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Hahaha, yes it's a bit of a trip from there! Do you mean woodworkers that far north aren't still using flint scrapers and axes made from antlers? (only kidding, I'm from Up North mesen, so I know it's not as grim as southern softies think). I thought you must be fairly local as you said you'd be...

I wouldn't bother with a honing guide, you'll soon get used to holding plane irons and chisels at the right angles with a bit of practice and it's quicker that way. Within a few degrees the angles aren't critical. If you really want a honing guide, I was given one few years ago and never use it...

Hope I didn't scare him stimpy! I suppose £100 or so isn't the same for a hobbyist as it is for someone running a business. The hobbyist will probably only use tools occasionally, but someone relying on tools to earn a living needs something dependable which will soon repay the investment...

That's fine Bale, but I've been using potentially dangerous woodworking machines safely for over 3 decades, spindle moulders as well as radial arm saws. I've never been complacent. I go through a rigid check system before I even switch on. The machine only wins if users ignore the basic...

I bought a 5ah Makita battery from Powertool World last month. Can't remember the exact price - about £100. No problems with it so far and it's had a lot of use - 3 or 4 charges and noticeably a lot longer between charges than the 3ah ones

I admit that sounds safer because the saw blade does pull itself forward. But surely that's why hands and clothing should be nowhere near the blade? I've never been taught that your way is the correct way to use a radial arm saw, not on the woodmachining course I attended when I first went into...

Brilliant Jeff! It's a real pain-in-the-neck job, particularly with a big extractor. It now seems so obvious I'm kicking myself for not thinking of it!

Giving up a well-paid job with a good pension scheme and starting my own woodworking business was a giant leap into the unknown - exhilerating but scary. That was 35 years ago. It was often a financial struggle with plenty of sleepless nights, the words of a popular song 'Money's too tight to...

Completely agree about the Daily Hate - dreadful paper and always was. In the 1950s, my Grandad, normally a shy, quiet man who wouldn't say boo to a goose was so enraged by a plumber who came to do some minor re-plumbing carrying a copy of said rag, he sent the man packing. and told him never to...

Thanks for the advice Eric. I don't know what work you do. We restore box-framed sash windows, mostly onsite, so we only need 2 cheap and quick to make plywood jigs, one for 90 degree cuts to trim the sides of sashes, the other for 9 degree cuts for sash bottom rails, plus a couple of clamps...

Hahaha Doug B! Perhaps I should have mentioned I'm in my early 70s and still running my own business, though I now only work 2 days a week. So our existing set-up will probably see me out. I'm not slow to buy expensive tools when they're needed, but it's never worried me being out of step with...

Iroko is probably a good choice if you need a rot-resistant timber, but I've always avoided it because iroko dust is a known health hazard. No dust is good for you, so whatever timber you use, it's a good idea to google it before you buy. Face masks, filtering workshop air and dust extraction...

Thanks but I had a look online and a tracksaw wouldn't be suitable for us for various reasons - partly because we work mostly onsite and have enough kit to transport/load/unload but mainly becauseit wouldn't do anything better or faster than our current set-up. The combination of Makita cordless...

Not sure what a track saw is and I'm too old a dog to learn new tricks. I've been restoring sash windows for donkeys' years and often have to take small amounts off the edges of the sash stiles and sash rails. The quickest way to do it is with a portable circular saw. First make a simple a jig...

I looked into this a few years ago when looking for secondhand woodworking machinery, most of the best machines were 3-phase and I only have single. I was lucky enough to find some decent single phase machines, so I didn't pursue 3-phase any further. But I did learn that you can run 3-phase...