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If you can find any - probably second hand, the timber which the Romans used for bridge piers which lasted 2000 years standing in water was ELM. We destroyed much of ours because of Dutch Elm Disease, but the French, and possibly other countries, converted a lot of theirs for use.

There’s a Paul Sellers video on YouTube about making a bench from ply. He cuts it into strips and glues them together. He also deals with getting it flat. I had a problem planing beech because my beech bench top had developed a hollow. It took quite a bit of planing to get it flat. Planing...

Many years ago I built a wood turning lathe from scratch. Most of the materials came from the scrap bin at work. The bearings and pulleys were the the biggest expense. The motor was from an old washing machine - not an option nowadays. You can definitely by a lathe for less than you can make...

I had a similar problem. I found the Axminster/Japanese ones uncomfortable to hold, so I made my own. I had some 2.5 mm gauge plate (ground flat stock) and cut a piece to shape. Drilling the holes before hand ending it seemed like a good idea. Hardened and tempered (our domestic oven reached the...

I’m only running on compressed air at the moment. I posted a video of it running on my introductory post. I have the parts for a boiler but keep putting off starting it. I have an ML7 and an early Warco Mill ( almost identical to the one that Sploo wrote his post about, although mine has already...

I trained in the early 60s to teach woodwork and metalwork. I taught in Secondary schools until mid 80s then moved to training teachers. I had a hobby/business designing and making bespoke jewellery with additional training from a time served diamond mounter. Retired in the late 90s with some...

This little steam engine came as a kit of castings and materials. Having the spare cash for machines was a Covid benefit (nothing spent on holidays). It’s made a pleasant change from wood dust and I’ve had to relearn skills I never had.

Tracy Tools have 1/2” UNC taps in their online cat.