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Burrs are often difficult but the secret is to flatten the veneers before you start. I have used the method described in Bill Lincoln's book on veneering with great success. This involves soaking the veneers in a rather weird and wonderful potion and then pressing them before use. The big...

I've been using the Proxon bits from Axminster which go down to 3.2mm which are OK but expensive compared with the Chinese ones. However the size of the bit is only part of the story. I wanted mine to cut shallow 3.2mm grooves in ply but My Dremel won't cut a groove narrower than 4mm due to...

Afraid so Corky, but you will still be a fair bit better off than most site chippies I have encountered who have nothing at all, which is not good for them and a pain for their clients if they are working somewhere that is occupied. Talking of being not good for them, I continue to be amazed by...

Nothing is really any good when connected to the standard dust pot of every mitre saw I have met, simply because the design of these ports and associated ducting (if any) within the machine is complete rubbish. I've got round this with my own Makita by enclosing the back half of it in a ply...

I think you may find that the required standard of filtration is the same for L and M classes. In the case of Festool machines the filtration is definitely identical. The difference is that it has electronics that sound a warning when the bag or filter needs to be changed. This circuitry is I...

Have often hankered for a Meddings, look forward to seeing progress. Jim

Yes, I hate 1/4" routers. The shanks have so little substance to them that even small amounts of stress make them vibrate and result in an inferior finish. Jim

That's fab, a man after my own heart - I love making workshop items unnecesarily posh. Jim

May I second what others have said about the practical necessity and health reasons for having proper extraction. I know that this sounds like a luxury and is something peole commonly skinp on, but you really should regard good quality extraction as equally worthy of your hard earned as all...

The trouble is western red cedar isn't a true cedar and lacks the aromatc quality they have. It's botanical name is Thuja plicata and is native to Pacific north west USA and Canada. It is highly durable but very soft and mostly used for external cladding and more upmarket garden buidings -...

I'll second those comments, Custard, lovely work and timber. The fact that neither is particularly to my taste is entirely beside the point - the ability to completely indulge one's own taste and timetable is the luxury of the amateur like me. Having taken four years to complete four chairs...

I wasn't, but it certainly does. Jim

True, but it gripped better than anything else I can think of and can still be used for its intended purpose. Jim

Recently started a glue up without thinking it through fully and needed to clamp a joint with one outside face which was curved and nowhere at right parallel to the surfaces to be clamped. Panic! Need a shaped block . The first thing that came to hand was one of those waxy/rubbery blocks that...

Thanks everyone for the very lind words. Andy, I think I'm going to stop at ten scrapers! If I make another special purpose one I can always retire a straight one. Wildman, you could be right but I don't want to fall into the trap of gilding the gilded lily! Jim

... but I've been thinking a lot about cabinet scrapers lately. Such a brilliantly simple but effective tool that it is all too easy to neglect to treat them with the respect they deserve. So, after far too long storing my scrapers like this only (unsurprisingly) to find the hooks...

I have a fence port and one below the table. The latter is on the back of the cupboard in which the router is housed and has a door on the front. The combination of the two is highly effective. The rear port is a bit of a pain but it could have the port on the side were it not for the fact that...

I could really do with one of those in my workshop. It'll be a lovely little piece of kit when you've finished with it. Jim

Looks fabulous and performs well. The dust even comes out of the extraction vent which is more than can be said of most chop saws! Jim

Don't care what it is, just good to see another of your Wadkin threads starting. AND we still have the LQ thread to look forward to, what more could we ask! Jim