Archives

I’m not exactly Norm, but I do have specialty tools that make the job go faster. These tools are solely for mortise and tenon work and are typical of those available in the 18th century. [...]

In my mind, I only have two choices. I either leave the line when I cross cut saw, then plane the end grain down to it, or saw to the line and deal with my mistakes. In my experience its …

Different goals allowed period woodworkers to work quickly.

So I’m cutting this 4 foot long dado, running my plane against a nailed on fence, and guess where stupid puts the nails. I didn’t want to sink the nail, because it might hit the bench [...]

This is what I’m building (click the picture to enlarge): This is a joinery plan. It defines what joints go where. Period craftsmen would not have drawn such a thing. You’ll see [...]

I wrote to you about the English Method because I want you to try it. But I wouldn’t go plugging the hold fast holes in your bench top just quite yet. All of the images of 18th and early [...]

English craftsmen worked on benches with only a single planing stop to secure their stock for facing. Images of the Nicholson benches have no dog holes like my bench shown below, and no holes [...]

When we talk about stock preparation by hand, we always talk about planes. But I find saws are far more important to the process. Blow a cross cut, and you’re going to be spending more time [...]

I began this project like every other- looking at wood. Though some level of intimacy with wood is inescapable, my interest in these boards is practical, not spiritual. I’m looking for [...]

I wanted to be encouraging. I wanted to be funny. I wanted to tell folks in no uncertain terms that it isn’t necessarily the case that every plane needs to make .001″ shavings, have a [...]

Each year, 400 or so woodworkers attend Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s “Working Wood in the 18th century” conference. Attendees are treated to scholarly lectures on period [...]

January was a really busy month for me. It started with a trip to Williamsburg for the annual woodworking conference. For those of you who were unable to attend, I brought my good camera and took [...]