My path is an easy one this morning as I walk through the woods. Last night’s rain lifted the whole sphere of the woods so that the birds and animals dart ahead and to the side of my silent walk on the mossy footpath. All of the ferns have unfurled their tight coil of spring…
My first step in restoring this plane began as with all planes with the critical edge. The edge on this Record plane iron has the wrong bevel and so it lines up with the sole of the plane and this renders it incapable of removing any type of shaving because the whole bevel rides the…
I love all of my tools, but the ones I love the most are the ones I use and rely on. Not many woodworkers use hand planes compared to say a hundred years ago. The pinnacle period for planemakers was in the mid 1700s. Imagine that if you will. “The earliest known plane, with a…
Here are my initial conclusions on the 1st plane purchase in the plane buying sessions Just to keep everyone on track, here are my findings with plane #1: 1: It was exceptionally well packaged with more bubbles inside the cardboard box than my grandsons bubble bath. The outside wrapper had a lovely symmetry of…
I’ve bought dozens of planes on eBay over the years, rarely if ever with any mishaps. I thought it might help to know what I look for beyond the usual ratings and protection systems as standard. Students are always asking where they can buy good hand planes from. of course there is always risk buying…
My bike was stolen last week. It was a good mountain bike. A Scott. I was sorry to see it go but there you have it. Fact is that there are many ways to get work. My favorite is to walk. My waterproof backpack keeps my gear dry and my cameras and sketchbooks. I walk…
Hi Paul, I cannot thank you enough for the wonderful blessing of imparting your knowledge and skills with me. I absolutely loved the classes, especially your style of teaching and your approach to life in combination with woodworking. Would you send me your email address? I did some limited searching and of the tools you…
As the gap between the rich and poor gains its increased distance and separation, I am amazed that new-genre woodworking (and other true crafts too, and that does not include the potpourri foo-foo crafts) seems to see reduced disparity between what might have at one time been seen as blue- and white-collar workers. Engineers, plumber and…
Today the castle workshop was as busy as ever with people passing through and asking questions the whole day. I spent much of my time talking to visitors as I tidied my bench and the workshop after last week’s classes. I demonstrate my craft as I have for over two decades now. It gives others…
Culture was once a sustainable environment people lived in that defined how they lived, what they did, what they ate, grew, harvested, cooked and much more. It defined where they lived, how they spoke, worked and every detail of life within the cultural sphere of creativity they were a part of. The culture shifted only…