Monthly Archives: December 2011
Woodworking With My Son, Part 2
Earlier I blogged about making a toolbox for my son for Christmas and loading it up with some basic tools. Today the two of us made another project together, using just his tools. I have to tell you about this book we picked up, it’s a great project book for kids in my opinion. It has [...]
One of THOSE Days
I don’t know about you, but every once in a while nothing seems to go right in the shop. Yesterday was one of those days. It started off simply enough. My workbench project in on pause until the Stanley #8 I bought on ebay arrives. Hopefully today. I decided I “needed” that to flatten the [...]
Stanley #5 Restore – It’s a Wrap
The paint came. Tape went on. Paint went on. Tape came off. Parts went on. I like it. And it’s a far cry from the rusty mess I started with. Restoring an old tool like this is really gratifying. I haven’t made any cuts with it yet, the paint isn’t cured, and the finish on [...]
Stanley #5 Restore, Getting Closer
At this point I’m just about done with the “restoration” of the #5 Stanley. I should get the recommended “semi-gloss black Ford engine paint” delivered tomorrow, all I need to do is paint the frog and body, and re-assemble it. I picked up a replacement rosewood knob and tote from thebestthings.com. At the same time [...]
Disston D8 Do-Over
I picked up a D8 rip saw recently. Like my Stanley #5 that I’m reworking, this isn’t old enough to be collectable, and isn’t ready for immediate use either. I suspect that it’s never been re-sharpened, and luckily it’s nice and straight. Not pretty, not sharp, but straight without any kinks or broken teeth. The [...]
Restoring a Stanley #5
Well, actually “restoring” is the wrong verb. This plane isn’t particularly collectible, and collectors might not approve of my approach. Whatever. My goal is to make it work right and look sharp. No pun intended. All of the parts were dirty and rusty. Luckily I know how to fix that. A few minutes in the [...]
Christmas Chisel
I’d mentioned earlier that I bought the “Exercises in Wood-Working” book+DVD set for my brother-in-law for christmas. It came is just under the $50 gift limit, on special and with free shipping. This morning I decided I’d add a chisel and a block of practice wood to the package. The first few exercises in the [...]
Preview of Coming Distractions
I have a new-ish Stanley #5. Yep, plastic tote, plastic front knob, plastic depth adjuster. No adjuster on the frog, just loosen the screws and slide it around. The blade vibrates like a tuning fork, and it doesn’t even begin to hold an adjustment. But it looks like a plane. So I decided to upgrade. [...]
Exercises in Wood-Working: Use of the Chisel Part 1
Yesterday I talked about the Ivin Sickels book on hand tool woodworking exercises. Well, there is no place to begin better than the beginning. I stopped by the local lumber yard this morning and picked up a scrap of Western Red Cedar. Chris Schwarz recommends, in the video, getting a 2 x 4 from the [...]
Resources for Learning Hand Tool Woodworking
There are some really great resources available today for learning hand tool woodworking today. Maybe 10 years ago I did some woodworking – primarily using power tools – and this certainly wan’t the case then. The Krenov books were great (and still are), and there were other resources. But there has been an ongoing resurgence [...]
