There’s nothing like a charming character to warm up a long and dreary winter and fortunately we’ve had our Little John to help keep things moving for us this February. The first batch of our smallest workbench began as planned and it’s brought a whole different feel to the workshop. This is far … [Read more...]
Roughing It Up
I received an email this morning asking if I feel it’s a good idea to use a toothing plane on a bench top. I was slightly unsure of the intent at first but soon realised that this was a question of roughing up your bench top to increase the friction. Yes absolutely, I think that increasing grip on … [Read more...]
Bench Dogs – Wood vs. Metal
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about my preferences when it comes to the shape of a bench dog and now I’m going to elaborate a little and cover some points about the choice of material. I’d thought about comparing the options with a list of pros and cons but then realised this doesn’t really weight … [Read more...]
First Look – MKII Wagon Vice
Our wagon vice has been undergoing a bit of a make over and today I’d like to share the first photo of the prototype. The handle, its most recognisable feature remains the same. I’ve always loved it’s balance and size and certainly didn’t want to loose any of it’s aesthetic through change. So many … [Read more...]
If You Don’t Want To Buy A Cow…
When I posted about suede a couple of weeks ago a great suggestion was made by Paul Chapman. I'd written about just how effective suede can be for adding grip to any vice though I've never really come across anywhere that sells it in small quantities - we always have to buy a full hide! Paul's idea … [Read more...]
Round Dogs or Square?
Ultimately, it doesn’t really matter. Both round and square bench dogs will hold effectively. After a short time of working with both shapes though I must say that I soon came to favour the round ones. Many, many bench builds later and that opinion still stands.As someone who’s pleasure comes … [Read more...]
Get A Grip!
If you’re building a workbench then you’ll likely spend a lot of time pondering over which vices are going to suit you the best. There’s a lot of choice out there so it can be a big headache but whatever you opt for there’s one step that I definitely recommend you take.Adding a suede lining to … [Read more...]
All Style and No Substance??
Whenever I’ve taken my workbenches out to a show I’ve always enjoyed lovely feedback and appreciation. One line that I can guarantee will come up at least a dozen times though is “it’s too beautiful to use!”. You’ll think I’m mean but it’s always that line that leaves me feels somewhat deflated - … [Read more...]
My Dog’s Too Tall!
The Veritas Inset vice is a real gem which is why I chose it for our Little John Bench. There’s nothing excessive about it and its qualities lie in its simplicity; simple in design and simple to use. Compared to the wagon vices we're now more familiar with this one is very compact and so you only … [Read more...]
The Little John Traditional Hand Tool Workbench
Our 5’ workbench has now been named and is ready to step out in to the big bad world. We introduced The ‘Little John’ last month and if you haven’t seen it yet you can catch up with that post here. After taking him along to the European Woodworking Show we’re confident that the design is right and … [Read more...]