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Hmm, Pete? Whilst that's a technique or practice favoured in your part of the world I'm afraid it's the sort of thing that tends to fly like a lead balloon over here. When I moved to and lived in Texas for a period and came across the method you pointed us towards I remember thinking to myself...

Just bear in mind that whatever you use to seal end grain, whether it be paint, PVA or emulsified sealing wax designed for the job such as End Seal you're still almost certain to get radial splitting of one sort or another such as star shake or a simple (or double) heart shake. Being short logs...

Looking at the image you posted below my thoughts turned immediately to how a spindle moulder plus a rebate block might be the ideal choice. If the moulder didn't have a tilting spindle an angled sled could be made to present the wood, which would work well if the stepped rebates you need are...

Almost certainly that, the essentially trapezoid and thick zebrano pieces being wetter when the item was made, then drying out with the subsequent cupping of the zebrano(concavity upwards) being stronger than the box lid sides can resist. Note also that the glue bond has broken and zebrano is...

I see now. Thanks for the better picture. In truth it still seems the catches are sort of redundant or not needed, but I can understand you trying to meet what I assume is your client's wishes. Slainte.

Nowadays I sometimes take on part-time and short term teaching of carpentry/joinery apprentices at FE colleges. My experience is that for the most part the fixed plant is usually reasonably good, but quite often it's been badly mistreated and poorly maintained. Power tools are usually in a...

I can't argue with the significantly higher level of knowledge and demonstrable practical ability required of those C&G learners back in the day compared to contemporary apprentices and their NVQs. I remember the work I had to undertake and the exams I took to get my level 3 C&G, and they were...

To be honest, I don't understand your question. I've lived in a few flats in, for example, Edinburgh, and the shutters simply folded into their casing. There were never any catches to keep the shutters closed within the cases, they just folded in. I don't really understand why a catch is needed...

Oh , for crying out loud folks. There have always been dumb idiots, and then there are idiots dumber than that sub group. Young people aren't, as a whole, stupid, they've never been stupid. Individuals are either stupid, smart, or somewhere in between. If young people want to learn they go out...

Over the years it's certainly been within my power "to talk them into safe practices" having taught hundreds of learning woodworkers over the years. Having said that in reality it's been through demonstration and instruction on my part followed by observing the learner's use of the saw and...

I think what you're trying to say is something along the lines of the following old adage relating to injured machine users which goes, "We made it idi-ot proof, but even dumber and more inventive idio-ts than we had in mind during the design phase used it. Slainte.

I too am waiting, but I'll maybe just have to give up. Slainte.

Counter iron is a new one on me too, but I can see the logic. Back when I started in the 1960s (I was only a kid then) the terminology I was taught and I've used ever since was cap iron. Later I became aware that some people called the cap iron the chip breaker: I think that came mostly from the...

Oh, that can make me positively moist with excitement, ha, ha. Slainte.

I forgive you, not for your original act of naughtiness, you understand, but for trying to buy my forgiveness and mollify me with a 'cute' kitten picture. Allegedly cute kittens don't make me all weak at the knees, or gooey and soppy. Slainte.

Moving on to a separate issue, those Faithfull planes always seem to be hit and miss when it comes to quality and usability, and in my experience, they're almost always pretty ropey without a great deal of fiddling and correcting of manufacturing faults. Some I've come across have been so ropey...

You're being a very naughty boy making a provocative post like that. Slainte.

Your choice of adhesive isn't the cause of visible glue lines in panel glue-ups. The fault only occurs if your edge preparation is poor and/or your assembly procedure is lacking in some way, e.g., not enough pressure applied with cramps to bring the prepared and glued edges together firmly...

Whilst it's correct that green wood bends most easily, my preference for steam bending is material that's been dried to roughly 20%±2% MC. This is because if very wet wood is bent, i.e., wood well above FSP with significant quantities of liquid in the cell cavities, the bending can cause...

Truly fascinating that someone's personal mobile is sometimes being sort of integrated into their employer's business. Maybe it's because I value my personal freedom or independence too much, or I'm simply curmudgeonly, but I'd never agree to that, particularly as I'll sometimes go two or three...