Rings like silver! Whacking, wellying, tapping, bashing, smashing, persuading, nudging – there’s a lot of tasks in a shop that need a good… problem solver. Let’s review one option; the Thorex 712R
This ol’ hamma’
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Author Archives: vidar
The picture frame shelves
Pictures of grandkids ornate most homes of grandparents. Hanging those pictures though – that can be a bit of a beast. Simple picture frame shelves is a good solution – unless you like the pasta strainer look for your walls…
The Phoenixtail aspen boxes
Or to be correct: two boxes with dovetails made from wood resurrected from the fire wood pile. It was going to be a shelf, but the gremlins woke…
Revisit: the ash shelf
This spring I made a nice wall shelf in merbau. My sister in law liked it a lot, so I thought – why not gift one to her and her family for Christmas? It also gave me an opportunity to do some serial production. Low scale, mind you…
The Lie-Nielsen No.66 beading tool
A plain and smooth piece of wood can be both beautiful and really boring. Stanley made a metal scratch stock, and Lie-Nielsen copied it. Let’s review the L and the N version!
The bench vise
Holding your work steady is crucial when you work. You need the best work holding you can get, and a metal woodworking vise is a great option. Lets’s review one.
The knife wall
Sometimes you come across a new-to-you technique and suddenly the floor is soaking wet – an eureka! moment worthy of Arkimedes just happened. Are you sick and tired of tearout? Come here, my friend…
A shop phone holder
While my hand plane gently weeps… Well, perhaps not. But music in the shop is a good thing, though the phone battery drains and needs charging.
How to: wood movement
Wood moves, and you can’t do much to prevent it. Try, and thou shalt fail! but if you account for it, you will avoid issues. Try orienting things to the south! It seems easier, according to our friendly Ent.
How to: Calipers? Call who?
Calipers seems to be simple enough, but it might be more to them than one would think. I’ve gotten a few eureka moments over the years, so let’s look into a few that measured very small.
The old fart look
Old tools looks so much more elaborate than today’s utilitarian looks. Is there a reason to the madness, or were the craftsmen of old just vain?
Lay down Sally! Or the dust goes boom..
Put the plane down on its side, or you’ll risk damaging the edge! Or so it is often taught. Don’t you dare to question ye olde wisdom!
Also, dust collector systems can blow up. Apparently.
It’s mythbusting time!