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Interesting. There's an analogy with the metals we cut with these stones - a chemist might say 'that's just an alloy of fairly pure iron with 1.2% carbon, maybe even describe its predominant structure eg face-centred cubic' but a metallurgist would know there'd be a world of practical...

Three in quick succession, at least two different models - must be common, I think we all need one.

Interesting - how is that used? How have we all managed without?

6deg

that was last summer, which was warm but not heatwave here in the England -- 2022 we have had one heatwave - hereabouts (South Yorks) it smashed records of several hundred years, and a few days later - now - another of longer duration central northern Europe the same - records broken all over...

agree - ply is not the wood for any damp situation, (even slightly, even temporarily) - and 'exterior ply' is not the answer although marine ply may be if you have plenty of money

Yup - so what does a magpie do with it's shiny collection - the local bird stores it in our gutter - I have to climb a ladder and unblock it - it will eat dove's-eggs but never saw it cut any dove-tails. Not an expert, but have seen such shiny and flat tool steels and cemented tungsten carbide...

maybe something to do with the way they grow - if you look at the grain of the bark of a living sweet chestnut, it often (usually?) spirals around the trunk, which may suggest something similar going on inside.

One major use in the UK was/is for palings joined by twisted wire - these can take being knocked into the ground and seem to even outlast oak in this situation where so many woods rot fast (stuck outside in British weather, untreated, half in the soil) - just been removing some 30+ year old...

Well done --- good advice. Another old vice ready for a long life - shame they didn't do that ex-works.

did bing and google searches and saw a few more pix of these vices with the metal jaw face with slot - none had the explanation of why - one more suggested wheelwright and one shoe last maker, the only 'clue' to use I could find was the below example where it seems to have been fixed against a...

Thanks all for an interesting discussion - not quite the full answer yet, I feel - what I'd love is to hear from some one who used such a vice/cramp/clamp/chops, these are obviously not just a one off, so there must be reasons for the puzzling details. So - I promised some pix - firstly 3 of...

mmmmm, sounds poss, Jacob,and maybe those slots in the steel facings to the jaws somehow grab the ends of spring leaves/leafs. have also to bear in mind why they all seem to have that hole for a single crosswise bolt - usually supplied with the vice; and however it's used there's a long tommy...

Yes - both inner jaw faces are steel lined, with a central slot as I mentioned - right through the 3or4mm thickness of the plate, but no groove in the wood behind - all of the commercial versions I've seen have this. And I've never seen anything fitting in this (eg a soft or shaped inner...

This is for sale on auction site at present - I also have one and I have seen three pretty much exactly as this, and one or two close but not quite the same. I know that the flat bar with holes is to adjust for parallel action, but I have two questions -- 1. How is it designed to be...

I think it might be a retail brand (London store?) - tools by different OEMs, mostly Sheffield, like Governor brand or Buck & Ryan and Buck & Hickman. Usually good sound tools.

So, what's the betting you don't stick with LN + 6 + 4 ? I have something like that, but in my case N is a large no (and no L)

a few years ago I needed to shorten and shape a fine slate mantlepiece, - having nothing else to hand but a couple of too-blunted-for-wood cheapo hardpoint handsaws ready for scrap, used one of them --- surprised me by going through the slate slowly, but just fine. I suppose it's a bit like the...

Woden was not a cheap brand - fully up there with the best. But poss Woolies sold some when they were trying to survive before acquisition? The Hampton family branches that made Record and Woden were closely related but separate businesses, both from W Mids, both moving to Sheffield at...

Anyone else use old UK hand-stitched cabinetmakers rasps? Got to be careful not to buy a beater, but some have been well looked after/little used (run a finger over to test for 'bite') - I have some (different Sheffield makers) and they give a very good finish, although if much wood to be...