Handtool Basics

WoodWorkLIFE said:

Sharpening with a Belt Sander?

No the way you would think to use it, but pair the Harbor Freight belt sander (50$ on sale) makes one hell of a honing device. I call it "Ze Frankenstraup" here is my full sharpening video also featuring DMTs Dia-Sharp stones.

Let me know if you have any questions.

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Thanks for Watching,

Remember to keep your tools sharp, and your mind even sharper,

Rick
Wood.Work.LIFE

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The video is excellent. Very instructive. I wasn't able to catch the brand name of the stones.

WoodWorkLIFE said:

Sharpening with a Belt Sander?

No the way you would think to use it, but pair the Harbor Freight belt sander (50$ on sale) makes one hell of a honing device. I call it "Ze Frankenstraup" here is my full sharpening video also featuring DMTs Dia-Sharp stones.

Let me know if you have any questions.

View on YouTube

Thanks for Watching,

Remember to keep your tools sharp, and your mind even sharper,

Rick
Wood.Work.LIFE

Click to expand...

Thanks! Those are DMT Dia-sharp stones, I like them because you don't have to flatten them. Even if you are using water or oil stones, their coarse or extra coarse would be good to have around to flatten your stones with. Plus, they are made in the USA (love that.) I have tried oil stones, carbide stones, and cheaper diamond plates, these are my favorite so far. I have yet to venture into the ever-growing world of water stones though. I have heard great things.

WoodWorkLIFE said:

Sharpening with a Belt Sander?

No the way you would think to use it, but pair the Harbor Freight belt sander (50$ on sale) makes one hell of a honing device. I call it "Ze Frankenstraup" here is my full sharpening video also featuring DMTs Dia-Sharp stones.

Let me know if you have any questions.

View on YouTube

Thanks for Watching,

Remember to keep your tools sharp, and your mind even sharper,

Rick
Wood.Work.LIFE

Click to expand...

Nice process. During the stropping/polishing stage, do you overlay the various compounds atop each other, or, do you swap out the leather discs?

WoodWorkLIFE said:

Sharpening with a Belt Sander?

No the way you would think to use it, but pair the Harbor Freight belt sander (50$ on sale) makes one hell of a honing device. I call it "Ze Frankenstraup" here is my full sharpening video also featuring DMTs Dia-Sharp stones.

Let me know if you have any questions.

View on YouTube

Thanks for Watching,

Remember to keep your tools sharp, and your mind even sharper,

Rick
Wood.Work.LIFE

Click to expand...

I keep 3 different discs, one charged with each compound. I have one reserved to try diamond paste as well. The Blue compound barely touches the PMV11 steel on my Veritas chisels and plane irons, even for a polish.

Bevel Edge Western Bench Chisel Shootout

Hey guys,

In this video I compare several popular western bench chisel brands for: ease of sharpening, ergonomics, fit to tasks, and general fit and finish. I compared everything I could get my hands on from ALDI, Harbor Freight, Narex, Irwin Marples, Stanley Sweetheart, and even Lie Nielsen and Veritas. These are all obviously opinions and my methods were anything but scientific, but I hope this gives you a little bit more info before you pick out your next set of chisels.

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Thanks for watching, please Like, Comment and Subscribe

Rick

Wood.Work.LIFE

WoodWorkLIFE said:

Bevel Edge Western Bench Chisel Shootout

Hey guys,

In this video I compare several popular western bench chisel brands for: ease of sharpening, ergonomics, fit to tasks, and general fit and finish. I compared everything I could get my hands on from ALDI, Harbor Freight, Narex, Irwin Marples, Stanley Sweetheart, and even Lie Nielsen and Veritas. These are all obviously opinions and my methods were anything but scientific, but I hope this gives you a little bit more info before you pick out your next set of chisels.

View on YouTube

Thanks for watching, please Like, Comment and Subscribe

Rick

Wood.Work.LIFE

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Nice blog, thanks Rick.

WoodWorkLIFE said:

Bevel Edge Western Bench Chisel Shootout

Hey guys,

In this video I compare several popular western bench chisel brands for: ease of sharpening, ergonomics, fit to tasks, and general fit and finish. I compared everything I could get my hands on from ALDI, Harbor Freight, Narex, Irwin Marples, Stanley Sweetheart, and even Lie Nielsen and Veritas. These are all obviously opinions and my methods were anything but scientific, but I hope this gives you a little bit more info before you pick out your next set of chisels.

View on YouTube

Thanks for watching, please Like, Comment and Subscribe

Rick

Wood.Work.LIFE

Click to expand...

Very nice!

WoodWorkLIFE said:

Bevel Edge Western Bench Chisel Shootout

Hey guys,

In this video I compare several popular western bench chisel brands for: ease of sharpening, ergonomics, fit to tasks, and general fit and finish. I compared everything I could get my hands on from ALDI, Harbor Freight, Narex, Irwin Marples, Stanley Sweetheart, and even Lie Nielsen and Veritas. These are all obviously opinions and my methods were anything but scientific, but I hope this gives you a little bit more info before you pick out your next set of chisels.

View on YouTube

Thanks for watching, please Like, Comment and Subscribe

Rick

Wood.Work.LIFE

Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing

Restoring the American Bedrock...Plane that is - Restoring Stanley Bedrock 604c and 605

I have restored several planes in my pursuit of finding the right tool in hand tool woodworking. I have done several Stanleys of various vintage and quality, off brands, and long dead brands that change hands around the US. I have met the odd fellow in a parking lot to look at a few planes in a trunk and make him an offer he can't refuse. I have not however had the joy, nay, privileged of restoring a Stanley Bedrock plane. Whelp, that changes now. I got my hands on a couple of old Bedrock, not the collectors models with unobtainium this and special feature that, just two good, everyday users. They were in just that condition too. They had been in a craftsman's toolkit, likely much more skilled than I for a long time. They were punched and Marked, and painted, and cracked and just generally used.



This photo tells the whole story, that pitting, appears to be from the salty sweat of a knuckle very particularly corroding a screw, as if it had been out in corrosive sea air for a part of its life. Check out the video to see my restoration process.

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Thanks for Watching,

Rick

Wood.Work.LIFE

East Meets West - The Dozuki vs The Pistol Grip Back Saw

Whelp, looks like it time for another hand tool shootout, and this time it is time for a little east meets west action. Dozuki vs Pistol Grip Western Saw. I have always just kind of used both, I really find that they both have an important place in my workflow, but I took a second to figure out whats what between the two.

This is really down to personal preference, and some of these opinions might just be facts about the ubiquitous Z saw and Veritas iterations of these tools. There are literally 1000s of models of Dozuki and Western style backsaw, and I would imagine that in the right condition and with the right practice any of these could be your favorite. I still had to put them through their paces, so, here it is.

Thanks for watching, please like, share, and subscribe!

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Wood.Work.LIFE

Who is the KING of the Butt Joint?

Hey Guys,

I did a quick little deep dive into the ins and outs of common butt joint techniques. I looked at biscuits, Mortise and Tenons (both hand cut and machine cut) Festool Domino Floating Tenons, and the Kreg Jig. I broke down how long it takes to make these joints, how consistent they come out, how easy and repeatable they are, and how strong each joint is. I break down (with lots of data) how much they cost in both money and time invested into each joint from the perspective of a Hobbyist, making 1 piece of furniture (8 joints) vs. a professional making a bunch of furniture (100 joints) to see how the time savings add up.

I hope you get something out of it, I know I learned a lot putting it together.

If you do like it, please like and subscribe, and drop me a comment letting me know you found out about the video from Lumberjocks.

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Rick
Keep your tools sharp, & your mind sharper,
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History of the Western Handplane

In this video I looked at a few popular hand planes in my collection and through history to show the development of the hand plane from the second century AD through the modern era.

In my collection are the Sandusky model 13, Stanley Bedrock number 5, Stanley Handyman Number 5 (British Stanley), Lie Nielsen Number 5 1/2, and the RALI 260 Evolution N.

I also looked at the Goomanham plane, Stanley Bailey Patent Planes, and the transitional plane

Please let me know if there are any important omissions in the development of the hand planes in the west.

This video was sponsored, feel free to skip the sponsored spot. I just wanted to make sure I shared this with you guys here.

Thanks for watching!

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WoodWorkLIFE