Musings from the Workbench

heh. Fair 'nuff, Alf. Of course, you certain...

2012-05-31T22:33:05.368+01:00

heh. Fair 'nuff, Alf.

Of course, you certainly have a much better selection of Preston beading tools over there (my one "collecting" weakness); much easier to find those than it is to try winning a PW contest (unless it involves writing, maybe).

Ack, sad American faces will have to make do with ...

2012-05-31T20:20:17.702+01:00

Ack, sad American faces will have to make do with PWW workshop giveaways and such, like wot sad British faces have to turn away from annually. Methinks you get the better deal :)

Dave, yeah, you're right - but Veritas branded things? I have a nasty suspicion they'll get the holiday to Canada regardless. Mind you, these particular cookies clocked up an extra number of air miles

Alf, We now need a way of buying these before they...

2012-05-31T20:04:45.048+01:00

Alf,
We now need a way of buying these before they get shipped over to Canada, carbon foot print and all that.

Sad American Face What if I just so happen to b...

2012-05-31T14:23:06.192+01:00

*Sad American Face*

What if I just so happen to be wearing my England shirt with the Union on the back today? Does that at all help me to qualify? :D

"...if you know me at all, it's that any spare Bailey pattern irons tend to be stored in, well, "spare" Bailey pattern planes."

Truer words have never been spoken.

I just looked at it again and realize that I got i...

2012-05-25T16:49:17.548+01:00

I just looked at it again and realize that I got it backwards. First I centred the stone, tightened the washers and then put 3 dabs of epoxy around the outside edges of the washers.

@Harry: Oh yes, always fancied one of those horizo...

2012-05-25T09:15:09.101+01:00

@Harry: Oh yes, always fancied one of those horizontal, treadle ones. Didn't realise I could play the Cornish excuse, er, card on one though!

@Paul: Ah, sounds like a refinement of Tom Thornton's method. D'you grease or otherwise guard against the epoxy sticking to the shaft, or just assume it'll need an application of heat if/when you want to remove it? The tool rest

Hi Alf, How do true the grinding wheel? All the ...

2012-05-24T22:34:10.934+01:00

Hi Alf,

How do true the grinding wheel?

All the best,

Chris

I plan using my foot pedal powered sewing machine ...

2012-05-24T22:02:32.515+01:00

I plan using my foot pedal powered sewing machine to crank the grinder.
I can't figure how to remove the handle though...

It looks like you have averything sorted out nicel...

2012-05-24T21:57:12.818+01:00

It looks like you have averything sorted out nicely but if someone lacks access to a lathe, I was able mount my oversized wheel without any bushing at all. I mounted the grinder horizontaly, put some slowish setting epoxy on the washers and then cranked it, nudging the stone this way and that until it was centered. It seems to be holding together well.

I use that LV toolrest as well

I agree completely with what you've said. I...

2012-05-24T20:43:02.000+01:00

I agree completely with what you've said. I've never quite got on with the hand-cranked grinder, though, mostly because of the 'Pat Head Rub Stomach Syndrome'. I think this machine might excite you - not least because it's Cornish.

http://treadleit.info/Heyden%20Grinder

It is a complete Rolls-Royce of a machine, and deserves a quality wheel. I can't

Ralph, yeah, one hand cranks and the other holds. ...

2012-05-24T17:07:11.182+01:00

Ralph, yeah, one hand cranks and the other holds. The wheel soon slows down with the friction against the tool so you need to keep up the oomph. But it's not as tricky to get the knack as it may appear. Although I believe some people have hitched up simple foot pedals - or small children! :)

Never used a Tormek, nope. I suspect I might find it a little slow as a grinder, and a

I take from your entry that you can only use one h...

2012-05-24T16:10:05.037+01:00

I take from your entry that you can only use one hand for each operation - one to hold the tool and the other to spin the wheel. You can't spin the wheel up and use two hands to grind with as the wheel coasts?
If so, I assume that there is a bit of a learning curve getting the right and left parts of the brain to work together on this.
Have you ever used a tormek? Curious to know

Very nice, Alf, thanks a lot. I received my Verita...

2012-05-24T15:29:24.674+01:00

Very nice, Alf, thanks a lot. I received my Veritas tool rest this morning, so I'm going to try it tonight with my hand cranked french grinder.
I do have to grind sometimes, as with my NOS Coulaud chisels tonight (the bevel is just nonexistent on these).

Alf: Thank you for the close-up pictures of the p...

2012-05-22T09:43:35.973+01:00

Alf:

Thank you for the close-up pictures of the production chisels.

I got to see some prototypes last fall and at that time the socket ferules were more like thimbles with a small square hole for the tang to fit through. It made for a very clean look but must have added more cost to the production (or left no space for glue squeeze out).

I know that they couldn&

Um, yes - it may have got a little more reviewy th...

2012-05-21T18:59:15.870+01:00

Um, yes - it may have got a little more reviewy than I anticipated. Old habits... :)

Nice review, Alf (even if it wasn't a review)....

2012-05-21T18:21:12.363+01:00

Nice review, Alf (even if it wasn't a review).

Cheers ;-)

Paul Chapman

Would that chisel have Veritas written on it by an...

2012-05-21T08:58:58.783+01:00

Would that chisel have Veritas written on it by any chance?

Cheers ;-)

Paul Chapman

Come on, Alf. Spill the beans about those chisels...

2012-05-20T19:43:39.115+01:00

Come on, Alf. Spill the beans about those chisels. The one in your picture looks decidely new...

Evergreen

I agree with the mountains of info on dovetails. T...

2012-05-18T11:31:15.063+01:00

I agree with the mountains of info on dovetails. This isn't the only joint that will make a 90 degree corner. What about mortise and tenon and the 90 degree joint they make?
ralph

The lack of instruction on the housing with throug...

2012-05-12T20:45:41.550+01:00

The lack of instruction on the housing with through wedged tennons is similar to the sweeping "remove wind" comment.

However this is a truly great book. Where else is the beginner to find so much sound advice?

Bob conveys huge quantities of basic technique which would otherwise be "unavailable to the mortal man".

Best wishes,
David

I'm glad to see someone else thinks Wearings b...

2012-05-12T01:42:27.369+01:00

I'm glad to see someone else thinks Wearings books are hard to follow as I was starting to get a complex.

I'm groove first - can't for the life of m...

2012-05-11T21:37:48.495+01:00

I'm groove first - can't for the life of me see the rationale for the 'other way'.

And I generally cut beginner's joints like those housed twin through tenons 'n tongues only as practice for the really tricky stuff like through dovetails. Or rabbets (ribbets/rebates/platforms/ledges).

Sort of an odd book, that one. Some astonishing gems - but then

Hi Alf I've built 3 benches with a similar joi...

2012-05-11T20:00:26.251+01:00

Hi Alf
I've built 3 benches with a similar joint but none with twin tenons. All of them were singles. I made each joint by first making the dado or housing and then chopping the mortises. The first one I forgot to mark the mortise on both sides. Doesn't make sense to me to make the tenon first and then the dado.
ralph

Maybe it helps but Chris Hall documented on his bl...

2012-05-11T18:38:53.073+01:00

Maybe it helps but Chris Hall documented on his blog in Building Up My Library the use of similar 'quick an dirty' :) joints.

Hi Alf, On the first point if it works for you the...

2012-05-11T17:55:47.856+01:00

Hi Alf, On the first point if it works for you then that's the right way!
The twin tenon and housing, a beginners joint? That would be enough to put any beginner off! As the mortices are marked out on both faces this is much easier to cut before the housing ...........or maybe not!!! Wedging the tenons makes the joint stronger and is easier to assemble into a flared mortice. It also