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Yep! My youngest great niece just turned 2 and she can work basic functions of the smartphone like "swiping" and taking pictures before she can make a coherent sentence (other than "That's mine!"). An indication that her mum spends a lot of time on the phone. I've watched her texting and her...

By far the most likely suggestion so far.

At four yrs old, I reckon you could start him on some simple toys. Three bits of wood nailed together can make a plane. You can saw the wood up to show him how a saw works. You can pre drill the holes to make the nailing easier. That's a great opportunity to introduce the concept of working...

May seem like a daft question, but why have you got mice/rats in your garage? Is there a source of food for them nearby? Maybe dealing with that will sort out you rodent infestation.

Even if it is mould (and it may well not be), that is not the end of the world. Checking with a moisture meter will tell you if there is a systemic damp issue, which may mean some damp-proofing work needs to be done. If it is not damp now, that does not exclude the possibility of periodic...

I recently liberated some old planks from the loft of my mum's house when I was adding insulation and a floor for storage. I remember putting these planks there as temporary walk space, oh maybe three decades or more ago. I finally decided to use them to make a puppet theatre for my...

If the paper is peeling off easily, the red colouration could be mould growing on the wall paper glue (basically starch).

I just planked up some apple logs and to avoid too much loss due to warping, I planked them thick; 2 inches. It will take a long time to dry but I don't need it urgently. You say that your log is dry; been drying for years. How many years? I normally plank wood at 1.5 inches thick and leave them...

Hope that the OP is recovering as well as possible. Thanks for being brave and admitting your mistake and showing images of the consequences. It is a reminder that we should all take on board the importance of safety whenever using sharp tools, especially electrically powered ones.

A magnificent beast of a table. Any monk would be delighted to sit at it!

As usual people are arguing about the question: "How long is a piece of string?" The answer is always; "It depends..." Most people can learn to sharpen tools to a degree of accuracy sufficient for woodworking. However, it takes time; more or less time depending on your physical abilities and...

Hmmm, something to think about for when I finally get around to making a chessboard with the lump of ebony I've been dragging around for 20 years! lol

Did you try degreasing with white spirits or methylated spirits immediately before gluing the ebony parts?

Thanks for the detailed explanation. I don't own a lathe so I can't use your method for making the wheels. However, it has given me some ideas. I think I'll try an alternative to the tyre inner tube for connecting the body segments. Instead of having slots I'll cut all the way through and glue...

Very nice... gives me ideas for my niece's twins who are coming up to 2 yrs old in a few months. The wheels look rather complex; I count three rings to each wheel. Can you explain how you made them?

I wrapped some of the shavings around a steel nail and wet it. Next day the shavings in contact with the nail had gone dark. I guess that this also points to it being oak.

Told to help myself to some offcuts (mostly softwood) for firewood, I found some 2 by 3 inch pieces of what I assumed was iroko. However, on planing a piece I wonder if it is, in fact, oak. It is all rift sawn. Any comments?

Firstly, thank you for sharing your accident. Secondly, I hope you recover quickly and are not put off from woodworking with power tools. They can be very useful, especially as we get older! It's a positive reminder to always use push sticks. And, of course to make sure the tools are set up...

As Bingy Man points out, there needs to be a minimum updraft of the flue gases. The cooler they are the slower they will rise, reducing the pull. On the other hand, if they are still very hot when escaping, you are wasting heat. It's a balance, if your stove produces enough heat to still produce...

Since it's prone to cracking and warping, maybe I should air dry it in an unheated greenhouse to begin with to dry it slowly, then before we get any really hot weather the boards should be at least partly dry.