When a class begins, on the first hour of the first day, we walk through the processes of sharpening different tools. Inevitably, from the first questions asked, we must work through the modern-day myths and mysteries surrounding sharpening to restore sanity to an otherwise quick and simple task. Japanese stones versus oilstones and diamond powder…
These two knives are used in animal husbandry, to clean and trim the hooves of sheep and goats of different types or breeds. They have stainless steel blades and both take a good edge. Of course they came from UK suppliers, but they are made for international markets and so are available in other countries…
In times past I made some of my income from hand carving wooden spoons. I made many hundreds each year and sold them from anywhere between $20-80 depending on the shape, size, wood and other detailing such as carving, turning and such. Our workshop opened to the public from 10am until 4pm each day and…
I like to adapt existing tools for my work, make them, adapt them or whatever to suit my task. I found the different curved hook knives less effective for carving more dense grained hardwoods and much less effective when the wood, hard or softwood, is dried and seasoned. With tons of both a ready and…
Some of you asked how to straighten a bent saw back because the plates bend in them and cause difficulty in the cut. We put this video together to help on YouTube.
The past week has been busy with a variety of things accomplished, partly done and planned to be done soon. We finished off the toolbox series all the way down to lock and handles and we will most likely make a 10 minute video on painting it using layered milk paint or similar. The mixture…
Buying tools on eBay has always proven greatly rewarding for me. I mean it’s rewarding in that I find tools I might not otherwise find without spending endless hours scouring shops, standing at auctions or advertising for old tools in newspapers. We also paid five times the prices we are paying today and we paid…
My children are adults now. I thought that when they reached this point my work would be done, but now I discover at this ‘other’ end of life that life really comprises multi-layered spheres of periodic development in growth proportions high enough they become important memories. We might compartmentalise this as phasing or stages, but…
Bridging the gap One thing I have learned through my lifetime as a lifelong lifestyle woodworker is the value of drawing out my work, looking to the past for a present generation. This means copious note making and measuring the details of life meticulously and searching out for the many small nuances a particular craftsman…
I guess now that I am so old I should recount my memoirs. Here’s one you might like. I have a few now. As a boy of fifteen, and an apprentice to boot (literally), my tasks were very simple and age-, position- and experience-appropriate; catch from all out-feed tables and stack, sweep the shop at…