Easterly & CO Plow Plane Restoration
Taking an old Easterly & Co plane and bringing it back to a user state. Check it out here
Stanley 45 Combo Plane Overhaul #7: Does it Really Work???
Well, I guess we know IT works. The plane has been around for over a century. The question was, could I make it work? I haven’t had any time to spend on this guy the past few weeks. All I have left to do is sharpen up the irons. But, I was making a small chisel stand to go on my workbench this past weekend and I needed to plow a groove in a piece of Cherry for the base. I was about to clear off the router table and set it up when it dawned on me that this was exactly the kind of...
Make a Moxon Benchtop Bench - Part 1
Hello everyone ! Today I share with you the first part of making a Moxon Benchtop bench.This is a project in process, done exclusively with hand tools from the beginning to the end, whose objective is to have a solid and transportable bench, to use standing, sitting and on the floor, with a Moxon vice and dog holes.I am also planning to build the dogs too, at the end of the project, we will see if I succeed.In this Part 1, the wood chosen to build it is “guayubirá” (Patagonula ame...
Bunk Bed Build #6: Mortising Rail Brackets & Plowing Deco Grooves
Here is a little more progress on my build Installing the brackets on the bed posts: First I lay out the location of the Mortise with a mortising gauge. I need to get something better than this crappy Harbor Freight gauge but it does ok for now. Chisel out the ends of the mortise with a chisel. I start with my router plane set to full depth and work from one end back removing waste little by little. #71 Action shot! The smooth and crisp mortise is a beautiful thing. :-) ...
Tool Chest #5: Frame and Panel Lid
Hello. Since my last entry I have made the tongue and groove joints for the bottom, but since I have yet to get the nails to attach the bottom, I will post about the bottom later. I have made the lid for the chest though. A friend had let me borrow his mortise chisels so I could make the mortises for the lid joinery. So once I planed the rails and stiles to size I began laying out for the joinery. The lid for the chest is a special kind of frame and panel where the panel itself has a gr...
Building handplanes #1: Adjustable compass plough plane
A while back I mentioned a commission for a circular plough plane similar to the Falconer plane. The client wanted it to look as close as possible to the original. Now research only brought 5 photographs to light and armed with these, I had to start delving into the mind of the designer and how to overcome the myriad of problems this plane presented. To be frank, I would rather rebuild a Stanley 55 in bronze than this little beauty with its problem plethora. After many weeks I am finall...
Wedding Clock #5: Don't Get Mad at Me, The Back
As a reminder, I am making an Art and Craft style clock based on one at The Grove Park Inn for my eldest daughter’s upcoming wedding. See post #2 for the goal. I’ve decided to make the back frame and panel assembly first. A little sharpening is order before I get started. Next I planed the stiles flat and square with my Lie-Nielsen #7. Then I just couldn’t handle the suspense anymore and had to lay out the panels and rails to see how it was going to look. This allowed ...
Progress of a self taught cabinet maker #2: Took the 50 home.
It’s rare when you can take a vintage tool home for a good price it’s incredible when you can a take vintage tool home and it requires no tune up. I finally found a plow plane. I haven’t even sharpened the blades yet and it makes good shavings. A sharpening session and a good coat of oil is all this guy needs. Of course I need to make a box for the blades…and maybe another shelf. There’s always more work and that makes me smile.
refurbishing old tools #6: Wedged plow plane
Had a small amount of time today to work on my plow plane.Need a wedge built. I used navel jelly, brasso, mill file and sandpaper to clean most of the steel and brass hardware. I oiled it with linseed oil. On all the parts and pieces. Put her back together and this is what I got. Now for a test run. This is the first time with me and this type of plane. Not bad a little heavy on the shaving. But its joinery not finish planing. This is only pine I need to test it on somethin...
Mary Anne's Whistle - handtool version #1: How to with handtools!
OK, so Mary Anne posted some blog entries on making whistles. I decided to make one using only hand tools. Here's a link back to Mary Anne's post. So, we start with some rough lumber. In this case a piece of wacky cherry. The board has lots of pitch inclusions, crazy grain and cupped something awful. But it will be fine for a whistle. By the way, no rulers were harmed (or used) in the making of this project. All measuring done by the Mark-I eyeball. 1) Cross cut a blank. Eye...
