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Hello, Not sure that is a reliable combo. Shellac contains wax which many top coats won't adhere to and cellulose based lacquers are incompatible with oil. Mike.

Hello, I agree that Osmo or similar is a good finish for your table. However, don't write off shellac based on its 'reputed' lack of water or heat resistance. It is all relative. Compared to polyurethane varnish, neither oil nor shellac is as good in this regard. But varnishes and lauquers, as...

Hello, How does anyone know if they had problems or not? We find lots of tools with rounded backs, rounded bevels, skewed edges and drawn temper. Strangely, blades all near full length, having done little work. Perhaps there were lots of problems and the owners just gave up. There can be no...

Hello, I was taught ITA at school and quite late on I think, I'm not yet 50, it must have been 1973 when I was taught it. The transition to proper English, I still remember the feeling of being completely baffled. I could already read in the 'language' I knew, so what were we doing spelling...

Hello, Yes, India stones are aluminium oxide. Mike.

Hello, I always remove the burr with the final stone I intend using. Once the blade back has been polished on a fine stone, it only ever sees the fine one for burr removal. That said, I hate hollowed stones at any stage. Mike.

Hello, Am I missing something, but why do they need to be adjustable? Surely the cutter makes them adjustable for the housing size, but the track the router/bush follows is the same. I have a jig fixed for a 30mm guide bush which has served for years for any width housing I need. Mike.

Hello, Be careful of the dimensions. It might be that specifying the thickness as 25 mm planed, it will come out of a thicker board than a 25 mm sawn one. Finished size and nominal size are different a 25 mm sawn board will only yield about 19 mm finished, so specifying 25 mm planed might mean...

Hello, Thanks for the tip. Mike.

Hello, You have a very useful bench, which is ideal for anyone and eminently makable. This is as good a model as any for those aspiring to make a proper bench. TBH I think this bench is preferable to any of the cheap commercial ones available, so anyone considering buying should make! The...

Hello, I finally took some photos of my home workshop bench. Some may find these interesting. The cabinet base was a re-purposed kitchen unit I made but did not use. The opening for the place a Belfast sink was to go was handy for the shoulder vice mechanism to go. Originally, the base...

Hello, That looks like a good sturdy and not overly fussy bench. It would serve anyone well. I've been meaning to post some pics of mine, and this has prompted me to do it. Might take some photos tomorrow. Ironically I made a fine bench about 15 years ago, and it is still in use. But I took it...

Hello, I'd avoid it like the plague, to be honest. I've not tried one, but it looks like a toy. For the money, it will be a toy. For 150 pounds, it should be possible to buy a decent used router and build the stand and fence, out of plywood and have a better and more accurate machine. Mike.

Hello, I always fancied doing a course with James Murcell, the set up there looks great and I particularly like American Windsors, which he does as well as English designs. The reason I haven't done a course; I work in a school so obviously can only do school holidays, of which there are...

Hello, Anyone interested in fine guitar playing, I bet the most under hyped,and possibly the finest around is.......Clive Carroll. Bet no one has heard of him, but check him out. Virtuosity and beauty beyond belief. Mike.

Hello, Thanks for all the links, much appreciated! Mike.

Hello, Using oil to lubricate the rubber during French polishing is common, indeed, though I never use it. However, if there is melamine in the finish you are using, perhaps the oil is interfering with that. It could be that spiriting off the oil is not possible due to an impermeable film...

Hello, The reason panels bow when veneering one side only, is due to 2 things. Addition of moisture to the substrate and stretching the moistened veneer, which tensions the panel when it eventually dries. Balancing veneers simply add equal and opposing additions of moisture and tension...

Hello It won't need a balancing veneer, the top is already restrained. It is different if the panel was just a separate board. Even then, there are ways of veneering one side only. There are tricks! Incidentally, solid or manufactured board both need balancing veneers. Both will cup just the...

Hello, I'm afraid the guy from Fiddes is wrong. Mixed shellac does go off and does have a shelf life. The alcohol and shellac forms esters over time, which are soft and gummy (they are plasticisers). The film finish is never as hard as freshly mixed shellac, and at its worst, the finish...