Three Stones and Nothing Else
I spent thirty years on site watching young lads buy these fancy, multi-stage diamond systems that cost more than a decent cordless drill, only to end up with an edge that still tears through timber like a blunt spoon. They think a high price tag solves everything, but they're just being sold a bit of […]
Buying From a Stall Without Regret
I remember standing at a rain-slicked market stall in Leeds back in '84, staring at a row of planes that looked like they’d been pulled from a shipwreck. Most people would’ve walked straight past, thinking they were just looking at rusted scrap, but I knew better. You can't judge a tool by its shine or […]
Machine Maintenance by the Month
I remember standing in the back of a college workshop back in the nineties, watching a lad try to force a dull jigsaw through a piece of seasoned oak. The machine was screaming, the wood was smoking, and the cut looked like it had been made by a drunk man with a hatchet. Most people […]
A Window Seat With Storage
I remember standing in a student’s workshop back in the late nineties, watching a lad struggle with a vibrating, battery-hungry circular saw, trying to force a straight line through some oak for a built-in bench. He was sweating, swearing, and the cut was as crooked as a dog's hind leg. He thought he needed more […]
Honing Guides Judged on Repeatability
I see these glossy magazine spreads and YouTube videos where someone spends twenty minutes talking about "precision engineering" and "ergonomic grips" before they've even put a blade in the thing. It’s nonsense. Most of those reviewers wouldn't know a consistent bevel if it bit them in the hand, and frankly, I'm tired of seeing people […]
The Jig You Made and Cannot Find
I spent thirty years on job sites and another ten in a classroom, and if there is one thing that gets under my skin, it’s the way modern woodworking shops are being sold. You go into a shop now and see people spending hundreds of pounds on fancy, plastic-moulded drawer systems and high-tech modular units […]
A Newel Post That Moves
You don't need to rip the whole staircase out or start buying expensive structural reinforcement kits just because that post has started to wobble. Most people see a shifting newel and think they need a heavy-duty drill or a massive amount of construction adhesive to fix it, but that's a mistake that'll only leave you […]
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 […]