jeffpolaski

I was going to try it (as seen above), at age 70, but add in the blood thinners I take, somehow sensibility won over. I needed a change, though and my barber (who seems to have less hair of mine to cut and more advice at his 82 years of age) suggested I use Johnson’s Baby Lotion containing butter oil, instead of regular or brushed cream. It…[Read more]

Thank you all. Lots to think about.
A lot of the sites I’ve googled are sales sites, and the brands of razors they sell, oddly enough, reflect the name of the vendor. I just found out that a long-time friend of mine had been collecting smoking pipes, and he decided to give them to his wife. Not to for her to use; he consigned them to an eBay…[Read more]

Thank you all. Lots to think about.
A lot of the sites I’ve googled are sales sites, and the brands of razors they sell, oddly enough, reflect the name of the vendor. I just found out that a long-time friend of mine had been collecting smoking pipes, and he decided to give them to his wife. Not to for her to use; he consigned them to an eBay…[Read more]

What Larry said was on point.
I first used a hand countersink bit. They comes in sizes, and the major online vendors will have a set or two.
Then I found bits that fit in braces. The positive points cited here are real. They also come in sizes. but they are usually found on eBay, so diligent shopping is called for.
Countersink bits also were made…[Read more]

Thank you all. Hock blade it is.

I’d get his book on sharpening, but what with all the times I watched Paul Sellers sharpen, and then mimicked him, I think I’ve got it. As for longer time sharpening, this one looks like it will be my go-to block plane, and sharpening calms me down during the day.

The other Stanley bench planes (and what has…[Read more]

Dieter,
I stand corrected. “Schnitzelbank literally means “scrap bench” or “chip bench” (from Schnitzel “scraps / clips / cuttings (from carving)” or the colloquial verb schnitzeln “to make scraps” or “to carve” and Bank “bench”); like the Bank, it is feminine and takes the article “die”.
I blame either the many years since high school, or my…[Read more]

Dieter,

I have three rip saws in the making, since I’ll be ripping walking cane shafts down to size and making larger mortise and tenon joints for heating system radiator enclosures. The first is one of a set of steel-back saws passed down to me from my grandfather. They have to be close to 100 years old and one of them had irretrievable teeth.…[Read more]

Dieter,

I have three rip saws in the making, since I’ll be ripping walking cane shafts down to size and making larger mortise and tenon joints for heating system radiator enclosures. The first is one of a set of steel-back saws passed down to me from my grandfather. They have to be close to 100 years old and one of them had irretrievable teeth.…[Read more]

Dieter,

I have three rip saws in the making, since I’ll be ripping walking cane shafts down to size and making larger mortise and tenon joints for heating system radiator enclosures. The first is one of a set of steel-back saws passed down to me from my grandfather. They have to be close to 100 years old and one of them had irretrievable teeth.…[Read more]

Dieter,

I have three rip saw in the making, since I’ll be ripping walking cane shafts down to size and making larger mortise and tenon joints for heating system radiator enclosures. The first is one of a set of steel-back saws passed down to mt from my grandfather. They have to be close to 100 years old and one of them had irretrievable teeth.…[Read more]

Dieter,

I have three rip saw in the making, since I’ll be ripping walking cane shafts down to size and making larger mortise and tenon joints for heating system radiator enclosures. The first is one of a set of steel-back saws passed down to mt from my grandfather. They have to be close to 100 years old and one of them had irretrievable teeth.…[Read more]

Dieter,
I would love to make Tim Manney’s, and for that matter, Jameel Abraham’s shave horses. But I’m pushing 70 years old and have not the time to do them justice (long health story), and there’s just no room for them, and now never will be. (Useful hint, though, about Jameel’s suggestions about leather for gripping. I’ll use that, large and…[Read more]

Ed,
Paul Sellers indeed does use the vise on his bench. Although I bought my bench, the vises are sort of rinky-dink, and limited by the position of the three rails that run between the vise clamps. My vise racks quickly. It was very useful to see Paul use the portable vice within the bench vise, giving him more room to work and I think making…[Read more]

Ed,
Paul Sellers indeed does use the vise on his bench. Although I bought my bench, the vises are sort of rinky-dink, and limited by the position of the three rails that run between the vise clamps. My vise racks quickly. It was very useful to see Paul use the portable vice within the bench vise, giving him more room to work and I think making…[Read more]

Florian, I enjoyed just looking at the wood in Germany. We camped for a week in Das Schwarzwald.

I seem to remember a Christmas song from my youth:
Ist das nicht ein Schnitzelbank?
Ja, das ist ein Schnitzelbank!
Schnitzelbank! Schnitzelbank!
Ach, du Schoene; Ach, du Schoene;
Ach, du Schoene, Schnitzelbank!

Ist das nicht ein kurtz und lang…[Read more]

Thank all of you. I’m getting closer and closer. I can almost feel the handles of a draw knife rather than this blessed keyboard!

— Jeff