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I veneeredd a pair of teak veneered speakers with commercial ash veneer using contact adhesive about 15 years ago. They are still as good as the day I did them, with no sign of lifting veneer. Having said that, I wouldn't use it now because of the thick glue line already mentioned by another...

Reliably straight softwood is available but, in general, not from the big sheds. The best way of identifying good suppliers locally is to speak to some local joinery outfits to find out where they source theirs from - these people won't put up with being sold rubbish. Jim

I started in my mid-fifties having never made anything more complicared than a fixed side doll'cot with the aid of a dowelling jig and within 5 or 6 years I was into really complicated stuff. The answer for me was training on a series of short course aat West Dean; a fantastic investment...

Woodworkers are dreadful stick-in-the-muds when it comes to tool aesthetics. This http://www.holteyplanes.com/planes_No983.html looks pretty sexy to my eyes. Jim

Not a project, but if you are inexperienced I would strongly suggest you try to get some training on tablesaw safety, or at least get one of Steve Maskery's DVDs on the topic. A reasonable planer thicknesser will be a big asset - in fact I would place it way ahead of a tablesaw - because it...

Stew is absolutely right. Ian John (Tuffsaws) is a really nice guy and would hate to have a dissatisfied customer. Jim

If it's a choice between LN and Veritas I would go with the latter simply on the basis that I would prefer to buy from a company that innovates rather than just copies. The new customising options lokk likely to solve one of my few criticisms of Veritas - that the handles don't suit everyone...

I really admire people who are prepared to commit the time and energy required to do this. Perhaps if I were younger I might do it myself but my real passion is designing and making furniture and there is far more that I want to do than years I realistically have left to do it in, which is one...

It takes different forms. I started much like most others, accumulating lots of relatively cheap handtools but then it mutated into something arguably more serious. Despite not being a wealthy man I have become increasingly drawn to EXPENSIVE hand tools, to the point where i have more...

I don't have and have never wanted a tablesaw, but I wouldn't be without my bandsaw - much safer too. Jim

There was an interesting piece on early DIY magazines in the Autumn 2014 edition of the Tools and Trades History Society Newsletter, including reference to [i]Amateur Work[i] . Anyone with a real interest in early tools really should be a member - more information here http://www.taths.org.uk/...

The perfect subject for a Phd thesis perhaps. Jim

If it is glued with hide glue, an electric iron (not the household one unless you want to end a relationship) should be enough to soften the glue to enable it to be removed. Whether it's worth effort is another matter - not in my book unless the veneer is exceptional. Small quantities of...

Well said, Matthew. Jim

I have been using the basic Iyoroi white steel chisels for many years and they are excellent. I also have a set of 10 Suminagashi which are pure joy to behold and to use which I confess I don't use every day. They were a present from my indulgent wife. Bought from Classic Hamd Tools they are...

+1 for good Japanese chisels. Jim

What Rafezetter says is of course true. But it does ignore the basic truth that everyday planes (as opposed to premium versions), which are such a vital part of a woodworker's kit, are all too often supplied in a state where, even with a sharp blade, they will barely work at all. This is as...

One of the best things I ever did in my workshop. And if it can have hpt as well as cold as mine does, so much the better. My sharpening station is right next to it - perfect, and that's just the workshop benefits. Coming indoors from the garden with clean hands and not messing up the indoor...

I agree with all the others - best of luck and good to see you back. Do the exercise diligentlly, take it easy in the workshop and make sure there are no trip hazards out there - there are fat too many hard objects in a workshop to taake any chances. Jim

All good advice here. You just have to bite the sharpening bullet and Paul Sellers is good starting point. What has not been mentioned and deserves comment is why all reasonably priced planes will fail to work properly without substantial work. The answer is one of cost, but what other...