I’ve watched the runners decline with the colder weather as I ride my bike first thing in the morning over this past two or three weeks. Dog walkers too have freed up my cycling space on the paths and cycling has become a treat as cyclists ride the bus and drive the car. It made…

I looked at this kaleidoscope of colour in wood and felt refreshed by the diversity of tone. Take one or two pieces out of the whole and someone somewhere will say this or that version of wood is a trash wood. First off there is no such thing as trash wood. All wood is good…

…It’s Slow Or is it? Or perhaps I should ask more, was it in its day? Imagine going back to an early 1980s computer compared to a smart phone and trying to draw a real comparison. Along with the smart phone and the computers we no use the old models are considered dinosaurs and yet…

…Me in Good Stead It was a sad day for all The day George left the workshop was filled with much well-wishing but it was a sad day and especially so for me. Until now we had both ridden our bikes out of the yard and on up the cobbled streets to see who gave…

I have probably owned or used just about every type of plane and saw produced, be they the lowest of the low end and the highest of the high end and then those in between. That’s not altogether true, but I have used a lot. One of the nicest planes I ever used to plane…

Going South Over the past few months I have been looking at vintage pillar drills (or they could be called drill presses too if you live in the States.) I didn’t know too much about them in the beginning but my knowledge grew as I investigated. The difference between the models is fairly significant as…

My day unfolds without a plan some days, but I embrace the steps as each one obviates the course I’m taking. Today I cut wood for the dovetail tester box I promised and I was happy that from it’s rough state it planed out so well with a jack and smoother. Sharpening up takes but…

My reason for revisiting the issue of shaping wood by hand is this: I think that it is very likely that people in general cannot spend a £120 on a rasp to make a project like say a spoon that they do not know if they will like producing more of into the future. We’ve…

I walk every evening after supper for about an hour or so, so three or four miles works well for me. This happens no matter the weather, but a storm might stop me once in a while or at least shorten the distance by a mile. I don’t watch the TV much once every three…