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I have one large toolchest, that mostly holds my plane collection (in the house, in the winter). But it first had a hard life as a cable chest* for the BBC, and I got it when it was "retired" (thrown out). So the box was strong but utilitarian - good quality ply - and the volume was about what...

If the code is the same, so the bearings should be also. North America, a reasonably large user of bearings, is still imperial for much of its industrial kit (stuff in use presently, rather than brand new, for the latter I don't know), so imperial bearings are available. So find a NA bearing...

Eclipse for everything with parallel sides (plane irons, chisels), and an odd little Axminster one ([edit] see below) for skews - basically a surface above the roller with a rubber-faced clamping bar. It's wide enough to do my 1/4" skews and the irons for my side rebate plane. The Axminster one...

My #5 is of that era, and it had plastic handles, which used to give me blisters. But Crown Tools do (or did) a rosewood handle kit. Not only does it now look nicer, but no blisters any more either. At 20 quid that's well worth the money, except that I don't need another one.

Can't comment on actual hardness, and I take Trevanion's point above about hand sharpening in a commercial shop, but if you find the edge is rolling over in use, I would try hardening it. It looked like the corners had rolled over in the picture you posted earlier. Also, don't forget the...

You might simply put a removable strap over the back end of the router's motor, to prevent it rising too much if the plunge is accidentally released. I use "builders' band" for that sort of thing as it's very convenient. Cut either with tin shears or a junior hacksaw (or a Dremel). Obviously a...

Is the Erbauer only intended for kitchen fitters or something? It doesn't sound like much of an upgrade to be honest. But it shouldn't stop you completing the task. If you are using it to flatten boards, you will probably be using a trammel arrangement - two parallel rails (made of...

Peter Sefton has a lot of info on his site, and as you can see above is very helpful ;-)

The Axminster kit I had came with central guides for both imperial and metric sizes. But to be honest they aren't all that critical as the cone should self-centre. If you have a pillar drill with a central hole in the table you can clamp the chisel in a machine vice (don't clamp the vice - it...

Can you not indicate on the top-inside of the cone, across on the opposite side to the gauge? Or with a DTI the same side? I can do that, easily, on my T11 and it doesn't look too hard on the Makita. If you want to be pedantic about the runout, a bit of geometry will give the precise...

Have a look at Peter Sefton's site: https://woodworkersworkshop.co.uk/ You may find an answer immediately, if not then I'd contact them - in my experience they are very helpful. Both Axminster and Peter sell UJK products, and Peter specialises in high-end router table solutions. Regards, E...

I flew a fair bit in the 1990s, mostly to the USA though. Friends were keen on BA, but United had the better air miles scheme and better connections in North America (we were allowed to choose but my company had a 'cashback' scheme with United so it was preferred). We used to love the United...

The big, thick piece I use is from an old B+W TV where it was in front of the tube, partly to increase the contrast, and partly to block x-rays*. It's about 10mm, and I can have several strips of different grit W+D on it at the same time, which is very handy. I also have the top of a set of...

Not if they are inconsistent. That's the problem I have had with both the linear and angle types.

Digital calipers (cheap ones): My experience so far: unit #1: Tchibo: Nicely made, but cracked the LCD and finally lost it somewhere, probably under the floor in my upstairs workshop (full of way too much stuff/junk presently to look). Decent, reliable and infuriating (that I lost them), ate...

At the start of lockdown I had to upgrade the shelf supports on our library-strip bookshelves, as we had a few of the brass ones snap, sending stuff crashing down from quite a height. Unless your client wants to use the same shelves for books, ornaments, etc., all the shelves need to be around...

An old friend, a record collector, famously had to move from his Clifton flat, when his landlady realised the floors might collapse under the weight of records. Don't underestimate the mass involved. I know square openings (or golden ratio, etc.) look aesthetically pleasing, but personally I...

Please don't laugh (and it was a while ago): I got a really nice stubby 3/8" one from Halfords, of all places. This stubby is probably the most used driver in my 3/8 set. It has a release button on the back, too, so things don't tend to come off it unless you want them to. Their spanner...

Not to detract from Cheshirechappie's comments above, but... ... Tormek do position (sell) their product as both a grinding and honing tool. Their videos show people getting extremely sharp edges on chisels and plane irons. I have a copy. The stone isn't great quality. Once only have I...

That's a good price on the bags, too. I quite agree about the value of bags - I have an old Earlex that's the other workshop extractor for small tools (and the bandsaw), and I rather regret not using bags in it when it was younger, so-to-speak. I have a couple of can-type filters (the...