UPDATE: The Mark Baker Woodturner of the Year Competition, public vote now open HERE!
This Christmas, gift craftsmanship and creativity with a carefully chosen woodworking book With the festive…
Louise Biggs shows us how she made a fancy fire surround when there is no…
Nic Westermann demystifies sharpening carving knives and chisels A few years back the (now ex)…
In woodworking, quality screwdrivers are crucial for driving screws cleanly, securely, and precisely without damaging…
Although woodturning lathes vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, the basic requirements of the lathe dictate…
ANTHONY BAILEY AND MICHAEL HUNTLEY J OIN FORCES TO DESIGN AND BUILD THE ONLY WORKBENCH…
Scott Horsburgh shares a technique for creating piston fit drawers. I have many woodworking heroes and my recent introduction to Instagram has led me to discover many more. This desk was inspired by the wonderful desks made by New Zealand maker David Haig and English maker Henry Smedley. I had no commissioned work to undertake so I had an opportunity to make something special for my showroom. This desk and chair were the result. I have received advice from both David and Henry on various methods used in the making of their desks. Along the way I also asked questions of other makers from around the world and received some wonderful advice. I thank you all for your time and the sharing of knowledge, which really does make woodworking a lifelong learning experience. This article will mainly focus on the carcass preparation required for fine fitting drawers and then some minor
Derek Jones takes F&C to the sales for a quick lesson in dating It’s been a while coming but we’ve finally got round to launching an F&C account on Instagram aimed at topping up our regular published content with a more informal stream of tips, updates and general comment. It’s where you’ll find the occasional video clip relating to articles in the magazine and other snippets that, although valid, don’t always make the final cut. It’s also a place where you can comment and interact with other readers and yours truly more or less in real time. Time zones and other restrictions permitting! To get the most out of this feature you’ll need to open an account yourself and access the content via a smartphone or tablet. It just requires a valid email address and a password that you generate and only takes a couple of minutes. I’ve put this
Mike wood explains how to shape, detail and colour a familiar garden bird The wood pigeon (Columba palumbus) is the UK’s largest and most common pigeon and is part of the dove (Columbidae) family. It is largely grey with a white neck and wing patches so it’s clearly visible in flight. Its cooing call is a familiar sound in woodlands as is the loud clatter of its wings when it flies away. They are found across the UK in fields, woods and also towns and cities where they frequent parks and gardens. Wood pigeons are known to eat crops like cabbages, sprouts, peas and grain, but also buds, shoots, seeds, nuts and berries. The wood pigeon can be found across Europe, Eastern and Northern Asia. Even though they are seen of ten, unfortunately few of us take the time to look at them more closely. They are, in fact, a
We used to regularly get hedgehogs in our garden, but sadly in recent years I have seen very few. They are popular animals, particularly with children. Many years ago, I saw one wandering around the garden in daylight and photographed it with the idea of carving one. The first one was carved at actual size in oak (Quercus spp.) and since then I have carved a dozen or more in various woods. The hedgehog shown is carved in oak, with eyes inlaid with buffalo horn. The carved legs are vulnerable to breakage as the grain runs across the legs, so I have included an alternative design where the prickles hide the feet. I have also included a carving of three baby hedgehogs in a ball, scrabbling around each other. Things you will need Hedgehog pattern one The prickles on the back of the hedgehog are carved fairly deeply with a 4mm V-tool
Alan Wasserman looks at using imperfect wood, starting with the implications and things to consider when using soft ‘punky’ wood. Why write an article on using imperfect wood for your woodturning project? Imperfections in wood can include rot, spalting, discolouration, bark inclusions, worm holes, voids, cracks, fissures, etc. Each has implications when they are present in the wood. Some might say that if the wood has imperfections it should be thrown on the fire pile – after all, wood grows on trees! Timber Quality wood can be located and bought from many sources. Perfect timber costs money – depending on the species and figuring, a lot of money – but it can be what is required. What about wood that isn’t quite perfect – like getting our hands on a piece of driftwood or being offered or coming across a felled tree or sections from a tree surgeon? What about
Ger Vervoort makes a unique implement completely out of wood without the need to buy a pen kit Back in my early turning years, I was subscribing to an American magazine called Fine Woodworking. In 1988, there was an article about a wooden retractable ballpoint, turned and written by Richard Elderton. When you’re a novice woodturner, you want to turn anything, from bowls and goblets to boxes and vases – at least I did. This article in Fine Woodworking intrigued me enormously and I started making this ballpoint pen as well. What makes this pen so special is that, at that time, there were no pen kits, and this was made entirely out of wood. The only thing you must buy is the refill, and the spring you get from an empty ballpoint. In the beginning I made this pen as it was described in the article and the closure
Never heard of the ‘Gottshall Block Test’? It is an exercise for beginning woodworkers included in Making Antique Furniture Reproductions by Franklin H. Gottshall, a period furniture writer. The key value of this exercise lies in understanding that grain directions play a critical role in how you use a chisel. Your goal is to keep the chisel edge from digging in and splitting the wood. After teaching classes modelled after Gottshall’s exercise to woodworkers who are not beginners, I can safely say that the Gottshall exercise is a worthy pursuit for the average traditional woodworkers as well. The modified exercise and the tools When I teach, I follow a slightly different approach from Gottshall’s as our focus is on the chisel. First, I replace the round and mitre corners with a tail (see diagram). Second, the only cutting tools we use are the handsaw and chisels – no drill or
The notion of saving and reusing things goes back to the dawn of time. But more recently human beings have become much more wasteful with the ‘throwaway culture’. The funny thing is, we often hark back to an earlier time – when everything we had we really valued. This urge for the vintage, collectable and desirable, can only be partly satisfied by what we find or are given – possibly as keepsakes or heirloom items. We can affirm these ambitions of a comforting past by creating our own history. For example, by the upcycling and recycling of things. Often it is the finishing touches, or the surface texture that lends an antiquated aesthetic. Here are some examples of how different finishes can create loveliness from sometimes lacklustre, unfashionable worn-out objects. Abrasive ‘renewal’ Often, simply working over a surface can give it new life and a new appearance. Dirty, dusty pallet
Bridle joints are common in frame construction because of their strength. The wide mortise and tenon provide plenty of glue surface for a rock-solid joint. Randy Maxey shows how you can make a bridle joint with a band saw and table saw.
To buy Randy’s book: “Wood Joints by Machine & by Hand”
Randy Maxey shares a project design he used to teach woodworking to local residents in El Salvador through the non-profit organization “Tools for Opportunity” @toolsforopportunity7242 The simple design allowed the woodworkers to become familiar with power tools and woodworking design principles. It is a popular design that will not only look good in your home, but it serves an important function in keeping your outdoor gear handy and organised.
Every once in a while, someone comes up with a radical new method or tool that knocks tradition for a loop. Tooley Park scribes are a new take on a centuries-old method of scribing a workpiece. For example, fitting a cabinet filler strip against a wall that’s less than plumb and even. Or scribing an inset door to fit the cabinet opening precisely. Or scribing the bottom of a chair leg for cutting it to eliminate wobble. Many craftsmen and carpenters would use a compass or a crude shop-made tool to do the job. Tooley Park offers another option for scribing that is worth a look.
Stanley Bedrock planes were first introduced in the late 1800s. Their design is a little different, some say better, than conventional bench planes of the era. Randy Maxey disassembles the Bedrock plane to clean all the components before reassembly.
Learn more about Stanley Bedrock Hand Planes:
http://www.supertool.com/StanleyBG/stan15.htm
https://toolsforworkingwood.com/store/blog/1314
Stanley Bedrock hand planes were designed and manufactured to be different than conventional Bailey-style hand planes. But were Bedrock planes better than the common bench plane? Randy Maxey compares the two styles of hand planes and points out the differences between them.
These planes were first introduced in the late 1800s. Their design is a little different, some say better, than conventional bench planes of the era. Randy Maxey was fortunate enough to get his hands on a couple of Bedrock 605 bench planes when a technical school decided to get rid of them. After a few years in storage, he pulls one off the shelf to learn more about Bedrock planes and bring this old hand plane back to life in the workshop.
