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 […]
Two Jigs Worth Making First
You can spend a small fortune on fancy, cast-iron clamping systems and heavy-duty vices, but if you don't know how to make bench hooks and shooting boards, you’re just fighting your own timber. I remember my first year as an apprentice, trying to plane a straight edge while the workpiece skated across the bench like […]
A Cutting Table From a Sheet and Some Timber
Most folks think that if you want a decent workspace, you need to go out and spend a fortune on a heavy-duty, factory-made workbench that’s built to last about six months before the joints start wobbling. That’s a load of rubbish. I spent thirty years on sites seeing men struggle with flimsy, overpriced gear that’s […]
Cheap Abrasives Cost More
I remember sitting in my workshop back in the nineties, staring at a pile of expensive, branded grit that had done nothing but clog up and burn the grain of a piece of oak I’d spent all morning prepping. It’s a frustrating feeling when you’ve paid a premium for a product, only to find it’s […]
Breaking Down a Sheet on Your Own
I remember a Tuesday morning back in '94, standing in a cramped hallway with a single sheet of 18mm MDF and a back that felt like it was being split by a wedge. I had no mate, no lift, and no business being there, but I had to get that board up the stairs. Most […]
A Garden Bench Worth Saving
Most people think they need a shed full of expensive, battery-operated sanders and a pile of new timber to fix a weathered seat, but they've got it all wrong. I spent forty years on site and another ten in the classroom, and I can tell you that most folks make a mess of it by […]
A Honing Guide Until Your Hands Learn
I spent thirty years on site watching young lads struggle with a dull chisel, trying to force it through a piece of seasoned oak like they were fighting a losing battle. They’d swear the steel was rubbish or that they needed a fancy electric grinder to get the job done, but they were wrong. The […]
A French Cleat Wall for Tools
I spent thirty years on site and another ten in the classroom, and if there is one thing I’ve learned, it’s that a cluttered workbench is a sign of a cluttered mind. Most people think they need fancy, expensive modular systems to get organized, but that’s just more plastic junk destined for a landfill. The […]
Repairing Rather Than Rehandling
I remember sitting in my workshop last Tuesday, looking at a beautiful, old bevel-edged chisel that had been tossed into the scrap bin simply because the ash handle had split right down the middle. Most people see a crack like that and think the tool is dead, but they're wrong. They’ve been told that once […]