Blog > Workbench Wisdom
Tour of Jim’s Handtool-Only shop
Lot's of folks have been asking for a more in-depth look at my little backyard shop...all 196 square feet of it. So here it is. Sorry for the…
Eyeball Your Bevel Angle?
Some time ago Chris Schwarz of Lost Art Press mentioned an old-school tradesman trick for eyeballing the standard bevel angle on a plane or chisel blade. Basically, if…
Old-School Board Stretching Trick
In the process of building the sliding till for a tool chest (which was started by Chris Schwarz and will be auctioned off when I'm done with it…
Mark Marks the Spot
In the last post I showed you the layout marking tools that not only marked points and lines, but made physical indications of divots or lines in the…
X Marks the Spot
To be precise, the "pointy sticks" X-1 through X-8 marks the spot. All these layout marking tools do the job, but all in a somewhat different way to…
Working to Plans… or not.
A wise woman once said, "Plans take all the fun out and make it seem like work". Eight years ago I stopped using plans. My idea was to…
Best Joint in the Joint
It’s all about the joint. The best joint in the joint (or at least in the furniture piece you are building) is the joint that will…
Leave Your Tape Measure at the Jail
At one time to my way of thinking, the idea of working without rulers would have been right up there with a plaid colored sky or steak flavored…
Let’s Get This Straight
Here’s how I go about selecting and conditioning wood for a wooden straight edge that will best maintain its accuracy over a period of time: To begin with…
