The Renaissance Woodworker

This week I address a common problem when hand planing: inadvertantly tapering the board. This was something that Brian Meeks, @extremelyavg on Twitter brought to my attention. First off you should go check out Brian’s site because it is a humorous and refreshing look at our fine craft taken from the eager neophyte’s perspective. Enjoy [...]

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Its time to chop some mortises and cut some tenons. Once again no electrons were harmed during the filming of this podcast. Click To Play

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Today I start a new project series. I’ll be posting in parallel to The Wood Whisperer Community in the Guild area as well because this is a project I am building along with my fellow Guild members. This is part of the much touted Woodworkers Fighting Cancer effort. Today I introduce my design and discuss [...]

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I have been using a Veritas bevel up smoother for a few years now with no complaints. The stock 25 degree blade was great but I switched over to a 38 degree for a combined 50 degree “York” pitch after a while and dedicated this plane to tough grain situations. I have a refurbished Stanley [...]

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It’s time for another hand tool tip. You have crosscut that board and now you notice it isn’t square or parallel to the opposite end. Yes you can use a shooting board to fix it, but this gets hard with larger boards. A shooting board is really just a jig that makes a fundamental skill [...]

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I mentioned on Twitter yesterday that I have been working in Ash for a year now as I slowly build my workbench. Rob Bois, @theboisshop, commented that I must be really good at sharpening after working with such a hard wood for so long. You know I hadn’t really thought about it, but I do [...]

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I have completed all the functional aspects of my workbench and it has already greatly improved the quality of my woodworking. Now it is time to turn my attention to some of the creature comforts. I find myself crossing back and forth across my shop to get a bench hook or a shooting board and [...]

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After my trip to Valley Forge for the 2009 Hand Tools and Techniques conference I became a little obsessed with wooden planes. I had a particular interest in molding planes. I was lucky enough to come across several auctions on eBay from the same tool chest. Unfortunately I was sniped on one of them, so [...]

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I am introducing a new segment this week called Hand Tool Tips. I capture a lot of footage when I’m working in my shop. A lot of it really isn’t relevant to an ongoing topic or a specific project so it just gets filed away under miscellaneous tips. Hence the birth of Hand Tool Tips. [...]

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This message greeted me when I unwrapped my new back saws from Bad Axe Toolworks. It made me laugh but it is a dogma to keep close to your heart while working with hand tools. Saws run easier, planes slide nicely, bits turn smoothly. Old English cabinetmakers often used tallow to lubricate their planes and [...]

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