Sometime ago Jim Bode advertised a Norris marking knife. It was lovely. The knife was sold before I could move on it. I looked over the pictures Jim posted and decided to build my own.

Using 1” x 1/2” brass bar, I cut the brass in a size similar to the one sold. I used 1/8” x 3/8” 01 tool steel for the knife. In true Norris style, the knife had a rosewood infill. So would mine.

Drill from Lapland, Finland by James E. Price

Continuing my chore of prepping some drilling and boring tools from the past for a demonstration, one of the tools I selected is a pump drill with a heavy soapstone flywheel.

Provenance of this drill is that it was made and extensively used in Lapland, the northern region of Finland. I am posting this with the intent of informing members of this group that some of the earliest drilling technology can still be applicable ...

I won a couple lots at the last David Stanley auction. A box of interesting planes that will be fun to sharpen and make use of. A craftsman built shoulder plane made from a bronze casting and sweated steel sole, and a Norris Smoother with a steel toe. These will be fun to clean up. This is a beauty. Only lightly used and in excellent condition. Under the wedge and on the bed is marked “Russell”.

Morrill’s Patent Adjustable Bench Stop by James E. Price

Beginning unplugged woodworkers often ask me the best kind of bench stop to use and I do not hesitate to recommend a Morrill’s Patent adjustable stop mounted in the wooden jaw of a tail vise and directly aligned with the dog holes in the bench. For those in this group who have never seen or used this type of stop, this post is for you. There are two types of Charles Morrill’s stop...

Marking Gauge with Unusual Markings by James E. Price

I have owned this marking gauge for over thirty years and have shown it to tool users and tool collectors to try to understand the calibrations on it. Collectively we could not solve meaning of the calibrations and numbers. Perhaps someone in this group can. Unfortunately I do not know from what country it came from or when it was made.

Here is a Dutch-inspired block plane I just built. Very easy and lots of fun. I had an extra Lie-Nielsen #102 iron so I designed the plane around it. I knew it was going to have a traditional wedge so that would be simple. The body, however, required some thought and patience.

Using some David Stanley catalogs as inspiration, I came up with a concept. Based loosely on the Dutch plane, I made mine with...

Working with Kids by James E. Price

Fine joinery it was not but I feel rewarded to have had the opportunity to teach some kids how to make bluebird houses. It was the last day of their class and each child left with a completed bluebird house and a set of instructions on where to install it. Every child was extremely attentive and I have to say that they quickly learned some basic unplugged woodworking skills which hopefully has inspired them to learn more...

I’ve really needed to do this for quite some time. Enough procrastination! The first step was timber selection. Boxwood was an obvious choice here. The first step was setting out a design and layout. Then I put a couple planes to work making the design a reality. I finished the exterior first, and now to saw in half and carve the interior features. Stay tuned for this progress. I’ll be doing two boxes in total. Each will be different.

Tools from Other Worlds by James E. Price

It has been pointed out by a few of us that this group seldom ventures outside a well defined part of the world when discussing unplugged traditional woodworking.

Most members of this group buy tools and employ methods that are based in the British Isles and North America. There is a nod on occasion to Japanese woodworking but there are few posts on tools beyond planes, saws, and chisels.