The Renaissance Woodworker

I spent so much time building and perfecting my Roubo workbench that it seemed only fitting that I retire my cobbled together shooting board and bench hook for newer, smarter, and faster models. In the digital age we are blessed with a plethora of information when you embark on a new project. In [...]

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I would estimate that I am doing 85-90% of my work with hand tools these days. Because of that I am constantly looking for better lighting so I can truly see my work. Lately I haven’t even been turning on my over head fluorescent lights instead favoring to turn on the incandescent work [...]

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So here is the final work holding touch to this workbench. Really an accessory to help with wide panels or edge work on long boards, but something that is indispensable when those needs arise. Much of the work is the same as the leg vise except for the sliding mechanism which I detail [...]

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I added a new toy to the tool cabinet this weekend. An Iwasaki Carving File purchased during the big Woodcraft sale. These files are extremely sharp as they have been chemically etched. Their diagonal tooth pattern cuts much like a plane would cut including a form of tiny chip breaker which actually [...]

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I have spoken a lot about the custom filing that Mark Harrell does to make his Bad Axe tenon saws so incredible to work with. Here is an example of what I’m talking about. Ash is very hard and when you are cutting a 3.5″ thick piece like this one it can wear [...]

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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 [...]

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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, [...]

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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 [...]

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Maybe it is just the circles I run in lately but there are a lot of conversations about not needing this power tool or never using this jig because it is more enjoyable and sometimes faster to use a hand tool instead.
It probably has a lot to do with my personal development as [...]

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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 [...]

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