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I have a Makita LS1040 compound mitre saw. It's a very nicely made and powerful tool but I hate the jolt on start up. It is available in the USA with soft start and a soft start module for it is available on line for around £20, which sounds to me like £20 well spent. Given that the saw is...

We all have our own ways of working but I would say you are unusual. I know quite a lot of furniture makers and have yet to meet one who does not regard a block plane as essential. I recall that the late great Alan Peters reckoned to use only a No 7 and a block plane, I don't think I could...

All these are good to have but there is a notable omission - I regard a block plane as essential and I am sure I will not be alone in saying I use mine at least as much as any other. Otherwise , a lot of good advice in this thread but just one point from the OP's original message; high quality...

Try George Lodge & sons in Hull. Very helpful and excellent service. Jim

Not sure exactly what you have in mind but I have had success keeping the Domino machine square and canting the work, wedges slid under one end of it until the correct angle is achieved using a digital bevel box. It is easy to get the habit of thinking that odd angles must always be achieved...

Recently had my planer thicknesser chew up it's ribbed drive belt. After searching around the internet using the code on the old one, I had some difficulty matching the spec. I eventually came across George Lodge & Sons Ltd in Hull and gave them a call. Could not have been more helpful in...

Looks totally fab, Mark, I'm green with envy!

Hi Mark, Depends how much bling you want. No doubt our US friends would polish the lot. If it were me I think I would keep it consistent with the rest of the machine - so paint non-machined parts, your usual shiny bits won't tarnish but the bronze would and who wants to keep polishing their...

Japanese chamfer plane similar to this. Mine is smaller, only about 3" long and less sophisticated but none the worse for that. The plane body can be slid across in the carrier so that all of the blade width is usable. Brilliant little too which does a really good job. For curves I would use...

Scott & Sargeant have planer knives in all sorts of lengths and widths. Jim

If you want a basic chop saw for not a lot of money ( about £180 now £150 when I bought mine) I can recommend the bottom of the range Makita - nicely made, accurate and holds its adjustment well. It doesn't slide so cutting capacity isn't huge but if you want a decent slider it will be quite a...

No idea what it is but the white specks are almost certainly silica deposits, so it will tend to blunt edge tools quickly. Jim

Sadly, I don't have it, I photographed it at the time. Jim

Not a luthier but this may be of interest to others. Many years ago I used to attend an evening woodworking class in Bognor. The tutor (who was the CDT teacher at the school) would occasionally invite one of his daytime students in if thay had done something interesting. One week there was a...

No expert, but surely it depends on the travel and rise rates of the stairs because these are usually housed into the string, and of course you need a bit extra above and below the housings. As for the depth of the housings, I wouldn't want these to be less than about 15mm. Cutting all these...

Been on Warfarin for years and no problem. Cuts just take a bit longer to clot. Warfarin is old hat these days but it is very easily neutralised by a Vitamin K injection, which could be important in the event of a serious injury. Newer anti-coagulants are not reversible. A paramedic recently...

It's all a matter of persaonal preference, of course. I use a piercing (or jeweller's) saw alongside a Japanese saw. With the size of most dovetails I think saw handle styles are a bit academic although the advantage of a western handle when pushing maybe worthwhile for big ones. Jim

I agree with Ollie about Japanese saws, much nicer to use than any western saw you would be happy with and can get for sensible money. As for guages, you want a cutting guage (with a blade) not a marking guage (with a spike). I like the wheel type. Also, don't bother spending mony on a...

Watched the first and decided that was enough. I hate these against the clock things where insufficient time is available to do a proper job even if for those who do have the skills. I would much rather watch someone design and make something good in a sensible time frame but I guess that...

Thanks Peter, My Felder is about the same vintage as your Hammer. I went to the Milton Keynes showroom thinking I would probably buy the Hammer but I stood alongside the Hammer, put my foot on the base and my hand on the top of the cabinet and pushed; I was struck by the amount of flex in it...