A Router Plane for Consistent Depth
I remember standing in a workshop back in the eighties, watching a young apprentice try to fix a wonky tenon with a loud, vibrating power router. He was fighting the machine, gouging the wood, and sweating through his shirt, all while the joint looked like it had been chewed by a dog. I walked over, […]
Four Kinds of Pliers and When
I remember a lad on my site back in the nineties, a bright enough boy, but he spent more time fumbling with a massive, cheap set of multi-purpose grips than he did actually working. He’d be sweating, cursing at a stubborn wire or a misplaced nail, while I sat there with a single pair of […]
The Brace Does Things a Drill Cannot
I remember standing in the workshop during my first year as an apprentice, watching my mentor reach for a heavy, cast-iron brace instead of the cordless drill sitting right there on the bench. I thought he was just being old-fashioned, but when he started boring through that thick oak, it was silent, steady, and precise. […]
A Screwdriver That Fits the Screw
I remember sitting in the workshop during my final year of apprenticeship, watching a lad try to force a screw into a piece of seasoned oak using a cheap, hollow-handled driver from a supermarket multipack. The tip stripped instantly, leaving him cursing and spinning a useless piece of metal in a ruined hole. It’s a […]
Rasps for Shaping and Files for Refining
I remember standing in a drafty college workshop thirty years ago, watching a young apprentice try to coax a smooth curve out of a piece of oak using nothing but a high-speed orbital sander. He was covered in fine dust, his hands were vibrating like a tuning fork, and the shape was a bloody mess. […]
Burnishing a Card Scraper Properly
Most people think they need a high-end orbital sander and a mountain of grit to get a surface smooth, but they’re just chasing their tails. I spent years watching apprentices spend hours sanding a tabletop, only to find the swirl marks still there once the finish went on. They’d complain about the tool being finicky, […]
Setting Up a Spokeshave That Actually Cuts
I remember a lad in my college workshop back in the nineties, sweating over a curved chair leg with a power sander, trying to force a shape that just wasn't coming. He was fighting the wood, making a mess of the grain and filling the air with useless dust. I walked over, handed him a […]
Picking a Mallet for Chisel Work
I remember standing in a college workshop back in the nineties, watching a bright-eyed apprentice reach for a massive, expensive rubber mallet to drive a delicate paring chisel. The look on his face when he nearly split the handle was a lesson in itself. Most people think you need a fancy, multi-purpose tool from a […]
A Hand Drill Still Beats Cordless for Small Holes
I remember standing in a workshop back in '84, watching a young lad wrestle with a heavy cordless drill, swearing as he blew a hole straight through a piece of seasoned oak. He was fighting the machine, trying to force it to do what it wasn't meant to do, while I stood there with a […]
Testing Whether Your Square Is Square
I remember a lad back in my teaching days, a bright enough boy, but he spent three hours fighting a joint that wouldn't close because he was relying on a cheap, stamped-metal square he'd picked up for a few quid. He kept blaming his saw and his chisel, but the truth was simpler: his reference […]