The Far-Eastern Wood Butcher: Prime cuts from the far east.

T he 3 main considerations affecting the design for the base : 1) It must be hefty. Using heavy hardwood such as Kapur helps. Benches that are too light often "walk"across the shop while a piece of wood is being planed. 2) It must not rack. If you have planed a piece of wood on a rocky bench, you will know how that affects worksmanship.  All the books say having wide stretchers will reduce or eliminate racking. For my bench, I spread out 2 stretchers 7 inches apart to mimic the effect. At this point, I want to add that if you are building a bench or thinking about it, read Scott Landis' The Workbench Book. Nothing compares to this book interms of scope and depth. From boatbuilding to snowshoe carving, the tools of the trade (the tool being the highly evolved work bench) was given an in-depth coverage. Again, I will buy you a pint, if you will prove me wrong. 3) The base and its members: the stretchers, rails, legs, must allow flexible clamping configaration. It must...

The 250 lb or so of lumber sitting atop my tiny bench, waiting to be finished. Record made many useful bench accessories, among them the iconic Record 52 1/2 D woodworking vise. The No. 146 Bench holdfast is another useful fitting on a bench. Shown here: one of the two heavy collars supplied with the holdfast. Seller is kind enough to include the installation instructions Bench stops like these were no longer produced by record. For the record, I could have simply used a piece of wood and some winged-nuts against a bench leg to achieve the same effect, but I bought it just because it was stove enamel blue Record....just for the heck of it. To install this bench stop, a mortise has to be made at the bench top to receive the beechwood stop. The whole assembly is usually butted against a bench leg on the flat side. The other view of the bench stop: the flat side usually butted against a bench leg. The legend in its third or fourth incarnat...

How do you fix a level that is apparently not level? Or a plumb that is not plumb? First off, I must add that the level in question must be the adjustable type.  I know one of the two I've purchased is adjustable because I happen to have an old 1923 Stanley catalog. Also, the inscription on the level says so: These patented vials have the glass placed very close to the surface to allow for easy, wide angle reading. The vials are usually proved (centre curved) or, in the case of top-of-the-line models, polished inside for greater sensitivity. Of all the tools made by Stanley I've collected over the years, it has never occured to me to buy a level. Well, Stanley Works was once known as the Stanley Rule and Level Co. in Conneticut. If any company made levels as specialty, Stanley was one of one of them. And so I purchased a couple. In fact I got both for less than $20. They are suprisingly abundant and cheap on ebay (at least the common ones)...

Since a mallet will not be used, your neighbour will be pleased. It is a faster method too, somewhat similar to using a hollow morticer. Tools required: Square, mortice chisel, pencil(or /scribe/awl/marking knife) Step 1) Lay out the mortice Bore holes to remove as much wood as you could within the perimeter of the marking. The expensive Starrett square is there to let readers think that a hole perfectly perpendicular to the surace is being bored. In actuality, I simply rest my chin on the top knob of the brace and using my peripheral vision 360 degrees, try to bore straight down. (Hideous facial expression, so please ensure no wives or young children present) Bore to the depth you require the mortice to be. Make sure the lead screw of the auger does not go through the other side, if it's the face (show) side This is how it will look. This is how it will look after you take thin, straight-down slices towards the perimeter. The bottom of the mortice usually do ...

What on earth are they? A user made box of assorted Arkansas stones. They are America's answer to: The Wales' Welsh Slate (Dragon's Tongue); The Scotch Tam O'Shanter; The English Charnley Forest stone; The Japanese Tenin Toishi; The German Thuringian Hone; The Chinese Guangzhou River bedrock; The Belgian Coticule; You get the idea. Local rocks that you use to sharpen mama's kitchen knives.   A collection of smaller pocket-sized Arkansas stones  In this entry, I will not try to tell you what you probably already know. What is the point of describing that oily rock you already have under your bench, in your drawer, in a can of kerosene? Note also, that the sharpening I describe here is best applied to woodworking in general. I am an amateur handtool woodworker. Sharpening a straight razor would be entirely another branch of science. I do not profess to know all there is to know about sharpening or Arkansas stones; I simply failed ...

How I cut a tenon To ensure good, tight fitting joints, 3 things are required: 1) Accurate layout 2)Accurate cutting to the line 3)Sharp tools to achieve 1 & 2 First you mark out. A knifed line is better than a pencil. A pencil smudges. A knifed line is clear, and provides a reference for a chisel. In sawing to a line, a knifed line keeps the cut neat with no frayed, jagged fibres. Try it. you'll find your layout vastly improved. I'll buy you a pint if it doesn't. A saw cut is then made at the shoulder to define the tenon length. Rip cuts are also made to demarcate the tenon width. No need to saw to line, as fitting to mortise will determine the final dimension of tenon. Paring to line is important later, not now. Here, the chips literally fly in squares as they are cleaved. Easy work. Chisel does not have to be very sharp at this point. Cleave nearly to line. Leave about 1/16 for your sharp paring chisel later during fitting to mortices. ...

 Tools assembled piecemeal over the years. In the beginning, there are tools discarded by your grandfather. Some will barely work.Some needed a little fettling. When you successfully nailed 5 pieces of plank, you call that a box....A box that only you (and maybe your mother) will love. And you thought to yourself,"..what kind of house can be without a rusty old hammer?.."The box served as a pull-out drawer under your bed for the next 5 years, was repainted with leftover white paint, served as a stool, a prop, a small table, a saw horse, before retiring as a full-time flower bed. It was ugly, it was crudely made, but mainly... it's made by you. All thanks to the hammer. Beneath the rust, it was stamped "STANLEY" On the wood handle, "Genuine Hickory" Saw that Word on a hockey stick. Must be some kind of tough wood. Soon, the neighbourhood hardware store forages progressed worldwide, with internet. I have yet to name a tool I cannot find o...