Discussion
loughran said:
Agreed, a low angled block plane is the most useful of woodworking tools. I use a Lie Neilson 60 1/2 and it's a very nice thing.
I've always hankered after a Bridge City low angle block plane, they were made as a limited edition and you see them occasionally on ebay..... but maybe they're to beautiful (and expensive) to use. See how the sole is dovetailed into the sides and then infilled with rosewood.
Or maybe a HP9 dual angle.
If however you're feeling flush you could hunt down something by Karl Holtey. i think he's retired now but his planes do come up occasionally... for the price of a nice car.
http://www.holteyplanes.com/gallery.html
Now you've done it. I am trying to wean myself off tool pron...I shall have to go and get an Axminster catalogue and retire to the loo...I've always hankered after a Bridge City low angle block plane, they were made as a limited edition and you see them occasionally on ebay..... but maybe they're to beautiful (and expensive) to use. See how the sole is dovetailed into the sides and then infilled with rosewood.
Or maybe a HP9 dual angle.
If however you're feeling flush you could hunt down something by Karl Holtey. i think he's retired now but his planes do come up occasionally... for the price of a nice car.
http://www.holteyplanes.com/gallery.html
wolfracesonic said:
So, you’re stuck on a desert island, you’ve got a pile of carcassing timber, plywood, doors, skirtings, worktops, architraves etc. and you need to build yourself a timber frame house: You can have one power saw, what will it be? I’ll side with Singlecoil and make it a plunge saw. Rough sawn timber and second fix stuff can be done no problem with hand saws, if a little slower but ripping ply, worktops with hand saws? Sod that for game of soldiers. What would your single power saw be? Oh, wait, there’s no power on the island, hand saws it is
Large amounts of America have been constructed using nothing but a Skil saw (the worm drive left handed type) and a hammer. Just need something to power it 
XCP said:
loughran said:
Agreed, a low angled block plane is the most useful of woodworking tools. I use a Lie Neilson 60 1/2 and it's a very nice thing.
I've always hankered after a Bridge City low angle block plane, they were made as a limited edition and you see them occasionally on ebay..... but maybe they're to beautiful (and expensive) to use. See how the sole is dovetailed into the sides and then infilled with rosewood.
Or maybe a HP9 dual angle.
If however you're feeling flush you could hunt down something by Karl Holtey. i think he's retired now but his planes do come up occasionally... for the price of a nice car.
http://www.holteyplanes.com/gallery.html
Now you've done it. I am trying to wean myself off tool pron...I shall have to go and get an Axminster catalogue and retire to the loo...I've always hankered after a Bridge City low angle block plane, they were made as a limited edition and you see them occasionally on ebay..... but maybe they're to beautiful (and expensive) to use. See how the sole is dovetailed into the sides and then infilled with rosewood.
Or maybe a HP9 dual angle.
If however you're feeling flush you could hunt down something by Karl Holtey. i think he's retired now but his planes do come up occasionally... for the price of a nice car.
http://www.holteyplanes.com/gallery.html
I remember using wooden planes in the woodwork class at school, the sole was occasionally wiped with a linseed oil pad that was kept in a jar and smelled lovely. Never hold the plane with your fingers hanging over the front. When you pull back and the plane slips off the board, it's your fingers that get it when you slam them into the end of the board on the next stroke forward. 
It's been a busy end to the year for me and I finished another painted kitchen yesterday, just in time for Christmas.
Now I'll have some time to think about what I'd like to do with a tree I was given earlier in the year. It's a yew tree, cut into 1" 2" 3" AND 4" boards and it's been sat minding it's own business under a tarpaulin for 15 years. It's very rare to find a yew of this size, I took a piece along to my local timber yard to show them what I had and nobody knew what it was.
The timber is bright orange when freshly cut, it's heavy and dense and works beautifully.
The old chap who gave me the tree asked if I would make him a small piece of furniture in exchange, so I'll look forward to making that in the New Year.
It's been a busy end to the year for me and I finished another painted kitchen yesterday, just in time for Christmas.
Now I'll have some time to think about what I'd like to do with a tree I was given earlier in the year. It's a yew tree, cut into 1" 2" 3" AND 4" boards and it's been sat minding it's own business under a tarpaulin for 15 years. It's very rare to find a yew of this size, I took a piece along to my local timber yard to show them what I had and nobody knew what it was.
The timber is bright orange when freshly cut, it's heavy and dense and works beautifully.
The old chap who gave me the tree asked if I would make him a small piece of furniture in exchange, so I'll look forward to making that in the New Year.
crmcatee said:
Alternatively head down to your local auction place, you can probably pick up a blunt block plane for about £6 - 8 unless there's a bidding frenzy
My first Chris Tribe (mentioned earlier) class was his tool sharpening one, which was a real eye opener.He showed us what to look for in a used plane and how to flatten the sole and properly sharpen blades - shortly after I bought a pair of 1930s Record planes from the 'junk' pile in an antique shop for £40.
One's a 5 1/2 and one looks like someone's cut down a 5 to the size of a 4 but both had immaculate soles and with a morning's work were good as new - they're my go-to planes now.
These are couple of websites I came across when I was trying to date some of my tools Dating Record planes and more Record planes. Isn’t Yew nasty to work btw Loughran, as regards toxicity?
wolfracesonic said:
These are couple of websites I came across when I was trying to date some of my tools Dating Record planes and more Record planes. Isn’t Yew nasty to work btw Loughran, as regards toxicity?
Good question. I know yew foliage is toxic to livestock but I have never thought of the timber as being toxic too. A bit of Googling reveals the dust can be an irritant and cause dermatitis. I've worked yew before without any adverse reactions but I'll keep an weather eye out... I find I'm a little more susceptible to these sort of things the older I get.Some good info from Kew. Seems Pliny was wary of drinking wine from yew flasks.
https://www.kew.org/read-and-watch/analysis-of-yew...
I mentioned pocket hole jigs a few pages back. Bought a Kreg to finish the job off, so much better quality!
Finished the woodworking part, needs paint still. Praise indeed when my father in law saw it today "I thought you were going to f
k it up, but this is really good. I didn't think you had it in you"
Bookcase (not pictured) TV stand, above TV shelves and a window seat
Finished the woodworking part, needs paint still. Praise indeed when my father in law saw it today "I thought you were going to f
k it up, but this is really good. I didn't think you had it in you"Bookcase (not pictured) TV stand, above TV shelves and a window seat
Benrad said:
I mentioned pocket hole jigs a few pages back. Bought a Kreg to finish the job off, so much better quality!
Finished the woodworking part, needs paint still. Praise indeed when my father in law saw it today "I thought you were going to fk it up, but this is really good. I didn't think you had it in you"
Bookcase (not pictured) TV stand, above TV shelves and a window seat
Any tips for the above TV shelves?Finished the woodworking part, needs paint still. Praise indeed when my father in law saw it today "I thought you were going to f
k it up, but this is really good. I didn't think you had it in you"Bookcase (not pictured) TV stand, above TV shelves and a window seat
I'm about to do something very similar over a cupboard I've built beside a chimney breast.
I have a picture in my mind of a back board, and shelves with two vertical dividers running the full height of the wall over the cupboard.
No idea how to do it though
marksx said:
Any tips for the above TV shelves?
I'm about to do something very similar over a cupboard I've built beside a chimney breast.
I have a picture in my mind of a back board, and shelves with two vertical dividers running the full height of the wall over the cupboard.
No idea how to do it though
I'm at my parents house for Christmas but I'll try and remember to take a few pictures of how it goes together in the new year.I'm about to do something very similar over a cupboard I've built beside a chimney breast.
I have a picture in my mind of a back board, and shelves with two vertical dividers running the full height of the wall over the cupboard.
No idea how to do it though
Mine doesn't have a back board, I got paint in both matt emulsion (for the wall) and satin wood (for the wood) colour matched to the sofa we've bought
Fixed the four uprights to the wall, then screwed the horizontals in. Pinned the shelves and side panels on. Rest the horizontal pieces above onto the panels to line them up and agree then in too. Rinse and repeat.
Kreg pocket hole jig was a revelation, I just used the cheapest mini one. Using the spirit level and a square at every step. Quick clamps to hold stuff in place whilst it's screwed together. Shelves and side panels are 3.2mm MDF pinned in place with a cheap nail gun, frame is 47x45mm PAR C16 (planed all round soft wood of a certain grade, gives a good square edge and smooth face. Widely available, learnt what it meant for this job! Finished size is 45x45mm)
I'll get some pictures in a few days, anything else you wanted to know?
I think the tool anybody who doesn't already have it needs is a CAD program. Sketchup is relatively easy to learn and is free, and will do all any general woodworker needs.
You can draw up your project first, you'll be able to see if there's anything that isn't the right size, and you can take all your measurements straight off the CAD model. With the right plug-ins it will even tell you how much material you need.
You can draw up your project first, you'll be able to see if there's anything that isn't the right size, and you can take all your measurements straight off the CAD model. With the right plug-ins it will even tell you how much material you need.
singlecoil said:
I think the tool anybody who doesn't already have it needs is a CAD program. Sketchup is relatively easy to learn and is free, and will do all any general woodworker needs.
You can draw up your project first, you'll be able to see if there's anything that isn't the right size, and you can take all your measurements straight off the CAD model. With the right plug-ins it will even tell you how much material you need.
I've tried a few CAD programs, including sketchup, but I'm ashamed to say that I haven't been able to successfully use any of them. This is despite learning Solidworks to a pretty advanced level when I did my Mechanical Engineering degree. Although in my defence, that was 20 years ago now... You can draw up your project first, you'll be able to see if there's anything that isn't the right size, and you can take all your measurements straight off the CAD model. With the right plug-ins it will even tell you how much material you need.
I tend to jump straight to drafting everything the old fashioned way using pencil, paper and T square, as it works out faster than spending time trying to learn to use new software.
singlecoil said:
I think the tool anybody who doesn't already have it needs is a CAD program. Sketchup is relatively easy to learn and is free, and will do all any general woodworker needs.
You can draw up your project first, you'll be able to see if there's anything that isn't the right size, and you can take all your measurements straight off the CAD model. With the right plug-ins it will even tell you how much material you need.
I’ll second that. I use sketchup pro and it’s invaluable, from customer facing visuals to detailed production drawings its so easy and quick to use and very cost effective in comparison to most comparable cad software. You can draw up your project first, you'll be able to see if there's anything that isn't the right size, and you can take all your measurements straight off the CAD model. With the right plug-ins it will even tell you how much material you need.
Edited by RSVR101 on Tuesday 31st December 01:40
crmcatee said:
Alternatively head down to your local auction place, you can probably pick up a blunt block plane for about £6 - 8 unless there's a bidding frenzy
I got this one, sharpened the blade but didn't tidy the rest of it as I loved the used look.
Planes really nicely on larger pieces.
That isn't a block plane, it's a tri or jointer plane.I got this one, sharpened the blade but didn't tidy the rest of it as I loved the used look.
Planes really nicely on larger pieces.
loughran said:
Two nice marking gauges for me for Christmas. One a wheel style marking gauge in rosewood and brass, the other an early mortice gauge with an ebony stock. I must get round to making that beautiful tool cabinet I've been promising to make myself... for the last 20 years. 
What a lovely gift, did you pick them and hint heavily or does someone know you really well?Benrad said:
I'm at my parents house for Christmas but I'll try and remember to take a few pictures of how it goes together in the new year.
Mine doesn't have a back board, I got paint in both matt emulsion (for the wall) and satin wood (for the wood) colour matched to the sofa we've bought
Fixed the four uprights to the wall, then screwed the horizontals in. Pinned the shelves and side panels on. Rest the horizontal pieces above onto the panels to line them up and agree then in too. Rinse and repeat.
Kreg pocket hole jig was a revelation, I just used the cheapest mini one. Using the spirit level and a square at every step. Quick clamps to hold stuff in place whilst it's screwed together. Shelves and side panels are 3.2mm MDF pinned in place with a cheap nail gun, frame is 47x45mm PAR C16 (planed all round soft wood of a certain grade, gives a good square edge and smooth face. Widely available, learnt what it meant for this job! Finished size is 45x45mm)
I'll get some pictures in a few days, anything else you wanted to know?
Thank you!Mine doesn't have a back board, I got paint in both matt emulsion (for the wall) and satin wood (for the wood) colour matched to the sofa we've bought
Fixed the four uprights to the wall, then screwed the horizontals in. Pinned the shelves and side panels on. Rest the horizontal pieces above onto the panels to line them up and agree then in too. Rinse and repeat.
Kreg pocket hole jig was a revelation, I just used the cheapest mini one. Using the spirit level and a square at every step. Quick clamps to hold stuff in place whilst it's screwed together. Shelves and side panels are 3.2mm MDF pinned in place with a cheap nail gun, frame is 47x45mm PAR C16 (planed all round soft wood of a certain grade, gives a good square edge and smooth face. Widely available, learnt what it meant for this job! Finished size is 45x45mm)
I'll get some pictures in a few days, anything else you wanted to know?
Are the sides just fixed with plugs and screws into the wall?
Did you use the kreg to fix the shelves to the sides?
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