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quite possibly it is worse than the Record, since the vice moves on two cast 'arms' rather than the polished steel rods used in the Record, and the movement is pressumably subject to more friction as a result. Hopefully someone who owns both will be along shortly to tell us for sure!

I found a few references to Parkys in books aimed at headmasters and teachers - perhaps their adoption in classrooms helps explain why there are so many around (mind you they had a decent production run, there is some evidence to suggest the distinctive design with the unadorned front jaw with...

many of us own or have used one of the venerable quick release vices manufactured by Record and others, but I wonder how many people are familiar with the history? I certainly wasn't so I did some digging, and it appears we have a lot to thank a chap called Joseph Parkinson for. Dare I say it...

the term does turn up in old books, but apparently fell out of use in the UK. I (wrongly) assumed it was an 'Americanism' but as is often the case with uncommon words/spellings for the UK that are used in the US, it just looks like the term endured longer there than it did here. Somewhere...

I suppose that any time saved will be noticed more by people who prefer to just use stones, but I wonder if it would really be a noticeable improvement in day-to-day sharpening given it does not take long with a thin iron in any case. Perhaps if you were grinding out a nick then the time saved...

I will have to take a closer look at the corners of mine when I get a chance. I have found previously when de-rusting old irons with Shield rust remover that the backing stains a dark black in comparison to the steel bit welded on to form the cutting edge, and then it is very easy to spot the...

the other disadvantage of google is that their user data storage solution (Google Drive) is not intended to be used as a web hosting solution, and this means that although you can create a shareable link that can be accessed by anyone, the link is not directly to an image file (which means you...

looks good - particularly the paint, what did you use?

the instagram chap did a brilliant job - I wish I hadn't looked now :)

not much chance of that (unless they can be made solely with half lap dovetails, as that is the only joint I know how to do!). Andy has got the gist of this endeavour right - it is for fun and learning (and hopefully something useful will come out the other end) and on that basis it seems the...

thanks all (and for the boring machine pic - never seen such a thing); Assuming half lap dovetails are 'good enough' for a workbench (and at least one has held up for around 100 years - see the victorian bench in the earlier post) then I suppose the other factors in choosing them is the amount...

thanks for the explanation, and also for the pic of the old bench leg (good to know I'm not alone!)

ah I see - in that case, apologies for my sarky response! Don't the dovetails help prevent the legs racking/pulling apart e.g when shoving the bench round your workshop? thanks for the tip on gluing - as it happens I did notice that RM applied the glue to both surfaces, so I did the same - I...

given your line of work, I rather suspect you are well aware of the relative merits of these joints, but in case you were having a senior moment and need a reminder (don't worry, it happens to all of us!) here is a refresher on the dovetailed half laps (aka dovetail halvings, apparently). Even...

many thanks for the encouragement Custard :) Jacob, if it is an consolation, RM says that half lap dovetails are common on old English benches - so even if they are strange/quirky at least they are trad. Here are some of them for you to enjoy! the glue up and nailing was uneventful...

I know I shouldn't encourage you, but I am curious about what you see as better in the other design? Assuming you are still refering to the Paul Sellers bench mentioned earlier, they are basically the same, aren't they - two leg assemblies, two aprons and a top. The main differences are...

don't be daft Jacob, this is the best trad English bench design ever! A big, beautiful bench that will make your head spin!

I finished the unnecessary leg brace, and the result is a rather complex looking set of recesses on the front RHS leg - it is not as complex as it looks to do, since you are just doing a series of simple half lap dovetails. I managed to avoid any major cock-ups today, but to make up for it I...

well my newly purchased wood for the legs is 'scandinavian' unsorted and I think up to scratch. I am now more or less back to where I was before messing up the first set of legs, and the redwood is indeed a lot nicer to work with. It is even easier to markup as the knife/gauge leaves a clear...

I suppose that logic dictates some of the lubricant you use will end up on the surface of the wood, the question is whether the amount left behind by the very fine film of oil that goes on your tools can affect the finish. I haven't got a clue - here is what Paul Sellers has to say about it...