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Opening in the April chair class
April 8-13 Joel Paul and I are teaching a class in making the Jennie Alexander chair at Pete Galbert’s shop in Rollinsford NH – and we have a late opening due to someone having to drop out. The class runs through all the steps in building this chair. Starting with splitting the parts from a … Continue reading Opening in the April chair class... Read more
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Next up for LAP
Megan is finishing Matt Cianci’s book “Set & File: A Practical Guide to Saw Sharpening,” and I’m polishing “The American Peasant.” Both books will go to the printer within the month, and then we will turn to our next publishing projects. Here’s what is coming up. Megan is (still) working on her Dutch tool chest...... Read more
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slowly getting there.......
I haven't said much about my weight lately for good reason. I've been eating everything in sight and I have paid the price. It started this past thanksgiving and I have sputtered and died out trying to get back on the diet bandwagon since then. The drive with the wind in my hair of eating whatever kind of took over for me. The last straw came 3 weeks ago when my tonnage hit 220.8 lbs. I had to suck in... Read more
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Gurney's Saw Mill.......
The skies were clear this AM when I got up. The weather seer's predictions were proving to be true. Unfortunately the local weather radar I look at everyday was off line. As of typing this post it is still off line. I wanted to make sure the skies would be the same in Freetown as they were in Warwick I had nothing to worry about as the sun was in my eyes doing out to Gurney's (driving east) and the... Read more
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I can hear.....
Well I could always hear (if it was loud) but I couldn't understand what was being said. I got my new, latest, and greatest hearing aids and oh boy what a difference. As the audiologist told I can hear now in stereo. Each of my hearing aids has its own computer and each is tailored fitted to the hearing loss of each ear (R&L). He told me the computers in the aids have more computing power than the computer used... Read more
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Japanese versus Western saws
Here is a summary of the pros and cons of Japanese versus Western saws. This is not to say “one is better than the other” but just provide a side-by-side comparison of the features of each. Characteristic Japanese saw Western saw Kerf (slit made by cutting) Thin – removes less wood, requires less effort. Some … Continue reading Japanese versus Western saws... Read more
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At last.
At last.... Read more
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more happy days.......
It is looking like I am not going to get a lot of shop time this week. I ate a good portion up of another day being out of the shop. My sister Donna who lives in Indiana wanted some Westerly soupy. Which is an Italian cured sausage called soppressata. I love this stuff with scrambled eggs but I digress. So this AM I was driving south to Westerly to get some from the Westerly Packing Company. I ate 1/2... Read more
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Legging Up the (Kinda) Old Way
Every single vernacular stick chair I have studied uses cylindrical tenons. None have tapered tenons and mortises. Yet, I teach many first-timers to use the tapered joint. What gives? The tapered joint requires some special tooling, but you get a few chances to dial in the final angle. So it’s forgiving for beginners. A cylindrical...... Read more
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Plank and muntin job now completely finished.
One final trip to Dorset. A last few finishing touches.There's a fair bit of Devon oak gone into restoring this screen. Then there's the internal windowsills.The ledge doors with rosehead nails.New treads for the stairs.And various other bits and pieces. The whole house is much more in keeping now for a grade 2* 16th century building. Just what it deserves. A pleasure to work on. More of the same please,... Read more
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Maine Japanese Woodworking Festival 2024 →
Maine Japanese Woodworking Festival 2024 →if you’re thinking about going to this, there’s an early bird discount that ends tomorrow. Also, Jason Fox was kind enough to ask yours truly to give a talk at this event this year. Despite the fact that I’ll be yammering on for an hour, it should be a great time anyway.... Read more
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big decision.......
brrr.......The past few days have had the overnight temps close to freezing (0C). That has dropped the temp in the shop 6 degrees F. It had been 63/62 for almost 2 weeks. The first day of spring is right around the corner too. I wanted to get the 2nd coat on the stool but I held off. Before I do #2 I want the temp in the shop to be 60F or higher first. Rockford # 5 1/2 ironThe Rockford when... Read more
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School of Painting for the Imitation of Woods & Marbles
Faux MahoganyIf I had to pick the most spectacular "how to" book in my collection, it would have to be "School of Painting for The Imitation of Woods & Marbles / as taught & practised by A.R.van der Burg & P.van der." The original edition was published in 1875; my edition is 1887. While thin, it is huge - medium folio (18 inches or 47 cm) tall. Not only is the book huge, it is filled with samples of work... Read more
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Making a Rounder Plane: Part 3
OK, so after gaining the experience of my first couple of experiments, I went into the following with a little more confidence. I started with a block of poplar 9" long, 2" thick and 2 3/4" wide. After later adding a 5/8" thick backer, the total thickness came out to be 2 5/8".This rounder is for 5/8" dowels, so I bored a 5/8" hole through the thickness and then reamed the hole with a 6 degree tapered reamer. The hole... Read more
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Pew end panels finished
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