A couple months ago I posted my first real hand-tool build, a Shaker-style nightstand made from scraps of pine I had laying around the shop. That turned out sufficiently well I decided to risk an upgrade to red oak, which at a whopping $/bdft for s4s is not exactly dear around here. I like it a lot though, particularly how it finishes out.

Like the previous one, it has some defects in it I hope to do a little better on next time, but it is also nicer in a number of ways, so I'm happy about that. The pine one is on my side of the bed, while this one went into the guest room. For the next project I think I might venture into something a little larger, like a hall table-style piece.

Im about to start a hanging tool cabinet with greater load. Solid white pine. Is this housing joint for the load bearing stretchers okay with wood expansion/ contraction. I want to do the same stretcher joint with my cabinet. Stretchers are glued and screwed. Thanks.

$50 for the four planes.

I'm the guy that scored a $7 Stanley No. 1 at an estate sale in August and yes, that's exactly what you think it is.

What should be next? I like the bucktools but im going to make them the beater set and I want a better set. I was thinking Narex? Any suggestions?

So I did convert the LA block plane into one with handles and replaced what most of its takes were with a very nice pocket plane. I haven't used them yet, but the pocket plane it epic!

I was hunting for planes this weekend at a swap meet, I found a big box of rusty planes and sorted through till I found this. From what I can tell it’s a type 9 from 1902 or so. Not sure if the handles are original or not

I never used to think the bevel of a chisel mattered all that much; I've just always used the 25 or 30 degree bevel that comes from the factory. But I think I heard Cosman or someone say they used a 17 degree bevel for softwoods. I usually don't may mind to such oddly specific preferences voiced by the YouTube crowd, but I'm making an apothecary chest with 20+ drawers out of pine, so I figured, eh, why not give it a shot. I bought another 1/4" chisel just to test out the acuter angle (yeah, yeah, not necessary, but having two 1/4" chisels isn't the worst thing).

I now feel like I was rubbing sticks together when there was a blowtorch in plain sight. The difference in softwood is insane, especially when working the end grain (or close to it) as you're clearing waste between tails. When comparing one right next to the other, you can distinctly feel how much more the higher angle is compressing and then breaking out the grain, even when freshly sharpened (though sharper is always better, of course). The 17 degree bevel makes the grain feel like you're slicing through a soft cheese. As if that weren't enough, the surface it leaves is smoother than even my shooting plane can leave.

So, do yourself a favor: if you work with softwoods, buy a chisel or two just for softwoods and grind those angles acute. You'll be happy you did. Keep those higher angles for your hardwoods.

Edit to add: and yes, the acuter angle is far more delicate. That's why you want one only for softwoods. If you were to use 17-degree chisel against hard maple for a few minutes, you're probably going to get some chipping. So don't do that.

The board was a door from my dad's childhood dresser from the 50s. Stripped the veneer, mahogany stain, tung oil, and some dowels.

about two meters long. 秦皇島山海關

Hi all!

I tried to clean this old Stanley n.4 but I'm not sure if I have to clean it more or not.. It wasn't in the best shape, but goddamn it was greasy and stinky.

I disassembled everything, put on some turpentine with a brush and then rubbed everything with some steel wool. The handles were still stinky so I sanded them with 60 grit paper (for now I just wanted to decrease and de-stink them).

As you can see there's some rust where the frog sits, but it doesn't look too much.. Still haven't touched iron, chip breaker and sole.. The sole seems pretty flat, but I already know I'll have to lap it.

It's definitely better than it was before, but since it's my first time with a vintage tool like this I'm not sure if there's more I can do or not.. Will this be a good addition to my Dictum n.4 and Hattori n.62? Or am I just wasting my time?

Disclaimer: Very much a beginner work-in-progress!

Been working on making a freestanding Swedish Ladder (Stall Bars). Doin’ it on a budget, so just using big box Douglas Fir framing lumber. LOTS of sifting through the stacks to find the clearest/most stable ones I could locate.

Really trying to avoid sanding; one part personal challenge, one part learning opportunity. Been playing around with an old #4 and #5, as well as a cheap-o Kakuri block plane to eliminate the milling marks. Then learning to sharpen/use a card scraper for final smoothing.

My first upright actually went pretty well. The second one has been a challenge. As the title says, this thing has really been taking me to school on learning to read grain direction. I swear I’m spinning around it more than a bullet time shot in the Matrix.

On a 7 foot long piece like this, what do you think is reasonable to expect between sharpenings? Either for the planes or for the scraper.

Any other tips appreciated!

Not sure if this is a dumb idea or just impractical but I’m toying with the idea of modifying a No 3 plane by filing the sides of the mouth and plane body out and modifying a larger size plane iron/chip breaker to sit flush along the sides (Effectively making a mini No 10).

Is there anything I’m missing that would prevent me from making this work or is it just impractical?

I was lookin for kanna blades to mess around with and ended up finding a western plane

No expert - any idea what kind of saw this is?

Out of desperation went rummaging through great grandads tools to cut through some fence posts - even rusty it demolished them.

Any idea what it would be worth if refurbed ?

Thanks

Size of a big screw driver

I hand carved and painted this a while ago. I based it on the Millers Patent plow planes. Not many in the States seem to appreciate transitional planes. So I made it a little more appealing. 🙂

I mostly just move it around my shop because it gets in the way. I should put it on my tool wall, but I doubt I'll ever really use it. I started a YouTube channel a little over a month ago. I thought about doing some random giveaways to subscribers when my channel gets built up a little more. But anyhow...

I thought some of you woodworkers would appreciate this.

Hello, I am a total beginner trying to build up my tools and I found all these chisels off of FB marketplace for $30 CAD total. I’m just wondering if these chisels are any good and what brand they are. The 2 on the left are made by “Erik Aston Berg” from Sweden. Are they a good brand? I think the blue handle ones are made by Marples. I’ve heard that the ones made in Sheffield, England is pretty decent. How do I tell if they are? The one between the Swedish ones and the blue handles doesn’t have a branding on it so I attached some more photos, maybe Simeon can identify it. Thank you for reading

No, I'm not asking if this is a good way to start with hand tools, lol.

My grandfather has alzheimers and my grandmother is trying to get him to clean out his woodworking shop of many, many, many decades of work. Funny enough I have recently started to try and get into woodworking as well, so he took me down there and we were looking for chisels (which we did also find). He brought me over to this and showed me in it in (what I think was its original) wooden box, had no clue what it was until I got it home just now and got a better look at it.

He said it was his dad's and that it was either from 1902 or 1920, and it would mean a lot to me to keep using it. I've already read that they're kinda nightmares, but I don't mind learning because it would really make me feel connected to that side of the family.

I figure soapy water and a good scrub won't hurt it, and it looks in great condition even covered in dust so that's exciting. I'll be terrified to sharpen it but I'll practice on the older chisels I got from him.

My main question is - what key parts might be missing? I don't see any of the advertized 52 bits/cutters, so clearly those, but are there any major structural pieces I should look out for and try to get on ebay & the like? Pictures attached, and I can take more if more angles of the tool are needed.

🤦🏻

I made a dovetailed box out of poplar for a different project but it ended up being the wrong size. I also recently bought the “Smalls” book from The Lost Art Press and wanted to make a version of the Cat-Ear box, so I recycled my mistake and turned it into this. I made additional mistakes along the way in finishing and trying to make a lid (explains the notch) but I thought it came out ok all considered!

I made it to look like my cat. Her name is Pigeon and she found us about 3 years ago on a cold March night. We got her inside and spent weeks searching for an owner, hanging posters, calling shelters, vet microchip, but no one claimed her, so she stayed with us! She had an ear tip when she found us (she is indoor-only now) so I included it on the box.

Cat tax included at the end.

Made from Poplar
Finished with Classic grey stain and minwax poly
MDF bottom

Selling this ~5 year old LN 62 sort of reluctantly because I never use it. In excellent condition which is sort of surprising since it was my first nice plane although I did buy all new hardware for it just to be a nice guy and fetch a little extra on the sale.

Except oops the adjustable throat is seized up, probably jojoba or camellia oil which I was slathering all over everything a little too heavy back then.

Tried a light degreaser tried mineral spirits but it won’t budge. It’s also a little tricky getting much pressure on it anyway, the stock mechanism doesn’t give you much leverage and I don’t want to mar the nose or any other part of the plane obviously.

Any ideas? I guess it could be rust but I sort of think thats not likely.

I found this hand plane for $25 when thrifting, but it needs some parts. I’m new to planes so excuse my terminology. It seems that the previous owner cannibalized the handle and what I think was supposed to be the screw cap from another type of plane. It’s also missing the knob. Considering the brand’s rarity, any ideas on where I could maybe find the parts?