25 Comments

  1. Hi Paul,

    Since I started looking at your videos, I have not touched any of my power machines. My brother has your DVD Masterclass series which he will loan me. My brother and I agree that you make working with hand tools quite pleasurable. You made planing that board seem so easy. May I ask you if you use power tools of any sort in your work? I might add that I am 72 years young.

    Regards,

    Charles

    1. Steven,

      That’s how I do it since I don’t have a tail vice. I lay the bar clamp so it projects off the front of my bench, then I use 2 hand screws to anchor the bar clamp either above or below the workbench top (depending on how I need to position the workpiece). It works so great that I’ve reconsidered getting a tailvise (at least for now).

  2. Wonderful instruction. It helps to see the videos instead of just reading about a technique and trying to figure out what the author was saying. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but a video is worth 10,000 pictures.

  3. Paul,
    I have only recently discovered your site/videos and membership options. I have already benefited from watching your material as I have been trying to make the transition from “machines” to hand tools. With what I have learned, I have been able to remain “unplugged” during the construction of a small side table. Although my project is far from “perfect”, the process has been extremely satisfying. I am looking forward to growing with the help of your videos. This bonus video has been a great help in that process. Thank you for sending it!
    Bill

  4. This is the best website for woodworking. Thanks Paul. There is a life outside power planers and jointers and dust control. I am glad I found your videos. Takes me back to 1968 when I first handled a (wooden) plane and learned the basic joints including hand cut dovetails.

  5. Had to take a few minutes away from watching to say hello and thanks. I’ve been hungrily and happily gobbling up the tasty morsels you’ve placed on our plates, and even noticed this morning that a subtle migration of sorts has been occurring in my workshop/garage.
    I realized that more and more of the surface of my workbench has become visible again as I make room for use of my vise and various hand tools that are making a comeback since I discovered MasterClasses.
    What struck me most was looking over to the other side of the room and seeing to
    where all that “stuff” from the benchtop had travelled– my table saw top!

    Thanks for the vidoes- best I’ve seen- and again for bringing cleaner air and realative quiet to my ‘shop.

    Jack Pearson
    (Keakap)

  6. On my old bench I had a vice either end – made holding long items easy. On the new one I have only put one so far. I did make a sort of bench hook that I hang downwards off the top. This works well. I laminated a few offcuts from making the bech to create it. I bolted on the shelf hook, so i can adjust it. It works well.

    1. You don’t. You never need to know the absolute thickness of a shaving. If you need to hog off a lot of stock, take thicker shavings. When you get close to your line, take less. When you are almost there, or just need to take out surface marks, take fine shavings.

  7. Hi Paul,

    I am new to this craft, I bought some necessary hand tools and am learning as I go.
    I only recently discovered this site, and I love the calm way you explain every detail.
    You have a way of explaining something in a way that is easy to understand, Thank you!

    I have been having problems with laminated boards such as the one in the video.
    I am working with pine and on some boards the grain is not in the same direction, I would get a smooth area, then on a section I get tearout on the surface especially near the knots and it is very frustrating. Also when the boards were laminated they were not planed after, so you can feel the edges of the boards glued together so I need to take off some wood to get it completely smooth.
    I am using a bailey pattern no 5 plane.

    Many thanks for your advice
    Godwin

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