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I picked up a Startrite Bantam bench pillar drill quite cheaply last year and have been meaning to tidy it up a bit. The time has come. At a minimum I need to replace the wiring, which is not in a good way and take the motor apart for a clean as it is full of crud. I expect it will largely have...

Thanks, that's very helpful.

So the draw fonts and handles are a single piece of moulded leather, glued to a flat front? Would be interested to see more detail of this if you wouldn't mind?

As far as I know it takes about a week to 10 days to kiln dry softwood. Would have to be a pretty slick operation for the trees to have been felled, kiln dried and delivered to the yard in 2 weeks. I suggest you invest in a moisture meter.

>Does that mean traditional joinery is no longer attainable by the average earner? Not if you do it yourself!

The jig would require me to re-think the way I use the router. It works to the centre of the cutter, not the edge, which is how I would lay stuff out. Think I'll pass.

Those jigs are great if your stock is narrower than your plane. 50mm is pushing it. I find planning thin stock with the back end clamped works much better then trying to plane against a dog- pull rather than push. This does require the material to be significantly longer than final length...

Do you have tree roots under you current shed? If so, a concrete base may be complicated.

Might be a bit tricky to ask them for a sample then. Perhaps something to aspire to in the future.

I quite like the opening picture. Where did it come from? The grain direction doesn't seem to be organised in any particular order. Does this suggest it is veneered over a stable substrate?

I've used them a few time too. I had one order get lost in the post and they sent a replacement out without any bother, so I consider them one of the good 'uns.

That's fair enough. When the soldering iron finally dies, consider treating yourself to a variable temperaure model. They have some nice features that you can quickly get very used to.

Have you ever tried using lead-free solder? I switched to it some years ago for most work. Still use leaded solder for some repairs, for which it is still legal to do in the EU. There are some very vocal folk who do not like lead-free stuff, but I haven't had a problem with it personally.

Because it sticks wood together? I'm not sure it's used much in fine furniture, but would be useful if you needed something that has some flex in it.

How will you manage the edge of the table where the dovetailed grooves will be?

If you are thinking of using construction timber and only want it to be 2" thick - which is ample for some designs - then it would be easier if you found wider boards - 10 x 2 are quite common and would save some work. This is what Richard Maguire calls a 'planked' top...

I guess some of us don't see it as a rubbish chisel on the basis of the grind being a little off square. I would have to think quite hard about buying one of these, but saying I decided to: If they had another model that cost more and the only difference was that they were ground perfectly...

Have you seen this knockdown Nicholson-style bench? https://vimeo.com/104208541 I would use construction grade timber for an outside bench. Won't last forever, but will be lighter and less painful if you happen to leave it out in the rain while having a cup of tea.

No problem - is a good point. Thanks.

I'm aware. It was a couple of months ago, and I'm back to normal now.