My eye scans the winding sticks that span the oak and there the twist stands proud beyond my half cocked eye The rough plane strikes the highs to bring them low and so again I span the oak with sticks to see if winding still stands proud And soon my hands deliver power through the…

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I don’t know of many that rely on winding sticks for detecting twist in boards and billets these days but I use mine often as in days past most woodworkers did. Like the square and the shooting board, these simple pieces were essential to producing accurate work; a slight twist on one rail or stile…

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I felt troubled that anyone would consider buying what can readily be made from real wood. Especially for real woodworkers. I can understand someone buying their initial workbench in certain circumstances but eventually it’s most likely they will rise to the challenge of building their first workbench themselves. Having something to work from might possibly…

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Here are some drawings to help                                     Corner inlay The corner rebate is best done with a marking gauge, knife and tenon saw. The Veritas marking gauge works well for this type of gauge work as it works like a…

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  • Paul Keane on Working AloneI must say your website is excellent with lots of information on how to work with and improve my wood working skills. Due to the lockdown I have build a workbench, I have been look…
  • Dan on Branching outSteve, was that the one on display inside a ranger station in California? If so, I have seen that as well. Definitely worth a look to anybody interested. Keep well, everybody.
  • Gary on Working AloneYou are not alone when you go home to your partner at the end of each day. The same person you saw when you awoke this-morning. They're even with you in many ways when you're apart…
  • Paul Sellers on Edge Sharpening Under £10Is it "cheap" plates or 'less expensive' or 'low cost' plates? There is a difference here. Mylow cost plates in all gritt=s are holding up well after almost four months to date. My…
  • Paul Sellers on Edge Sharpening Under £10I might suggest something different here. I think that with the larger diamonds to top angular points fracture more readily and in a sense, create a sort of plateaued top which is…
  • Richard C on Edge Sharpening Under £10with the cheap plates, I find that yes, they wear very quickly initially, but then 'settle'. another thing I've found is that it's possible to scratch the grit off completely if yo…
  • Samuel on Working AloneThere’s a childlike joy in only having the bare essentials in tools and knowing them and admiring them.