The European Woodworking Show in Essex promises a broad spectrum of exhibitors and demonstrators and I know that show organiser Mike Hancock puts a great deal of effort into bringing a successful show together. His passion for woodworking shines through in this endeavour and I want to support his ambitions to make this venue…
My blog on the this The European Woodworking Show will shortly follow. I will be teaching the Masterclasses at the Show and resenting a proactive dynamic to get you engaged. Watch this space!
I bought another really great plane recently, one I didn’t ever expect to find. As a boy, my then mentor/master George Mycock from Stockport owned a Woden 4 1/2 smoothing plane. In over 40 years I haven’t seen one ever and there I saw one on eBay. How amazing is that! Bidding was straight forward…
David Gill came to the Foundational Course Part II last week and deposited an envelope into my unsuspecting hand. My hand dropped like a lead weight in my lack of anticipation of the weight. As I peeled open the envelope and pulled the protective sheet from the contents I was holding I saw my dovetail…
The aisles are stuffed most of the time at The North of England Woodworking Show This is a brief reminder to set two weekends aside for two UK woodworking shows. One is held at The Great Yorkshire Show Ground in Harrogate in Yorkshire, 18-20 November starting at 10am each day. I can best describe…
The Veritas Plough Plane for today’s woodworker Here is another revue on a Veritas product I like. The Veritas plough (plow) plane has become my favourite plane for developing grooves to form doors and framed panels as well as inlaying grooves for inlaid stripes in boxes, picture frames and so on. This plane effectively replaces…
Last night we closed up at five and another group left with tables, shelves and boxes with local journeys to England, Wales and the USA. Remarkably, we had a great deal of humour and hard work rolled into six days of building skills and discovering new friends. John Winter helps with my work now The days pass…
A challenge I face in my daily work writing, teaching and making films is dismantling how people perceive their skill levels and understanding. A man who works wood for 30 years by machine cannot perceive himself to be a rank amateur and a 13 year old girl who made a dovetail by hand claims…
I am presently working on a three-day course for beginning woodworking for women. The reasons are many but I have taught many women woodworkers through the years and I have gained some insights that will help strategise practical ways for women to develop skill. If you want to learn skilful methods and techniques that build both…
Power versus power began for me thirty plus years ago when I began questioning workshop safety. I complied with all regulations yet at the end of the day using power equipment I was coughing up junk like a veteran smoker. Only trouble was I didn’t smoke! How do you think about power woodworking? I mean,…