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My next plane will probably be a smoothing plane, not right away, but hopefully not too far in the future.  I was looking at the Lie-Nielsen web site, and I noticed that their No. 4 Smoothing Plane is offered in both a bronze and an iron body version.  The bronze was $50 more.  So is there any advantage to bronze?  And if so, is that advantage of any significance to a hobbyist like me?  

I am on a quest to build some Appalachia style ladder back chairs, or shaker chairs as well, and one of the tools I have been in dire need of is a mallet to strike wood, and chisel with. So after a little bit of research, I came up with my own design, and I had a great time too!
Thanks for looking at my Big Ash Mallet, and no, the title is not original, it was from a Roy Underhill episode!

This is a scanned document of the now defunct Workbench Magazine of this era. Permission was granted by the new Workbench Publication for The Patriot Woodworker community to copy and use the old Workbench Magazine at our pleasure, and for free distribution and re-use.
 
 
This is a wonderful project, from one of my favorite time periods, Colonial America. Just imagine making this project from maple, or better yet, curly maple and giving it a dark deep antique stain. As is with all these Workbench Magazine plans, they are more of a schematic than they are plans, giving you dimensions and scaled grids for your own templates.

Found her sitting on wife's dresser and she told me she wants a few twins if that's possible... funny how wooden angels can talk....Well I have all the ingredients here and there and I might throw in a real rock instead of the wood she stands on...So why not since I got to drink about 60 bottles of GA so this project will take a break while I get my tongue red four or five times a day for a few days so I can get started on these angels twins...
   I will turn on my Dremel tonight so it will be good and warm in the morning when I start slinging wood chips on my clean floor...I even just restocked my used up roll of bailing wire with a fresh new roll so hey....

North House was founded in 1997 by a small handful of inspired locals passionate about traditional craft and cooperative learning. When we published the first catalog of 12 courses (including Inuit kayak building, Scandinavian bowl carving, and canoe paddle making), North House didn't yet have a home — or even a classroom. However, two old forest service buildings on the harbor serendipitously became available, and North House settled in and began building a campus.

Adirondack Folk School

This schema is a very interesting version of a workbench. If you download and look at the schema, you'll not only have a great plan for a workbench, but you'll also see many parts that can be built separately for your own workbench, new or existing, there are quite a few great ideas in this schema. There are even details on building your own wooden vise, a very interesting vise at that.
Enjoy!

My shop is a small,15x15 area.  No windows.  I did clean up, a lot, before the photos.  Don’t know what else to say...it’s small.
 

 

 

 

Today Easy Wood Tools announced a new set of Mini Easy Hollowing Tools to the world.  We are very proud of these tools and I am sure they will be a hit!  The thing we don't really advertise and you guys here at TPW should know is that @Steve Krumanaker and @lew were a critical part of our team in developing these tools. 

Well here I go, time for me to build a new PC. 
But being the way I am, I can't build anything that's quite normal. 
Doe's anyone remember the Silver Boxes I found awhile back? 
I knew when I picked them up I'd have to come up with a good use for them, but what? 
Well here we go with what will become of the first one. 

Memorial Day
This is not a day of celebration, this is not a day to say "Happy Memorial Day", as we often see the banners streaming across the door way of a big box store, or your car dealers lot, "Happy Memorial Day!".

Went to the big town this morning, got home about noon. Why not make more state puzzles. Only this time I printed out one pattern and made two puzzles...I nailed 2 1/4" bb plywoods together and cut them out in the same amount of time it takes to cut one out...I did use Scotch brand clear packing tape on the wood before I sprayed it with stickum. For the guys who uses Duck brand tape and you are getting all kinds of sticky stuff left on the wood that someone has to clean off then try Scotch Brand.

I hope to revive this project this weekend. All the components have been cut, steamed, bent, shaped, and now I need to chop the mortises in the rear legs for the back slats. 
 

My son asked me to build him a computer desk.  He gave me latitude for the design except for the length, depth, and height.  I know that he would be adding a computer monitor bar and he wanted power and USB grommets installed in the top.
 
Material:  Top: 13/16 hard maple.  Base: 1 x 2 cherry.  Drawer: 5/8 hard maple
Base construction: Front legs are cherry bent lamination with 14 degree cant.  Drawer has box joint construction.
Finish: Base has one coat BLO, one coat 1 ½ # shellac, one coat gel stain, and another coat 1 ½# shellac. Overall, everything has two coats pre-cat lacquer.
 
I wanted the desk to be and to appear to be light weight. I know there will be a structural issue if someone sits on the desk top.  I want the desk top to have a floating surface appearance, the base to have curves & angles; and the drawer to have a clean look.  The inner form radius for the bent lamination was 7 7/8.   The base joinery is M&T.  Each joint was doweled with two ¼ dowels.
Thanks for looking.  Danl
 
 
 

 
 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

His mother wants him to be a few states smarter than his class mates when he starts to school......and this is a mighty good way to learn the states.
  

This is a scanned document of the now defunct Workbench Magazine of this era. Permission was granted by the new Workbench Publication for The Patriot Woodworker community to copy and use the old Workbench Magazine at our pleasure, and for free distribution and re-use.
 
 

Good morning guys, I need to make myself one of these and am wondering you have made one and could share yours? I have looked thru YouTube and have found ones that are super simple from a piece of wood with a screw at one end to some very nice looking ones. The bulk of these videos don't go into the differences and the extra things the "fancier" ones can do. 

One of the very first woodworking blogs I ever became interested in is this blog by Kari Hultman, a wonderful craftswoman and artist really, in my opinion she brings hand tooled woodworking to another level of refinement.
Kari and I have been social media buddies since the old days of this blog, even though Kari has picked up a new line of work and interest (leather), I still visit her blog frequently. It reminds of a time on the internet when things were just simpler, and straight forward, and her old blog is still live, enjoy!

3 sales to check out this morning.....was batting 330....one sale had a few tools I like...
$2.25 sitting there....What is so special about a small ball pean hammer?
Well...it is made of Brass...haven't figured out the writing ( local Rail road at one time was known as the CCC& StL RR)  ball end looked a bit abused..

A friend of mine a year and a half ago was camping by this lake with his buddies. A big wind came up abruptly as they were standing around the fire trading great adventures. Suddenly a cedar tree blew over and pinned three of them to the ground. The others rushed to cut the out to rescue them.

There is a first time for everything they say. Today, for me, that "first time thing" was turning a cowboy hat. About six hours from mounting the blank to putting it in the bending jig. I could never have turned this without the guidance, the encouragement, the tutelage, and did I mention the encouragement? Of my good friend and mentor, Bob Lipp, who is Vice President of our local wood turning club.

Our club meets this Sunday, I got demo duty. In the interest of spring, doing an easy spindle project. Garden dibbles.

had a bunch of scraps of Ash stashed away....from before all the medical stuff went on....decided to see what I could cobble together from it...

Well I got the cabinet done. It is not fancy. The wife wanted it made out of pine and wanted it plane. It is 48 inches wide, 7 feet tall and 19 inches deep. Everything is glued and pocket screwed. It was made from 1 by 10 pine. For the trim and doors 1 by 4 pine and 1/4" plywood and 1/4" plywood for the back. I stained it with a light Maple and put two coats of poly over that. She was happy and wants two more smaller ones.