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It is time to say Goodbye!
It’s been thirteen years since I started this website in
July 2005. It was,
in many ways, an interesting and satisfying project for
me.
I met many interesting people, and some of them became
contributors to this website. I also learned a lot about old
woodworking tools, their history, and use. The site was also a
platform for me to continue and publish my research about
the history of various industries and toolmaking companies.
However, it is time for me to close the doors and take this
website offline. There are various reasons for this
decision, too many to discuss here.
This site will go dark on July 31, 2018.
Thanks,
Wiktor A. Kuc |
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The “Stratocaster” Router Plane
by Adrian Britt
 Several
weeks ago I was finishing up some sharpening stone boxes. I
really needed a router plane and all I had was a mini L-N. A
good plane but not ideal for big work.
After speaking with Jim Hendricks a bit and visiting with Bill
Carter, I decided that the old English style high angle router
was a bad idea.
Instead, I would make a more modern 90-degree one. But where to
start?
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Models of Millwright Joints
by James E. Price
Did you ever wonder what was simply discarded or burned
when businesses in the past closed due to changing
economic conditions and technology?
Lots of hand tools survived but many of other ancillary
but related things did not.
My post today concerns a model set of millwright joints
used in the constructions of factories and mills in the
19th Century.
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Full Story>> |
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Full Story>> |
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 My Pa's Shaving Cabinet
by James E. Price
My
Pa passed on Christmas Day, 2017, and I have since had time to
reflect on his life. I grew up at his side in the world of
traditional Ozark woodworking and much of what I know about the
subject and the skills I have primarily came from him.
I have lots of things he made and one of my favorites is a little
shaving cabinet that he made in 1940, four years before I was born.
Full Story>> |
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 Boxwood “Hatter’s” Plane by Adrian
Britt
This little plane was item 12 at the Richard Arnold charity auction.
It was originally made by master plane maker Bill Carter. It was
formerly in the David Russell collection and donated to the auction
by David Stanley.
This was a specialty plane used for a specific job. However, once I
sharpened it, I found it worked very well to make concave chamfers
and such. It’s very precise and it’s a beauty to use and look at.
Full Story>> |
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 Bulgarian “tri-auger”
by James E. Price
How
long does a type of tool continue to be made and used after its
invention? Members of this group are really interested in planes and
use them as have woodworkers for the past 2,000 years. Through time,
planes have evolved thanks to improvements in metallurgy and
innovations on more efficient ways to hold a blade in a stock but
the basic concept of a chisel captured securely in a wooden or metal
body still remains.
Full Story>> |
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 Norris Pattern Marking Knife by Adrian
Britt
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.
Full Story>> |
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 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 ...
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 Couple Lots from David Stanley Auction by Adrian
Britt
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”.
Full Story>> |
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 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...
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 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.
Full Story>> |
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