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What Mike said ^^ - Rob

Be very, very careful about using a chain saw if you're not familiar with them. Just about the most dangerous powered tool you can use; personally they give me nightmares! - Rob

No better than Axminster blades and I've used both. If it's a faulty weld, send it back and get a replacement - Rob

You must have bought a 'Friday afternoon special'. I got hold of a Jet bench mounted drill some years ago and it's spot on; no complaints in any way, shape or form - Rob

If you make this so called 'river' table stuff with unseasoned or even part seasoned yew and then take the finished piece into a warm, centrally heated house, the resin will stay put but the timber won't. You'll find it will part company with the resin as it inevitably moves when it rapidly...

Yew is great stuff but will warp, split and crack at the drop of the proverbial chapeau. It needs very careful, slow seasoning and you're lucky you may find yourself with a quantity of prime timber...but you need to get lucky! Only this afternoon I was contemplating sawing up a small log in the...

What Mike said, but you don't even need a chop/mitre saw; these tools are generally aimed at chippies on site working out the back of a Transit van. I've known a couple of folk who bought a chop saw thinking it would be a 'good idea' and it ended up gathering cobwebs - Rob

Try going down the A303 past the rocks (Stonehenge to the uninitiated) on a Friday afternoon; the A12 is a walk in the park :lol: (and I used to drive up it often enough) - Rob

I seem to recollect that Chris Tribe used this sort of finish on some of his Danish styled chairs - Rob

Thanks, much appreciated. This was the first job I'd done in Olive Ash and whilst much was well figured, there were some boards that were proper ash coloured so I decided not to take any chances and go for a finish that would guarantee that the wood's colour wouldn't 'alter' over time. There...

Spot on; you don't need anything on a chopping board - Rob

If space is at a premium, a table saw is the last thing you need and depending on how you intend to work, you don't actually need one in any case. Go for a small bandsaw, get some decent blades and when you learn how to set it up correctly (assuming that you've never owned one) it'll do almost...

You're absolutely right, but did you know that the domed end of a Japanese geno hammer is specifically designed to squish a tight joint to fit? The theory is that it's made a shade tight, then tapped both sides with the hammer to ease the fit. When it's glued the wood then swells and you've got...

Yep, that's pretty much it. I make a working drawing(s) (usually 1:1 or 1:5 with a cutting list) but they're only a guide and more often to see what the proportions of the piece actually look like. Components are cut to size but thereafter as Chas says, actual dimensions are irrelevant - Rob

I seem to recollect that Custard morticed his stops in place which is technically the right way to do this little job; I just use a tiny blob of glue (usually epoxy) and stick them down, using an adjustable square to set them back the right distance from the edge. Never had one give way yet - Rob

Most oils will turn ash and other light colours a 'familiar' shade of yellow after some time. One solution is to use Osmo Raw and the other is to use a matt Acrylic which I used on this Alan Peters blanket chest in Olive Ash finished earlier this year...

Folks rabbit on about Tuff Saw blades and they're good, but I'd agree with Rorschach; the Ax GT blades are superb and last for ages - Rob

This is unquestionably the easiest way and is exactly how the Veritas Mk2 honing guide works - Rob

I'm intrigued as well Mike - Rob

Just to slightly OT, some years ago in Japan I asked a swordsmith why he had a Makita belt sander bolted to his bench. Apparently he ground his katana blades to a rough shape on one; worked for him and if you ever fancied purchasing one of his swords, you'd need to find the best part of £30K - Rob