Recent content by Shavingsnotdust

You don't need a drill press. A hand drill or , as Profchris suggests, a good old-fashioned brace and bit does the job. It's easier to gauge whether the bit is leaning left or right than to gauge if it is leaning forwards or backwards so set the workpiece up so you are standing at the end of...

None of the other respondents mentioned using a drill bit (ideally a Forstner bit which leaves a flat bottom) with a depth gauge - a bit of insulating tape wrapped around it does the job) to remove the bulk of the waste. I'd use a bit slightly narrower than the mortice and clean up with a chisel.

Welcome. I remember going on a Cobol course late 80's and being a bit surprised to find we were using punch cards......the one really useful thing I learned was that if you get a punch hole in the wrong place you can insert the missing 'chad' then rub with the end of a pen on a hard surface -...

I finally got my new workshop four years ago (after a 15-year wait) and, like you, struggled with too many options. The build I ended up with has worked extremely well (apart from a leaking Velux window in the roof which was easily solved) - it is dry enough to store tools and machinery without...

My father had a lovely tale around the conversion from imperial to metric back in the 60's(?) - went to buy 2 by 4, and the guy said no, it's 100 by 50mm now. OK said father - how much is it?. two shillings and tenpence a foot was the reply. Our local farm supplies shop still uses this method...

Lovely box. What did you use for the red and black inlay - and would you mind sharing the method with us? Is the yew the structural top of the box or a veneer on something else, and how did you get such a perfect line on the sycamore/red/black inlays (if indeed they are inlay?).

OH decided a few years back that we needed a super-kingsize bed so I got to build a frame in ash with plywood slats (I'd done a smaller version years previously) and it's a really comfortable design). We ended up with a very expensive mattress from John Lewis - and here's the warning - it was...

Forgive the terrible picture quality! Limed oak cabinet for the telly to sit on. Grille at the top conceals the soundbar, DVD front is exposed to allow access to controls and insert disc. There are two shelves behind the door holding a Ruark Audio radio and an amplifier which drives the...

And another thing...if you actually used that hob without an extractor to fry anything you'd get a film of grease build up on every surface to which the dust then sticks, resulting in that gooey finish referred to by a older friend of mine as 'queer tack' (the old-fashioned meaning of the word).

I'd put money (if I had any) on those doors being sliding - there are no handles so you just hook a finger round the far end and slide. They look nice, but the more I look the less practical they seem: if I want to be able to see what's on a shelf simple open shelving will do, and if I want to...

Looking at the state of our wooden windows over the weekend I think I'm going to be building a number of replacements next year! I was doing a bit of searching looking for ready-made glazing bars and the price of spindle moulders (plus the tooling of course) and the service you are offering...

I've dug out the mortice gauge from the box of tools inherited from my grandfather; made by Ridge and Sons it is a well-worn but looked after tool, probably rosewood with brass inserts . The reason I've not used it before is that it is missing both pins. I know there are some accomplished tool...

Thank you. Lots of votes for Bahco - I have had a 244 in the past which graduated from workshop saw to farm general use to fencing then to cutting up nail-filled old bits for firewood and stood up to it really well. I have two of the Axminster teflon-coated (Axcaliber I think is the name) and am...

Thank you for that suggestion; I hate the disposable aspect of the hardpoint saw and the handles tend to be fairly uncomfortable on the cheaper options - this solves both of those issues.

Any recommendations for a good brand of hardpoint saw? I'm building a timber-framed shed in tanalised softwood; a lot of the cuts are cross-cut but some ripping also required. (I appreciate that a multi-purpose saw is always a compromise). Hardpoint saws are effectively a consumable item, so...