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I admire the big contrasting Z’ds and also your chutzpah at starting a workshop as a beginner in the land of fancy complicated wood joints, you’re very welcome, I look forward to hearing how you get on and how you find life there. Ian

But equally it could drop over the pulley block on a lathe I suppose, I think you may have to repurpose it, but to do what?

I could be totally wrong but it does look a bit like the guard from the top of a pillar drill, stops fingers getting in the pulley. Bit like this.

Hi David, is this an A level project? Many years ago I designed a fold down workbench, screwed to the wall, with steel legs that unfolded as the bench was lowered. Handy in a garage so you could still get the car in. One of the principal requisites of a woodwork bench is that it resists...

Well done in asking for assistance, you have a goal and have worked out how to move down the road to getting there. I’m only sorry I’m not able to help, probably would have been fun. Decent offer on your part too. Ian

Perhaps the American Oak I have been getting from just one yard is a different kettle of fish to what you have been seeing and using, after all America is a very large place and maybe as growing conditions vary the resultant timber varies too? Ian

Yes some people say it’s impossible to distinguish from European Oak, but I can tell straight away, not nice to use at all, can’t say I’ve noticed it being hard though, in fact I would say it’s carrotty and not as hard as European Oak, which is a pleasure to chisel across the end grain of. The...

Plus 1 for Mixol, haven’t tried it in French Polish but it’s a doddle to add to water based poly varnish, I mixed two dyes once to get a really wicked turquoise, wonderful, but impossible to photograph for some reason. Ian

When I was in the States last time I bought some (well a lot actually for a bench) Ash as I really like it to work with, imported American in the uk as you say clean and inexpensive, and I’ve never had the problem you mentioned. But the stuff I bought over there was stored in a shipping...

Looks like a good project for someone for very little money. It says it was built in Denmark and I thought it was going to say it was sailed across in the second WW as that did happen! I know of a lovely old solid Oak yacht that did just that, still in use now. Ian

The riving knife should be just a little thinner than the cut the saw blade makes, the measurement you quoted for the blade should be for the plate/disc of the blade not taking into account the width of the teeth— so probably will be just fine. Ian

Tip I got on here from one of the clever people is to store the cut up rags in a shirt sleeve, hung up from the armpit and just stuff fresh ones in at the top. The cuff being slightly smaller retains the rags till you pull one out. Ian

Hi and welcome, from half the time in Pennsylvania.

Yes I see your point, that would be tricky, the Elastilon is 1mtr wide and when laying a long plank on it prior to pulling the plastic sheet out, you have a wide plank to keep pushed in place, with lots of little bits like that I think it would be a nightmare, it is instant grab and sticks like...

More to the point I think, a pike is a type of dive.

For full length cuts I always just use a hardpoint handsaw, I just rest the ply on two sawhorses. Not tall ones, About 18” High and hold it down with my knee, the jobs done in less time than you have cleared off your bench and set it up.

Well that’s a new one on me, sorry can’t help you. Yes it does make sense.

Not cheap, but there are less expensive versions around. I think Screwfix do one.

I’ve used Elastilon in the past, I think it would deal with all your concerns. Also I had to remove a floor that was stuck to it (it doesn’t and isn’t meant to stick to the concrete) and I can say that Hell does it stick! The floor I used was just tongue and groove floorboards without glue...

A little confused, do you mean the long bar with a thread on each end that goes all the way through the rear handle and then there’s a brass slot head nut that screws onto it, fairly sure that any such bolt/nut from most Stanley planes will fit but never tried swapping them around. Ian