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Probably not as I think that's harder steel, comparable to a plane iron. I occasionally use the Veritas version of the 80 and certainly that's a lot harder.

I was taught the burnisher should apply similar pressure as when you're "buttering bread"! Now that may be a touch light, and it certainly only applies to traditional, softer card scrapers, but it's not far from the truth. The burr is quite small, but it certainly gets the job done.

In every professional workshop I know, the first job every morning is to wipe down every machine table with Woodslide, Waxilit, Silber Gleit, Liberon Lubo, Axminster Machine Wax or some other silicon-free machine table lubricant. And if they're a joinery workshop, using lots of resinous...

I use a Festool track saw on an MFT that's hooked up to a Festool vac. To paraphrase the great Jay-Z, "I got 99 problems but dust ain't one of them."

I did this once on an MFT top. Not because the workshop was damp but because I put coffee mugs on it, I had the bright idea that some form of spillage protection might be sensible. Bad idea. I used a proprietary tin of something that claimed to waterproof MDF. Maybe it did, but it also made...

You wouldn't be alone Segovia, that's a really common error. Don't overthink scraper preparation, the best route for furniture work is "little and often", a small burr that's refreshed fairly frequently. The other thing is that most manufacturers today seem to be trying to outdo each other in...

There must be a very special satisfaction in working wood with tools that you've crafted yourself.

Makes sense to me. I regularly use the Hammer/Felder spindle/router shaft. For larger router bits the 15,000 RPM speed is perfect, and it's surprising how good the finish is even with smaller router bits that you'd normally use at faster speeds. What's really surprising though is the...

I agree that the Domino can be a very useful machine, I use both the 500 and 700 in my workshop and I wouldn't be without either of them. But a lot of the Domino lust that I sense on this forum isn't entirely justified. Because the Domino has some important limitations that don't get the...

The proprietary tins are the easiest solution, like others I prefer Jenkins but any large brand will probably turn out okay. But if you decide you want something a little more sophisticated then the pumice route is the way to go. A pumice grain fill is actually the backbone of French Polishing...

If you're that serious about French Polishing you could apply to HMRC for a user's permit for Industrial Denatured Alcohol (IDA), sometimes called "Industrial Meths". The permit is free, you can apply on-line, and you don't even need to be VAT registered. I've never known anyone be refused one...

I feel for you, I know exactly what it's like to see many hours of careful work get flushed down the toilet. Stick with it, I hope it gets finished to the high standard that will give you and your dad years of satisfaction at a job well done.

Very tidy job. All furniture that you've made yourself is special, but a dining table is that little bit extra special. To break bread with friends or family at a table that you've crafted yourself, well it brings an extra dimension to any meal.

A basic principle of finishing is never use a harder finish over a softer finish. Wax is pretty much the softest finish there is.

I'm with AJB, I've used the most basic Leica laser measure for years, and I'm very satisfied with the accuracy and reliability. Conversely I've often been disappointed by the relatively poor accuracy of tape based measures.

That is a simply astonishing achievement. I could see how a beginner might just scrape through with the carcass, but to handle relatively large, saw cut veneers like that is just amazing. How did you joint the veneers together into that "sun-ray" pattern, and how did you bond it to the substrate?

The use of oil in French polishing is a bit contentious. Everyone uses some oil, but the problem is that you can easily get into the habit of using too much and too early, of adding oil the moment the rubber first grabs or stutters. There are other potential solutions at this stage, re-charging...

I believe that Leigh say ply isn’t suitable for dovetailing, and that’s been my experience. You might improve your odds with a backer board, but if you happen to hit a void then I’m not sure anything will prevent spelch. Building on Pete’s comment, dowels, biscuits, or dominos can all work...

Axminster used to sell this useful circle/hole cutting jig, Working to a similar principle you could drill out a hole to your required diameter in, say, 15mm MDF. Then fence up the MDF so it can be accurately located on the workpiece. Then run a bottom cutting, bearing guided router bit...

I made a dressing table with matching bedside cabs that had a similar drawer pull arrangement. Can't find any photos yet but I'll keep looking. The method was two simple jigs, both with fences that delivered a precise location on a drawer front. The first was for an 8mm hole for a drawer pull...