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First day of the first class of the year

First day of the first class of the year

Yesterday’s first day Yesterday was the first actual workshop workshop of the year and it was made all the better by the fact that we has a classful of people set on asking questions and listening to one another. The hardest questions to answer are the once never asked.

Myth and mystery surrounding plane and chisel bevels

Myth and mystery surrounding plane and chisel bevels

I want to revisit something that proved interesting throughout my tour in the US these past three months. I asked attendees at each seminar what angle we grind our chisel and plane bevels to and everyone said 25-degrees. I then asked what angle do we hone them to? The answer

Hook knives, hand scorps and gouges

Hook knives, hand scorps and gouges

Briefly. In answer to the question, why I prefer a #7 35mm gouge over a hand scorp or hook knife, it’s dead simple really. Whereas knives and scorps do similar and sometimes the same work, they are designed for different action, presentation and even wood types, I think. This

Listen to the Modern Woodworkers Association Podcast

Listen to the Modern Woodworkers Association Podcast

I saved one of the highlights of my US tour until it was current and available. Atlanta Georgia was a wonderful experience for many reasons and as you know I loved visiting Highland Hardware and putting faces to the names of friendly people I had come to know at the

Gaining control of your life

Young people get going It's been some time since I posted on my thoughts and feelings about people I have come to know, like Matt, a London Barrister who impressed me with his skills and tenacity with hand tools as he progressed his life to become. He loved

Two-day class this coming weekend

Two-day class this coming weekend

This weekend is the first hands-on workshop of the season. The class is full and it’s nice to be in a fixed location after three months teaching on the USA tour. I still miss my US friends though. The mountains are looking lovely above the castle. Opening-skills workshops continue

Minimalist woodworking - Another poor-man's beading tool

Minimalist woodworking - Another poor-man's beading tool

Bandsaw beaders with hook Bandsaw blades may sometimes seem a waste of good steel and indeed as an apprentice 45-50 years ago, we used to send them away to be sharpened many times over. Today they are all discarded for meltdown and that’s fine as the steel bands themselves