In one of the recent videos I was whining on about the jack plane, and how feel that the No 5 is the best all round, multi use bench plane. In another video I've also mentioned my love for a nice small smoothing plane, so I thought it'd be worth going...
Woodworking Techniques
The techniques I use to make woodworking by hand efficient and fun.
Hand Plane Guide – With VIDEO
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqA9BL3CJU0] In this video I take a look at the different types of bench planes, and discuss options such as whether to have wooden or metal hand planes, which lengths of plane I prefer for different tasks, and generally...
Housing Rant – VIDEO
[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...
Learning to Saw
Seeing all the variety of work that Richard does I had almost certainly overlooked the technicalities of simply sawing to a line. I've been pottering now and then as mentioned in my post earlier this year and I'd finally found the time this past weekend and persuaded...
Sharpening Stone Types & Preference
My favourite type of sharpening stone has always been oil, but these are certainly not the most popular choice for woodworkers today. I think it's important to realise that there isn't one type of sharpening stone that's best for all. It's more a case of choosing the...
The Hardpoint Saw
Like any item designed to be used and then chucked, hardpoint saws are not the best type of tool to be promoting. But I did decide to use one throughout my workbench build. It was difficult to know what tooling to use in our video because I'm hoping that many people...
Expansive Bits
It's certainly not an essential tool but if you ever come by an expansive auger it's definitely worth grabbing as they're a great get out of shite card in the workshop. I've had this one for years and its come in useful many times when drilling out for something a bit...
Planing Wood By Hand – Rough Prepping
Thicknessing with hand planes might seem like a slog. It's certainly physical work, and if there's a lot of boards to thickness, then it could soon become a workout. But with the right technique, planing wood by hand should feel more like a nice brisk walk, than an...
Dirty Posh Scrubber
You wouldn't think to look at it but my scrub plane is rather posh - it's a Lie Nielsen which I've had from new so to many people (including myself) it may seem a bit extravagant for a roughing tool. Previously I've just converted an old Number 4 to serve this job and...
Clinching Nails
Before publishing the final video in our Wall Cupboard series we'll be bringing you a quick video next week which takes a look at clenching nails (or clinching; as it's known round my parts). I've recently written about the benefits that I feel draw boring can bring...
Related Posts:
Iron Cambers – Optimising Your Hand Planes
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 – Do You Need A Set?
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...
Removing Twist, Or Creating It?
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...