Keeping your workshop supplied with machinery, timber and finishes, as well as doughnuts and tea, is not cheap. It doesnt help the wallet one bit, either, when you have a penchant for quality hand tools. Theres no need to despair, however. As I explained in GW202:27 when I discussed vintage planes, I find car boot sales are ideal for tracking down old, rather tatty tools that can be renovated. This time were on the lookout for wooden-handled…
Unglamorous they may be but striking tools are still an esential part of a toolkit. Their use has been reduced by the popularity of the cordless drill and the twin thread screw and further redundancy notices were sent out with the arrival of the air nailer to the domestic market.
“the difference between a cabinetmaker and a carpenter was the size of his nails”
However, the trouble with any power tool is that the 'feel'…
Just to prove you can do it, Andy blunts a chisel then gives it a razor sharp edge in a matter of seconds using just one stone, a piece of leather and some honing soap.
Ah, Sheffield. Built on seven hills she may be, but she’s not a beauty like Rome. The “ugliest town in the Old World”, George Orwell famously called her. “And the stench!” he went on. “If at rare moments you stop smelling sulphur it is because you have begun smelling gas.” Surrounded by sources of coal and iron, and powered in the pre-steam age by the water of five rivers, Sheffield grew up with dirt…
Why do I do it? Sometimes I can understand it, although I can’t offer a full explanation! Just take a look at Pic.1 below. Working from the top left, you can see how my index finger locates the tip of the saw (top left), then helps to keep the saw vertical (top right). Finally, this finger holds the square’s blade down while the other three fingertips use the recess to grip the stock, and on the marking knife, it applies pressure to…
Sharp tools are vital to successful woodworking, but keeping them sharp can be a problem. If the grinding and honing angles are not correct for the work you are doing, the job soon becomes a chore, forcing you to put too much pressure on the tool and risking an accident. Honing guides can help by holding the blade at the correct angle to the sharpening stone and simplifying the whole process. They are particularly useful for restoring tools that…
Many years ago as a boy apprentice, most of the men I trained under had large tool chests neatly placed at the foot of their benches. Their airtight lids stayed firmly shut except when a special tool was needed for a particular job.
In order to make a living with woodworking, I find there has to be a compromise between power tools and elbow grease, and I’ll be the fi rst to admit that I couldn’t survive without power tools. Saying that, if there’s one thing that power tools haven’t been able to match, it’s the fi ne control of basic edge tools in skilled hands. The bench hand plane, for example, is certainly a tool that will be practically…
You saw the saw-chops in part one of Andy King's saw sharpening video series. Now, in this next instalment, you can see them in action as Andy demonstrates his method of sharpening traditional hand saws.
