Sawing to a Line ConsistentlyNew!!
Most people think that if their cut is wandering off-line, they just need a bigger saw or a more expensive brand. That’s a load of rubbish. I spent forty years on sites and another ten in the classroom, and I’ve seen more lads ruin perfectly good timber because they were fighting the tool instead of […]
Three Causes of Tear Out
I remember standing over a piece of expensive English Oak back in my second year of apprenticeship, watching a blunt router bit chew into the grain like a hungry dog on a bone. The sound was a sickening, ragged tear, and my heart sank knowing I'd just ruined a week's worth of prep. Most blokes […]
Reading Grain Before You Plane
I remember standing in a workshop back in the eighties, watching a young apprentice try to force a plane through a piece of oak. He was sweating, leaning his whole weight into it, while the wood just tore itself apart in jagged, ugly chunks. He thought he needed a bigger motor or a heavier machine, […]
Taking Off Six Millimetres by Hand
I remember watching a young lad in my college workshop, sweating through his shirt while wrestling with a heavy-duty orbital sander, trying to flatten a stubborn slab of oak. He was making a hell of a lot of noise and a mountain of fine, useless dust, but the surface was still wandering all over the […]
Flattening a Board by Hand
I spent thirty years on-site watching young lads reach for a power planer the second a board looked a bit wonky, thinking they were saving time. They weren't; they were just making a mess and burning through expensive blades. I remember one apprentice, back when I was teaching at the college, who nearly ruined a […]
A Working Tool Kit for Under Two Hundred
I spent forty years on site and another ten in the classroom, and if there’s one thing that gets my blood up, it’s watching a young lad walk into a hardware store and spend three weeks' wages on a bright yellow, plastic-heavy power tool set that’ll be in a landfill by Christmas. Most people think […]
The First Five Hand Tools to Buy
I spent forty years on-site and another ten in the classroom, and if there is one thing that gets my blood up, it’s the way modern shops try to sell you a solution in a plastic case. You walk into a big-box store and they want you to believe that you need a dozen different […]
Putting an Edge Back on an Axe
I remember standing in a damp woodlot back in '84, watching a lad try to fell a decent piece of ash with a blunt, heavy axe. He was sweating, cursing, and swinging like a madman, but the wood just bruised instead of splitting. He thought he needed a bigger, more expensive tool, but the truth […]
Sharpening a Twist Bit by Hand
I remember standing on a job site back in the nineties, watching a young lad struggle with a cordless driver, swearing at a hole that refused to go any deeper. He was pushing with his whole weight, smoke practically rising from the timber, convinced he just needed a more powerful motor. I walked over, took […]
Sharpening a Blade Too Small to Hold
I remember standing in a workshop back in the late eighties, watching a young apprentice try to shape a curved stair rail with a router. He was fighting the machine, swearing at the grain, and leaving nothing but scorched marks and a mess of sawdust. I stepped in, handed him a well-tuned spokeshave, and showed […]