The techniques I use to make woodworking by hand efficient and fun.
To become efficient in anything I find it's much better to specialise rather than use one size fits all. So how can a minimal hand tool kit become anything other than a set up for getting you started? The answer is in understanding your cutting edge. We can use...
Saw horses are a clat to get out and I'll only use them if I have to (perhaps I'm lazy). But of course they are extremely useful, and it’s nice to know there’s a couple stashed away ready to grab if needed. Whether you need something cheap and nasty, or a sturdy work...
Teaching and woodworking are two very separate skills. That's something I realised when we started making our videos. The big difference is, you can't work on auto pilot while you demonstrate. Everything has to be deliberate, almost exaggerated so it can be replicated...
Gluing up can be a frantic time. And if you're like me, it'll be messy too. But how much should we be planning ahead, before we get it all stuck together? When we glued up the top for our Hall Table build, we received a few questions on this topic. They were good...
I'm always whinging about something. So the thing this blog is good for is that someone always has an answer. And it shuts me straight up. When I was moaning about drill bits in the marking knife post, we got plenty of suggestions for bits that you find overcome my...
Good chairs stay together forever if the chair maker understands what wood does. They know it will move, and use this to their advantage. Bone dry legs going into a slightly wetter seat. The seat drys over time, the legs take on a tad of moisture and everything stays...
I've said it many times (though I'm sure I'm on the wrong page). I believe that hand tools are the most efficient set up for the individual maker. And not just the hobbiest. If you're building one-off pieces for clients then hand tools are still where it's at. Most...
https://youtu.be/EmszTUmQUgc Looking To Cut Fine Dovetails? Choose the best dovetail saw, (with the right TPI, length & quality) Learn what makes a good chisel for dovetailing The above video is a short extract from our Hall Table Build. For the context -...
A video version of this post has been added to our sharpening series. All 'Get Sharp' customers can LOGIN to watch now. Or You can Learn More about the Series here. We've all done it. Turned a smashing chisel into a left-handed skew! Getting a 90 degree edge on narrow...
Twat... ...nothing happens. Twat….nothing happens. Slightly harder twat... ...And the iron's sticking half inch out of the sole of the plane. Wooden planes look good. They are good. But they ain't half got awkward sod written all over them. Since hand tools became a...
Related Posts:
https://youtu.be/ZmHtFSf1I9U If you've seen a fair bit of my work then you'll probably know that despite my love of keeping the tool kit minimal I'm a huge fan of the router plane.And this brings up a common question that I've decided to answer today - How do you keep...
https://youtu.be/12KkjX6IU20 Stuggling With Larger Edge Joints? Watch the full step-by-step video to learn the edge jointing process for tackling large boards by hand. A perfect reference for gluing up a table top. Find it for FREE in our Member Area: Login here. Or...
Every now and then I feel like I see something with new eyes. I’m often blow away at the beauty of say the sea, or the sky with a pretty sunrise. It's as though my brain has had a system reset and deleted its memory so I get to see it again like it's for the first...
