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if it was SB, give him my best regards Danny

Wonderful -- look forward to reading -- I often go back to the Seaton book. Here's a pattern-maker's chest, owned by me, which I believe to be mid 20th century -- unfortunately doesn't have the provenance of yours or Seaton, but certainly a very carefully fitted chest of traditional style...

Read the same news (different source) as Jake, above --- mills have caught up with demand in US and prices of construction grade now going down fast -- many hoping to profit by stocking have got their fingers burnt. That's US not UK/Europe, but have a deep pocket if trying to beat the market.

Mathieson were a major tool maker and factor, in the same league as Sheffield Marples, Ward or Sorby, or Birmingham Preston.-- There is a book on their history (US author? -try Amazon) and a lot of interest in Australia (website?) - also an early catalogue was reproduced by a tool society - prob...

Did any other egg-beaters take taper square bits? -- surely our Quimby must have patented one I can picture the scraped wrist when using the combo brace.

Great -- thanks for all that - interested that 10in blades are your choice as I just happen to have a small stock. Also tend to collect 'old junk' just in case so have some brass rod of a good size. I have an old small metal screw punch, and after wasting a drill bit or two, this goes through...

Thinking of making a couple of frame/bow saws - one shorter as a turning saw (10-12" blade) other as a continental-style frame saw for general workshop use so about 24" blade. I intend to use broken bandsaw blades as a starter blade (have a 3/16 and a 1/2 in respectively) I have some nice...

Is it you turning green or the wood? but seriously, some go quite the opposite way and prefer the old carbon tool steel chisels for green wood, and a slower speed.

first and third of those pix look like Kingwood - very dense, sinks in water, hard, resilient, brown to black, rare, was favourite of C18th French cabinet makers

just a word about "HSS" in case you don't know. Normal steel ("mild steel", "MS") has a low carbon content, so is not all that hard. This means that to make a decent cutting edge (not just on hacksaw blades), the steel was hardened and tempered after the cutting edge was formed. In industry...

Excellent, especially overcoming the probs. (It's usually poss to straighten such a tommy bar without removing it -- but go on, you want to make a new one). Suggestion - next vice should be a George Blair All-Steel - not so common, but made in your patch. (first Team valley, then Yorks moors...

could be -- the ice saws I have seen had much bigger teeth (maybe 2 or 3 tpi?) and were really big and some were made of zinc but brass would be fine, those were for cutting commercial blocks of ice from ponds before refrigerators became common, but maybe an ice saw for ice hole fishing? how...

I believe Python handles are still made (in the UK? - anyone know?) and available for a very reasonable price in various sizes? There are file handles with a coil inside (and some nice US ones with a coil outside but I just looked at a couple of Python handles I have and they don't seem to...

and to answer your q -- they're pretty robust, but like any steel there could be rust issues and although mine have v good blade tension, I suppose they could have a distorted frame and need pulling out to the correct length (unlikely) -- and if you're after the old-type blade, watch out for...

I have a couple - the patented type with light alloy handle that levers to tension the blade (no fine adjustment but the two holes each end of most blades is good enough) - I personally like them but they are heavier and the handle is cold on a freezing winter's log saw (I'm not usually a glove...

Fair point - steel bar version also much easier to manufacture. Interestingly, virtually all the bench engineering-type vices (ie not woodworking) have what are effectively cast iron (or a few, cast steel) "rails" (yes they do break occasionally at that same point). Also as a side comment...

I see you're from Sheff - as you prob know Ward and Payne were, like Marples, one of the big Sheffield makers and sellers,-- I know they were still selling up to 1960+ - their heyday was earlier. They once had a huge catalogue including bench with built in vice like yours - I have one of these...

not the same, but strong family resemblance to my somewhat larger sit-on bench, which all started when I saw a cut-off beam end in the skip for a house extension - a fine bit of 1920s semi, - 5in thick slow growth, dense, redwood of some kind which I simply squared off to 36in x 12in half-lap...

looks great - I got mine many years ago and, did roughly what you've done (you have been more thorough) - it's worked 'perfect'ly ever since (brush out the sawdust every now and then) I believe yours is the second version (mine has a longer 'chassis') - they were patented in 1880 and later...

fantastic job on a true alpha-vise - well done. I see you're in W Yorks - so, just for interest ---- although vices were made in Brum and London, and Sheffield later became the UK vice-making centre, in the early days (1850-1920?) of cast iron vices, Bradford was definitely where it was at -...