Larry | January 24, 2010
I’ve waxed poetic, in my way, about Tom Fidgen’s Made By Hand book. I’ve also documented the building of a set of shop bents illustrated in this book. But the good stuff about this book continues. Tom has moved his brilliance from his old blog, Working Wood to a new website called the Unplugged Workshop.
The [...]
Larry | January 14, 2010
Sometimes my buying habits are embarrassing. At last count I owned 4 books and a DVD on how to build wooden planes. I have a Hock blade for making a chisel plane, bought as a “response” to the Fine Woodworking construction article. I have a Hock blade/chip breaker, bought shortly after I bought David Finck’s [...]
Larry | January 5, 2010
Tom Fidgen’s new book, Made By Hand has become my constant companion, at least that’s how it seems. It’s the closest I’ll get to an apprenticeship with a woodworker who works in ways I want to work.
One of the things I’ve noticed is that Tom is a much better woodworker than I am. The natural [...]
Larry | December 12, 2009
The new issue of Woodworking Magazine is out and I received my copy a few days ago. I subscribe to several woodworking magazines but when Woodworking shows up in the mailbox it’s a good day – a very good day.
The odd thing is that if I describe Woodworking Magazine to someone they look at me [...]
Larry | December 4, 2009
“Education is everywhere whether you choose to listen and learn it or not.” – Tom Fidgen
Those of us interested in working with hand tools truly live in a golden age. One wonders what the masters of the 17th and 18th Centuries would think of the wide array of tools we have available currently. And more [...]
Larry | November 30, 2009
I spent much of the weekend reading the newest offering from Lost Art Press. It was a very good weekend. The Joiner and Cabinetmaker is sold as a reprint of an 1839 account of the life of an apprentice cabinetmaker but it is so much more.
I’m an old book nut. By that I mean I’m [...]
Larry | October 25, 2009
One of the best books on how to get the most from a table saw while keeping all your fingers in the process is Table Saw Magic by Jim Tolpin. This book has been around a long time and it remains the most recommended text for would-be table saw drivers. It’s been my go-to table [...]
Larry | September 30, 2009
Back in the late 90s I discovered Roy Underhill and his “The Woodright’s Shop.” In those shows Roy advocated “beer-powered” woodworking and his skills and personality presented a way of creating things from wood that was peaceful and gratifying.
At the time, though, I was marching to the Norm Abrams (The New Yankee Workshop) drum where [...]
Larry | July 13, 2009
A few weeks ago I mentioned that you could pre-order a special issue from Fine Woodworking titled How to Design Furniture: From Classic to Contemporary. At the time the book had not been released so I talked about it based on my previous experience with Fine Woodworking special issues.
Well, the postman just changed that as [...]
Larry | June 16, 2009
You know it’s a good day when a book arrives in the mail. Today is a good day as I just received Stephen Shepherd’s new Hide Glue: Historical and Practical Applications book. If you’re not familiar with Stephen, he is a consummate craftsman and shares his knowledge via his Full Chisel Blog. His long awaited [...]
RSS