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.

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 ...

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 ...

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.

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" ...

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.

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.