Woodworking

One of the problems with the books I write is that they involve a lot of previously published work. This tends to leave my desk piled high with books, which then get buried under further piles of not-books. My daughter’s chest of drawers (10€ from the recycle centre) finally died and was not worth fixing, … Read more

I am in the process of editing the first printed draft of my translation of the 15th century manuscript De Arte Gladiatoria Dimicandi. This involves old-school actual writing with pens and stuff. I normally do this kind of thing in the mornings at the kitchen table- it has the best light and best access to … Read more

My Mum bought a sugar spoon in the sixties, and wanted a couple of copies done for two friends of the same vintage. This spoon is a classic example of the angular designs of the period, optimised for mass production and a bit tricky to reproduce in small numbers. The time to build the necessary … Read more

But a nice one to have… whisky glasses (even empty ones) do not belong on the arm of a sofa. They may spill! But for ages now, that’s where they’ve gone. Given the quality of the single malts involved, this is a very high risk situation. The solution: This little table is made from scrap … Read more

This post shows examples of some woodworking projects I’ve done over the last 10 years or so. Some readers of this blog have asked about custom work- in short, I don’t take orders, unless offered sufficiently vast sums of money to compensate for taking a fun hobby and making it into work, or you happen … Read more

It’s my youngest daughter’s second birthday next month, so I am making her a fairy castle picture frame- each window will have a photo of a family member in it. The watercolour is the basic sketch I’m working off, though there are some changes occurring between the painting and actually cutting wood. The castle was … Read more

This is my second wooden plane, following Mr Finck’s advice quite closely. The oak I got for it wasn’t quite thick enough for a one-piece, so I made a virtue out of necessity and made the cheeks out of walnut, with the crosspin and wedge to match. The blade is a 1 1/2″ honey from … Read more

So, planes then: my first attempt, with a blade from Plektra trading, which straight off the bat took lovely angel hair shavings. It has since been adapted for a lovely 2″ Krenov-style blade from the one and only David Finck, author of Making and Mastering Wood Planes, and was instrumental in making my second plane, … Read more

That was easy. This is my shed, where most woodworking gets done. It started out as a tatami store, and ended up being a mini workshop, with lathe and bandsaw.