Search results

There's 3 elements to getting an edge, really - shape the whole thing into a pointy bit (can be done on an old-school grinder with a decent wheel), then sharpen the edge of the pointy bit (usually that's up to 1-2mm from the edge) (I use abrasive paper on a piece of glass, but anything goes)...

I most certainly wouldn't trust an mdf or ply insert for doing fine cutting on the bandsaw, where the piece has to rest on/might strike the insert... For cutting large stock, I imagine one can go without an insert at all, so no difference there?

By all means avoid rubbish steel that can't hold an edge. But I'm not sure just how much edge retention matters once you reach a certain level of quality. Softer steel = easier to sharpen. QS T10 & Narex steel is a lot softer than, say AI or Ron Hock, but in practice I find it just as easy&...

On a serious note, thank you for the suggestion. Is HDPE safe to sand on a disk sander & put through a drum sander for thicknessing? Or will it melt & gunk up the paper?

My 5p: Saws: either buy jap saws (rutlands stuff seems to work as well as anything) or restore a cheap western oldie from ebay. You'll need to learn how to sharpen them anyway, so might as well do it now. Can even get a Dissy on the cheap. Chisels: Ashley Iles. Simply exceptional chisels and...

Mrs will break my fingers if I go cutting bits off her shopping boards.

Are you sure you want to work with birdseye?.. I second the veneer solution for a box lid. Tough material. I've had a couple boards that I worked recently to prep 4 mandolin bodies and I won't miss it when I've used up all the blanks. Flame maple is a bit better, but still can be tough to work...

I've been using Krenov-style woodies for a lot of my woodwork for a few years now. Also have a Euro-style horn handled smoother (used as a softwood foreplane these days). I find tap-adjusting the blade depth is easier, faster and more accurate than on metal adjuster ones once you get the hang of...

Hi All, I've got a very old Axi 14" bandsaw (Delta 14 clone) with a 2.5" table insert (side notch). The table insert is getting to the point where it's barely doing its job, so I think I'm long overdue for a replacement. Does anyone know where I can buy a table insert in 2.5" (that's 63mm) in...

Thanks Ian - I assumed the sole was parallel. So it's 15+30 = 45%. Makes sense.

Hi All, I've picked up an old noname bedrock-style frog - sized somewhere between No 4 and No 3 for a plane build. The frogs looks like any other bedrock frog apart from the fact that it's got a 30 degree angle. Anyone got any ideas what plane this is designed for? BD? BU? Thanks.

Tried it on denser curly walnut and got chatter again. A new frog is on its way to me and I'll hopefully get to try the same idea with a robust No 3 blade that I can pull out of my bedrock.

I'm yet to see decent disks on a road/cx bike. Work like a dream on MTB, but in my experience road versions are rubbish with STIs. Just my two pence. Why not ditch the brakes and go fixie? ;):poop:

I've used Acacia nigrescens (nicknamed african lignum) for my 3 krenovs that I have now. Seems to do the job well enough. Bodies are from purpleheart. The new krenov will have an ebony sole and a body from satinwood & bubinga. Used the tranny to shape & joint two neck blanks - a very pleasant...

Well, time to come out of the closet. I found out that I really like trannies :eek: After fiddling the tranny in the workshop for a couple of hours, I got to the point where I'm not getting any chatter on medium hardwoods. The trick appears to be to set the frog with a slight overhang over the...

Well, there's no issue with my krenovs and I've never had a chatter on them. I do have thick Hock blades & chipbreakers in them though. And the blade rests entirely on a wooden bed, just like in traditional English or European woodies. I have a thinner iron in my pinnie horn-handle and it does...

...Or you can just re-shape the edge instead of re-shaping the entire iron?o_O

Thanks. I mainly build guitars and there's no way I could possible afford to work entirely by hand, especially for initial wood processing. But I do like to use hand tools as often as I can, to keep practicing the skills & for the sake of a workout. Also, I am quite lazy when it comes to...

Thanks. I've been using 2 krenovs for most of my work for nearly 3 years now, but I have noticed that the wedges (or the iron beds?) have deteriorated quite a bit - the irons are not nearly as secure as they used to be. Prehaps that's why Krenov made his planes very rough and simple, so he...

I can only assume that "guitars" was a predictive text typo and you were going to say something else. Music is the only thing that separates us from monkeys, and guitars are the best way to make music.(y) Back on the topic of transitional planes - how do these compare to, say, traditional...