debor054

'God makes work for idle hands'... My favourite tool manufacturer is Lie Nielson basically because those few tools I have purchased so far have been amazing both in quality, initial set up and overall performance. A stark contrast to the new Stanley Planes (a no#6 & no#4), I bought only a few months ago back in August . I wish I had realised that Stanley was no longer a quality name in tools - Oh well, lesson learnt. So ... Looking forward to tools I may buy in the future , the 'shopping bill' rises very quickly after only a small number of tools. I decided to compare the cost of Lie Nielsen tools in the USA to here in the UK. Exchange rates were calculated using XE  Prices were obtained from the Lie Nielsen website and the Axminster Tools (Lie Nielsen UK distributor) website. Product USA Lie Nielsen UK Axminster Dowel Plate $50.00 £43.50 5pc Chisel Set (O1 steel) $340.00 £239.00 2 x Mortise Chisels (1/4, 1/2) $130.00 £113.00 Lie ...

Ok ... I said the Small Pine Chest was 'done' ...  Impatience!!! In between working on a new project, I have gone back and fitted the hinges, improved the finish and made an addition to it, hopefully making it more of a finished piece and a lot more useful. As this project was my 'warm up' to dovetails and making my own tool chest, I decided to add a drawer or till to it. Nothing fancy just a simple butt jointed box that sits on two Oak side rails. As it stands this would make a nice little travelling tool chest. My no#6 plane fits in the bottom like a hand in a glove! In fact its probably a good thing that my large tennon saw doesn't fit as I have now out grown my small toolbox I made (what seems like) ages ago. Instead it's going to make someone a lovely Christmas present... Anyway, a few pics to really 'wrap' this project up! 

I'm changing...  Yesterday we took an old heavy solid front door that we have been 'saving' in our hallway around to my girlfriends mum's house. I removed the rotten remains of another old door from her alley way and using only  hand tools. Measured, marked and cut the 'new' door to accurately fit by hand using my panel saws. Adjusted the door frame door stops to allow the new thicker door to sit flush in the frame. Cut the frame to accept the hinges with chisels. Drilled all the pilot holes for the hinge screws and door knob with my gimlets. Finally trimmed the door edge and frame with a no#4 hand plane. Job done ... !!! Even though most people would view this as a 'simple job' ... A few months ago this would have been a 'Lets get a Carpenter in to do this properly' scenario.

Well after waiting for what seems like months, sending several emails regarding UK availability and keeping a close eye on the  Lost Art Press website & blog and finally monitoring stock levels of it on Axminster Tools , its finally mine - At Last!!! The Anarchist Toolchest by Chris Schwarz - The 'Modern Day Godfather' of hand tool woodworking. I cant wait to get stuck into this book and I will do my best NOT to review it, as it seems the whole woodworking world and his wife has already done so... So what else have I been spending money on ... Just a few 'stocking fillers' from Axminster Tools - not that I wear stockings... 2x Large Old fashioned Carpenters Hand Screws Veritas Card Scraper set of 4 Veritas Gimlet set of 7 Kirschen Burnisher to sharpen the Cabinet Scrapers Crown Adjustable Square 12"  Center Finding Rule I also purchased a set of 6" and 4" dividers on Ebay. These dividers have a more reliable screw adjustment. I was given my curr...

This posting was started on the 10th November and has been written as the project progressed... Instead of getting stuck into the project until  completion, I had a week where I was busy with other things. --- A few days ago I finally decided I need to pluck up some courage and have a go at Dovetails... I also need to make a tool chest at some point, therefore, the decision was made to build a smaller 'practise' chest first.  I had a few lengths of budget B-grade Pine 18mm thick and 144mm wide which is really knotty but will (hopefully) do the job. Being my first attempt at dovetails, there is a good chance I'm gonna screw up, so no point in wasting good wood - right? I also have the remains of what looks like a Mahogany desk top with which to make a lid - if I even get that far! First job was to roughly cut the pine boards to length and glue them together to make wider boards. After glueing I cut them to exact length and made sure they were all square with my shooting boar...

After much deliberation I have decided to dip my toe into purchasing (previously 'loved') hand tools on Ebay - with some initial success! For ages I have wanted (actually needed) a Plough plane. My initial thought was to splash out on a brand spanking new Veritas Plough Plane, knowing it would be good quality and work straight out of the box without having to fettle it or remove rust or regrind blades etc. But ...  at nearly £250 quid with a selection of 5 blades, it's EXPENSIVE!!! After some research online I found that the one of the most favoured Plough Planes are the old Record 043 & larger 044 models. The average Ebay price for the 044 in the UK seems to be around the £20-£30 mark.  With such a cheap solution to my problem ... I found this little beauty and chanced my hand... No rust anywhere to be seen. Complete with both long & short guide rods, the (often missing ) depth stop and a full complement of 8 (9/16" - 1/8") blades. The blades are in...

Another super quick & dirty project... A fast approaching birthday and the question of where to hang dog leads and keys in the pantry. Both problems solved ... A scrap of Pine, some dowel and some spare brass hooks I had kicking around.... I squared, chamfered edges and smoothed  with my No#4 Plane.Used a bradawl for the threaded brass hooks. Drilled the holes and glued in the dowel. A lick of boiled Linseed oil. Done! Its Rustic....