Designing a Jig for One Job
I remember standing on a site in the nineties, watching a young lad struggle with a massive, expensive biscuit joiner just to line up a simple rebate. He was fighting the machine, sweating through his shirt, and still coming up short by a fraction of a millimetre. It struck me then that we’ve been sold […]
Replacing One Decking Board
Most people think that when a piece of timber splits or rots, you’ve got two choices: rip the whole deck up or slap some cheap, plastic filler over the gap and hope for the best. They'll grab a heavy-duty sander or a tub of chemical wood putty, thinking they’re fixing the problem, but they’re really […]
Sharpening a Marking Knife
I spent thirty years on-site watching young lads reach for a power saw the moment a task felt heavy, thinking they were saving time. They weren't; they were just fighting the material. I remember one particular afternoon at the college, watching a student struggle with a dull utility blade, hacking away at a piece of […]
Using the Space Under the Stairs
Most people think you need a shop full of expensive, battery-operated jigs and complex laser levels to figure out how to build storage under stairs. They spend a fortune on fancy cabinetry kits only to find the angles are a mess and the fit is nothing short of rubbish. I remember a job back in […]
Comparing Three Sharpening Systems
I’ve spent forty years watching companies try to sell us "revolutionary" sharpening kits that are nothing more than overpriced plastic nonsense. They’ll give you a glossy brochure full of technical jargon, but they never tell you if the thing actually holds an edge when you’re halfway through a dovetail joint. Most people go about how […]