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A CabMaker's Notebook |
$21.95 |
A well known work by Krenov, this is the first in a series of four books written about the art and craft of cabinetmaking....[Read More]
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Patented Brace Bits with Threaded Tang
by
James E. Price
Inventors
in the 19th Century sought patents for improvements to tools to
make them perform better and sometimes, with more precision.
Such is the case of G. L. Holt of Springfield, Mass. who on June
29, 1875 was granted U.S. Patent No. 164,999 for a more
precision way to hold bits in a brace. The Barber Shell
Chuck, patented a decade earlier, had seized a big part of the
market and was quickly making button and lever chucks obsolete.
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Boxwood Low-angle Smoother
by Adrian Britt
This
Boxwood Low-angle Smoother with a bronze sole and snecked iron was
inspired by a plane made by maker Olie Sparks. First things first, I
need to acknowledge the pioneering and game-changing work put into
this plane design by Ollie Sparks. His work in making a contemporary
version of the plane provided me both inspiration and a firm resolve
to attempt this myself. While there are subtle changes in my plane,
I tried ...
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Unique Carved
Plane
by
Ryan Sparreboom
As
a rhykenologist (woodworking plane collector), I often seek unusual
planes to add to my collection. Elaborately carved or decorated
planes are at the top of my list of desirable pieces. Most often
originating from Dutch and a few other Central European regions,
these planes can be difficult to find and fetch high prices. When I
had the chance to buy this little plane several years ago, I had to
grab it.
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I call this the “Jimi-Jack”
by Adrian Britt
I’ve
been admiring (more like copious drooling) the Boxwood /Gabon
Ebony Jack plane of Jim Hendricks for the better part of last
year. It is such a beautiful plane. Inspired by that project, I
thought now is the time to proceed.
I didn’t have any large Ebony, so I’m using some lovely Katalox
for the wedge, strike button, and handle. A solid plus is that
Katalox is super tough and has interlocked fibers.
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Hand Vise/Bitstock Tool
by James E. Price
In my post on handles/holders I purposefully did not
mention a very interesting and useful type that at first
glance appears to be a hand vise.
But it is also a bitstock tool that came with a set of
tools, including a washer cutter, in a compartment in
its handle. It was made by Miller's Falls and appeared
to be popular in the 1920's. It was referred to as "No.
1 Alford's Hand Vise" ...
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Record 311 3-in-1 Shoulder Plane
by James E. Price
A tool buddy of
mine recently sold me a never-used Record 311 3-in-1 shoulder plane
and today I made a simple case for it and tried out its various
functions. In my opinion it has four functions. It can be used as a
shoulder plane, a rabbet plane, a bullnose rabbet plane, and a
chisel plane.
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Mathieson in March - Part 4
by
Ryan Sparreboom
This
week, in the final installment of “Mathieson in March,” we will look
at a few planes made by the Mathieson firm. I will also discuss some
of the Mathieson maker marks, and the approximate period during
which these marks appeared.
Over the past several weeks, I have introduced and discussed a great
deal of the history of the Mathieson Company.
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Restoring Post-war Norris A5 Plane
by Adrian Britt
I
like Norris planes and have several of them. Post-war A5s have
features that distinguish them from pre-war A5s. Some of
the features are cosmetic, and some are fundamental changes in
construction.
In pre-war models, the sides of the body were dovetailed
together using steel plates. In contrast, the sides of the
post-war models are welded to the bottom. Welding is a major change
in construction.
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Scoring the Big
One
by James E. Price
If you haunt auctions, antique stores, flea markets, and
yard sales long enough you will finally score the big
one. I did that in 1989 at an open-air flea market in an
abandoned drive-in theater at Pevely, Missouri. I had
found very little at the market and a picker I knew
showed up and took me to his truck to show me a plane he
thought I might want. He reached into a box of junk and
pulled...
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Mathieson in March - Part 3
by
Ryan Sparreboom
Last
week, I introduced some of the early history of Alexander
Mathieson through his relationship with late 18th and early
19th-century plane-maker John Manners.
Mathieson’s company expanded slowly in the first half of the
19th century. The Scottish census of 1841 listed Alex Mathieson
as a “master plane-maker.” By 1851, census records show that he
had eight employees, one of whom was his son ...
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Embellished Axe
by James E. Price
This axe could have remained plain like most axes but
the maker wished to embellish it with his artistic
touch.
The decorations are deep and must have been punched
while the iron was red hot. It has an applied steel
cutting edge which measures six inches from front to
back. It is a hewing axe and is decorated on only one
side. This fine piece of art in the form of an axe
originated in Bulgaria.
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Mathieson in March - Part 2
by
Ryan Sparreboom
Last
week, I introduced some of the early history of Alexander
Mathieson through his relationship with late 18th and early
19th-century plane-maker John Manners.
Mathieson’s company expanded slowly in the first half of the
19th century. The Scottish census of 1841 listed Alex Mathieson
as a “master plane-maker.” By 1851, census records show that he
had eight employees, one of whom was his son ...
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L-N No. 62 Low Angle Jack vs. 10”
Robert Towell Miter
by Adrian Britt
In
truth, this is maybe an apples and oranges comparison. However, I
find myself grabbing for each at different times or applications.
Anyone who owns a L-N No. 62 can attest to its precision and
versatility. It is clear. I find my 62 works best in several
instances. First, it’s a fantastic jointer on small projects. I can
even clamp it upside down ...
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