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D_W, I'm pretty new to this forum, so guess there are a few touch points on subjects with entrenched opinions, I guess sharpening and dovetails are likely to be two of them!. I was taught to do lapped and secret dovetails to reduce the appearance of the joint ( I think it was perceived as an...

I take your point (D_W) wholeheartedly about beginners not sharping enough, saws and planes alike. I was fortunate to have an old school teacher who took the trouble to show and let us make a bit of a mess. Hand tools are not sold with good enough instructions and encouragement to sharpen...

Welcome and glad you enjoying it. LED lights are so versatile I've fitted one to every tool / workstation. Here are a couple that work for me. All in the £7 £20 bracket https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B078V8LDFY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 There are also some that...

Its the trend of 'modern sharpening nuts' that has caused so many old plane blades to get so short. Unless one hits a nail, I am one of the 'old fashioned 'nuts' that prefer just a light rub by hand on a stone and hone on a strop. I still have plenty of life left in a 40 year old no. 4

Inspiring. I think you are being modest. This looks great. Neat work and joints. Mistakes are normal, learning to live with them, what to adapt to cope, and when to start over is the definition of experience. Glad you customised, it is a special and satisfying benefit of making it from...

Brilliant build, Pencil leads wear done fast if working on large rough wood, this is a good idea. I found I have to keep sharpening them...

I agree - if you may be able to see in the photo I put up earlier, that there is is more than one nail width wise to get very small changes in diameter down to about 1mm. If you need realy fine, they buy an expensive metal one. Its so simple I suggest you give it a go and if it doesnt suit you...

There are a few hazards with carbon fiber so I suggest you check up before machining it. One to look out for, is its very easy to get splinters as the fibres are very thin and very hard to remove, a few micro meters (um) in diameter ie like a hair. The fibres come in bundles or tows, with upto...

Things I wish my garage had. Better roof and underfloor insulation for the winter, something in the roof to stop the heat going up and a layer under the concrete slab. Enough Hight, as said earlier and if you have joists strong enough to store wood etc above head hight - subject to planning and...

From an CO2 point of view, running your old diesel until it packs up makes sense as it reduced manufacturing emissions - high up on the Ellen McAurther sustainability wheel. Plug in EVs are the way forward in my view (I have some experience of the industry) but modern large diesels are...

Having just given my two pennyworth of advice/caution, I must say there is truth in what Dr Bob says. Its do belive its worth planning a big step like a logo/brand image as your will be stuck with it for a long time. Changing your brand/logo wastes a chunk of the brand recognition you built up...

Philip, A good logo would help you grow your sales. BUT I'd like to endorse what Artie said about doing a bit of research and planning before applying a logo. I work for a R&D manufacturing company and am on tech side, but have learned from the marketeers just how very important this is. We...

If this is a one-off, I found Just4funs suggestion is quick cheap and practical. Its 15 minutes or less to make a trammel of that size. If you need to change the diameter a lot, then probably best to buy a quality trammel. Compass's get unwieldy at that size, although both quit hard to keep...

Ah, now I understand, very simple I have lots of old pvc pipe. Thanks Tom

Just seen this post. Yes you can quite easily adapt it. Here is a picture of my very old 271 modified with an adjuster (although I seem to have committed the offence of using a sharpened hex bolt - works find for me, after Cherry red temper and then anneal in the oven at 190, needs honing about...

Thanks for the advice. Tom CT

Brilliant the trad way on a small bench was to turn the bench upside down. This is clever.

Read up on where to site it on the bench. Usual to place just a couple inches inside of the leg. Right handers site it on front left hand end and lefties to the right so that you plane towards the vice.

Try and get 9 inch wide as future proof. I broke my fathers cheap 6 inch draper. Record as mentioned on ebay is best, but check is in good condition. Get a quick release and a dog hole if possible. If the spring breaks its relatively eady to fit a replacement. I have two Parkinsons (the...

Thanks for this. Although I mainly use hand tools, I've slowly acquired too many mechanical ones and have a hotch potch of solutions using 3 old vacuums that my better half discarded for one reason or another. After getting too much dust in he air making a table over xmas with my son, I'm now...