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another perspective - given the depressing thought that most of us amateurs will have snuffed it before we can accumulate anything like the number of hours a traditionally trained tradesman would rack up in their apprenticeships then we have an equivalent incentive to avoid unnecessary work...

I remember reading a theory that some older backsaws (18C?) were made with a deliberately tapered blade, but I am pretty sure that the vast majority of saws you see like this have simply been dropped at some point, pushing the blade up into the folded metal back. As you say, it is easy to put...

I have a little Festool CTL SYS vac which is attached to a dust collector and is is perfect for my small workshop. In a fit of buffoonery notable even by standards I left it turned on when I was last in the shed on Thursday evening. I had no intention of going into the shed today, but...

my first bench had a shelf at the same height as your rails and I have to say I regret including it ( I left it off bench v2 as a result). it is often comfortable to stand with one foot under the bench and the rail gets in the way, plus the shelf just gathered clutter and sawdust. I suppose...

<rolls eyes> back to speed and efficiency, as I get older I find that I frequently enjoy the destination more than the journey and as much as I like a bit of pottering around I am generally pleased to discover techniques to get me there quicker. Perhaps it is the prospect of eternal...

never one to leave a dead horse unflogged, I was looking into whether there were any significant improvements to Record's design from the 1920s/30s. The short answer seems to be 'no' - the Record QR is a lulu. However, I think an honourable mention should go to the 'Twentieth Century' vice...

I dug out my old Bahco square and the mechanism to keep the ruler square to the stock is indeed as bugbear described in an earlier post (the hook engages with the slot on the ruler and pulls it down on to two small rails), so I obviously misremembered how I adjusted it. I also worked out why...

the taper starts below the apron, so I just had to angle the shoulders on the aprons to splay the legs. I am not sure how much more difficult it would be to have the taper go right through to the top of the legs but I think you would have to mark out the taper on the legs exactly to get a good...

Admittedly it was many moons ago, but I could have sworn I filed the hook bit - when I am back at home I will take a closer look.

inexpensive combination squares can be adjusted to be perfectly square too (well, at least as good as your eyes/testing system allow). Use one of the tests above to find out which direction it is out and then use a small needle file to take a little of one or other edge of the brass hook that...

thanks all - the coffee table has grown on me after a couple of weeks and I quite like the simple design now.

I will be interested to hear if it is possible to adjust the slot/lever to allow for a difference of several mm. At least you can use the old cap iron and new blade if all else fails. It is odd that cap irons are not a standard size - does any one know if you can swap e.g Record and Stanley...

excellent - you have inspired me to reinstate work on my new sawbench . I did get started but eventually gave up having failed to make a working tenon cutter (I am now going to buy one instead!). The jig for holding the legs is a great idea - did you make it specifically for this job? edit -...

thanks Andy - the plane in the video seems like the obvious design for two person planing, The two Swedish chaps are obviously very familiar with the task, but the process does not seem different from single person planing (more vigorous,, of course) and the only difference between the roles of...

I'm surprised there has not been more comment on MarkDennehy's important post. First of all it turns out we are all going to die and then - to cap it all - our only consolation seems to be the prospect of Jacob doing a youtube of himself energetically cutting a mortice. And he hasn't even...

good point, and to be more specific perhaps using the rounded bevel of a mortise chisel as a pivot to flick out the chips is a good option where the mortice is narrow and deep (because in this situation the bits are more likely to get jammed between the sides, preventing you getting the chisel...

thanks DW - I get it now. I see that it would save time if you did not remove the waste on a mortise that goes right through since it will be pushed out when you work from the other side in any case. I suppose the argument for using the rounded bevel in the other direction is it is easy to...

I just don't understand the difference beteween the approaches discussed - Sellers starts at one end with the bevel facing in the direction he is going - holding the flat face of the chisel vertically. The he goes back in the other direction, again with the bevel forward but this time angled so...

am I alone in not understanding the difference between what Paul Sellers does and what Jacob is describing? Is there a video of someone doing it the other way? PS my extensive* experience of creating mortices was all done the 'sellers' way, which as far as I could tell was the same way that...

finished, and here it is with the two side tables. A mixed success I think: there are enough similarities between the side and coffee tables so they seem part of a set, yet the coffee table design is much more sturdy (good enough for a large adult to sit on without any movement - obviously I...