me is often pine, since I usually have some to hand or know it won't be too expensive if I haven't. But there's a...
I've never been one for resolutions but there's no doubt that today marks a great opportunity to pause and consider what we've been doing for the past year, and what may lay ahead. I hate to sound ungrateful, but I'm making a sigh of relief to see the back of 2014. It...
We have gotten over many difficulties this year but are still facing a small battle trying to get our internet connection at the new workshop. We've a kind neighbour who has allowed us to sneak access now and then, but as the weather turns ever more dreary the...
As woodworkers I'm sure that we all see furniture purchasing in a different light to most. There's nothing that makes sense less than knowing that people are happy to spend on a rickety flat pack which won't last two minutes, but can't justify spending for a solid,...
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Recently I wrote a post about why you don't need a tail vice on your workbench. now we're looking at the other end of the bench and going through my favourite options when it comes to choosing a face vice. What Do We Want From A Workbench Vice? A face vice should be...
Design is a balance between function and looks. It won't work if you focus too much on one and ignore the other. But if it involves both art and science, then surely design must be skill that only very few are capable of? The truth is, anyone can do design, and the...
I'm the most untraditional woodworker who came to traditional woodworking. I just can't stand wooden mallets. To get any sort of clump from them they have to be massive; these huge cumbersome things. And on top of that, they absorb everything. It doesn't matter how...