Post a photo of the last thing you made

[BentonTool]

Yet another but more diminutive Draw-Bore Pin form an old English sharpening steel...
More practical for me than the larger ones.

The prior ones for comparison:

 

[BentonTool]

A selection of recently restored UK chisels & gouges:

 

[CrazyMonkey1]

@BentonTool - did a bit more tonight, prepared the end caps for final chiselling / dovetail carving. All went according to plan, though I did find that the beech cap (2 pieces glued in reverse grain orientation) has moved since I prepared it several weeks ago, so will likely have to re-square to ensure a snug fit with main body of bench. I have added an extra mm to the mortice depth to allow for this.

Next step is to cut the dovetail (Pedulla inspired) on the bench stave, then transfer over to the Sapele end cap. This step on last top took about 7 hours - hoping to be faster on this one!

 

[CabinetSage]

A selection of recently restored UK chisels & gouges:

View attachment 198645

they look amazing Benton! really inspired me now to buy cheap chisels and sharpen them then make my own woodturned handle! Any oil that you like to use?

 

[kinverkid]

That’s so realistic I thought the top picture was a reference photo of an actual bird you were working from! Great job

You beat me to it. I thought the same. It truly is an amazing piece.

 

[kinverkid]

Made the MFT bench this weekend just gone. Still to fit an apron on the front with routed out T-track for a light clamping vise. Benchdogs fence with Benchdog rail dogs under the track. I am now a poor Peter Millard imitation.

Made the bike shed over few preceding weeks. Mostly from 2x4 and 2x2 leftovers I had hanging around. The roof panels were made from wardrobe door things free from the bin out the front of Ikea (not even chipboard? some kind of melamine faced mostly empty sort of plastic honey combed cavity stuff). I didn't clad the sides or back, just stretched shed roofing felt as walls instead. Then I broke up pallets and lined the inside with pallet boards so I don't put bike and things through the felt (did this after taking the photo below so you can't see that). So all together the build, if you don't count the timber I had hanging around (that's free in my head lmao), cost me I dunno an additional about £60: some battens, feather board, shed roofing felt.

The pallet ripping thing is worth a mention. Bought a pallet break bar thing for £30, but then saw what was described as a nail puller gun (it's actually more of a nail gun without a magazine) on Amazon for £32, a good £50 cheaper than the more common £80 Air Locker popular brand one. I expect the cheapness will show up if/when I need to replace the piston thing. It's a very scary piece of kit, you can shoot a nail a long way down the garden with it (I had to try) like an airgun. Deadly. Look at my short vid I made using it:

It looks just like mine except my badge says MEX. I've had it for around three years and if memory serves I paid about £50. It wouldn't have been more because I'm tight. I've punched out hundreds of nails and screws with it and it still works great. I made my own 'pallet buster' when I bought my cheap Aldi stick welder. That's got to be four or five years ago, another great boon to pallet repurposing.

 

[Morag Jones]

It looks just like mine except my badge says MEX. I've had it for around three years and if memory serves I paid about £50. It wouldn't have been more because I'm tight. I've punched out hundreds of nails and screws with it and it still works great. I made my own 'pallet buster' when I bought my cheap Aldi stick welder. That's got to be four or five years ago, another great boon to pallet repurposing.

That is a beast, as you say scary indeed. Slab and bucket great solution. Is it attached to a compressor?
Now I’m feeling dissatisfied with the nail bar and hammer.

 

[kinverkid]

That is a beast, as you say scary indeed. Slab and bucket great solution. Is it attached to a compressor?
Now I’m feeling dissatisfied with the nail bar and hammer.

I de-nail over the ash-bucket. The water bucket is a good idea because you can recover the nails more easily with a magnet but our binmen won't allow nails in the recycle bin (??). My tools line up when attacking pallets: Pallet buster, Gorilla crow-bar, body scanner metal detector, nail punch (air compressor), reciprocating saw, 'ommer and good safety glasses.

 

[Croolis]

That is a beast, as you say scary indeed. Slab and bucket great solution. Is it attached to a compressor?
Now I’m feeling dissatisfied with the nail bar and hammer.

Yup compressor. I have a slab you can't see in front of the bucket as well. Between my gonads and eternity.

 

[BentonTool]

they look amazing Benton! really inspired me now to buy cheap chisels and sharpen them then make my own woodturned handle! Any oil that you like to use?

Hello CS,

Thank you for the kind words. A lengthy answer below.

Personally, I have found that the vintage chisels are just as good, or better, than the new production chisels, and far more attractive (IMHO). I keep them sharp by stropping during use.

Lately, I have been making my own turning squares from local "firewood" billets resawn on my bandsaw. That opens-up a whole new world for me.
I have been using local Ash (we have dead-standing Ash here in abundance), Red Oak, White Oak, Hop Hornbeam (the local "Ironwood"), Dogwood (a favorite when I can find it), Birch, Maple, and two of my favorites: Black Locust and Cherry. I have also started using Honeysuckle and Grape vine trunks when large, but they are both very prone to checking. Just about any dense wood makes good handles.
I also occasionally use construction lumber (often White Pine, Spruce, or Yellow Pine if they have tight growth rings) for file handles and the more utilitarian handles.
Lastly, exotics are wonderful for tool handles, but obviously more expensive. I have been lucky, and have found exotics on some imported pallets and decking/flooring scraps (often Jatoba or other). Look and you may also find some in your area!

All that being said, the finish I use depends on the wood turned.
For darker woods that I want to seal, I use Clear Lacquer.
For lighter woods that I want to seal, I use Amber Shellac.
Oil for darker woods; Boiled Linseed Oil or Tung Oil.

My new favorite "oil" concoction (found on the net) for lighter woods applied directly whilst turning is the mix below using Amber Shellac and Watco Danish/Tung Oil that comes tinted with a walnut stain:
LATHE FRICTION POLISH:
1/3 (AMBER or CLEAR) SHELLAC.
1/3 BOILED LINSEED OIL, DANISH OIL, TUNG OIL; CLEAR OR DARK-TINTED.
1/3 DENATURED ALCOHOL.
******************************************
SAND TO FINE FINISH, 240 to 800 GRIT (240 below).
THE HIGHER THE GRIT, THE GREATER THE SHINE.
SHAKE WELL. BEST PLACED IN DISPENSER BOTTLE.
USE PAPER TOWEL, NEVER COTTON OR A RAG.
APPLY TO PART WITH LATHE OFF, THEN RE-APPLY WITH LATHE AT SLOW SPEED TO START. MODERATE PRESSURE. GET IT WARM. MAY THEN USE FASTER SPEEDS.
"WAXY" BUILDUP ON PAPER IS INDICATOR OF PROPER APPLICATION.
MAY REPEAT COATS.
******************************************
ASH with friction polish:

RED OAK with friction polish:

CHERRY with friction polish:

BLACK LOCUST with friction polish and Amber Shellac: