Friends:
Okay, this one came out pretty great. After a tough week of puking daughter and epic video editing, I've got my complete guide to cutting the most graceful, flowing curves in hardwood with nothing more than a chisel and a dovetail saw (oh, and some sandpaper.)
Watch to the end for a special sh...
2019-10-19 16:25:23 +0000 UTC View Post
Friends:
I'm back from three solid days of tool hunting at the Hershey PA Antique Car Show and Flea Market. And you know I didn't come back empty-handed. Aside from a horde of tools and supplies, I also shot a pile of footage and I've prepared my ultimate guide to finding and buying tools at the flea-market. ...
2019-10-15 13:44:44 +0000 UTC View Post
Friends:
You saw the prototype; now meet the real deal. After a hectic week of sawing, filing, chiseling, and editing, I have it. And it's pretty great. The plane works and does most of the things a low-angle jack is supposed to do.
Should you make one in your shop? I'll let you be the judge.
... 2019-10-05 14:53:44 +0000 UTC View Post
Friends:
I uploaded this video earlier today, but it cut out about a minute before the end. I have no idea why. I've never had a video do that before. So, I rendered it again and re-uploaded it. This one works all the way to the end.
Sorry for the inconvenience!
--Rex
2019-09-29 01:07:10 +0000 UTC View Post
Friends:
The Great Hand Plane Hunt continues! This week, I'm throwing in a fascinating little Continental smoothing plane. This one costs a mere $60 shipped and has a lot of desirable features like a great iron, a stout chip-breaker, and a high pitch.
But is is good enough to satisfy my lus...
2019-09-28 12:09:05 +0000 UTC View Post
Friends:
Several months ago, I wrote this post about trying to make a low-angle, bevel-up plane: https://www.patreon.com/posts/22417386
I had a lot of ideas for making this plane a reality, and I finally got them done. Hope ...
2019-09-24 13:35:29 +0000 UTC View Post
Friends:
Today, we're trying something a little different. You know I'm all about hand-tools, but some of that work is just drudgery. There are aspects of my work that I really like to outsource to machines.
I think even the most die-hard neanderthal might consider adding a couple of small machine tool...
2019-09-21 16:22:34 +0000 UTC View Post
Friends:
I often say that I can't do this job alone. Well, I don't.
I have help.
For the last 6 months, my videos have been mostly edited by Nate. He's a talented and smart young man and I'm overjoyed to have him working with me. I think you'll like him, too. In this wide-ranging interview,...
2019-09-19 23:24:21 +0000 UTC View Post
Friends:
If you saw my last video, you know I'm trying something new with my plans. I'm taking 5 of my most popular plans and combining them into my Toolmaker's Bundle. That's $12 worth of plans for a mere $8 AND I'm including the brand-new rabbet plane plans.
Of course, my Patrons don't pay $8. Heck, ...
2019-09-17 14:54:35 +0000 UTC View Post
Friends:
It's been a busy week. I just finished rebuilding my back porch (want to torture a woodworker; make him do carpentry for 2 days.)
And I've just finished this fantastic little joinery plane. All you need is a chisel and some wood scraps and this little guy lets you cut clean and crisp rabbets in any ...
2019-09-14 17:16:15 +0000 UTC View Post
Friends:
You know what's been missing from the Woodwork for Humans videos?
Finish!!
We've done a LOT of good stuff, but it's all just sitting around waiting to get dinged or stained because it's got no protection. Our projects are naked! We better get that fixed.
Here's a fast intro t...
2019-09-07 11:00:02 +0000 UTC View Post
Friends:
I wanted to go back in time and explore one of the things that got me into craft work in the first place.
Here's an exclusive video about my lap steel guitar: the first significant thing I ever hand crafted. In a lot of ways, this is the piece that started it all. There's a lot of story here.&...
2019-09-06 01:33:25 +0000 UTC View Post
Okay, I did it.
Finally.
Many of you saw my recent Patreon video where I talked about the hunt for perfection and the struggles I was having finishing this gun-stock club. This thing has been trouble since the word go and I have sweated every detail.
In the middle of it, I found out that th...
2019-08-31 16:45:40 +0000 UTC View Post
Friends:
Last week's video on easy dovetails was just the start. This week, we're taking that simple frame and transforming it into a lovely storage box. This video gives me the chance to cover essential topics like thicknessing stock by hand, hand-planing round-overs and installing hinges.
The final r...
2019-08-24 11:49:18 +0000 UTC View Post
Friends:
I've got a buddy who is about to get into hand-tool woodworking. He even got a little grant money to get him going. (I know, I wish I had gotten a grant to get going.)
Anyway, I made up a ...
2019-08-20 12:28:14 +0000 UTC View Post
I don't cut dovetails.
GASP!
I know. It's the most famous joint in all of woodwork and I don't do it. How is this possible? Easy, I mostly did custom work for years and my clients didn't even know what a dovetail was. There was no money in it, so I didn't learn it.
But it's a new day around here ...
2019-08-17 11:40:50 +0000 UTC View Post
Friends:
I'm kind of always struggling to make work that is clean and beautiful, but without driving myself crazy obsessing over details. It's a constant fight.
Recently, the hunt for perfection got more serious than usual and it got me thinking about issues that I think all artists struggle with. ...
2019-08-16 20:38:20 +0000 UTC View Post
Friends:
I'm still on the hunt for the best affordable hand plane and this week, I have two impressive smoothing planes from Soba industries in Dehli, India. Both of these planes were solid, but one of them showed surprising defects that only came up after hours of testing.
It's always an adventure aro...
2019-08-10 11:00:02 +0000 UTC View Post
Friends:
Yet again I've forgotten your free plans. Sorry about that. They're attached here. Please enjoy this little perk of being a supporter.
New video Saturday!
--Rex
2019-08-09 00:08:08 +0000 UTC View Post
Friends:
If you're a new Patron from the last week or so, this video is a special welcome, just for you. (Of course, anyone else is welcome to watch it, too).
Hope your week is off to a great start!
--Rex
2019-08-05 23:55:41 +0000 UTC View Post*This post is not about woodworking or craftsmanship. It’s just a personal story I feel like telling. Hope no one minds the digression.
I grew up in rural Connecticut. “Rural” is a relative term here. My neighborhood was a cluster of Colonial farms long ago chopped up into subdivisions. ...
2019-08-04 12:51:33 +0000 UTC View Post
Friends:
We're gearing up for more furniture builds in the Woodwork for Humans series. But before we get there, we need more precision in our work, especially in making perfect 90 degree ends on boards. Straight edges and sharp ends are the basis of all woodwork joinery, but they can be hard to achieve with hand t...
2019-07-27 12:00:03 +0000 UTC View Post
Friends:
This week, I'm tackling the problem of squarness in handtool woodworking. Cutting a straight line and making a square edge are both difficult without the precision of machines. Luckily, you can make a couple of easy jigs that make these tasks much easier.
Recently, I've been using the fl...
2019-07-24 11:51:38 +0000 UTC View Post
Friends:
I often get frustrated with all the useless gear that hardware companies try to sell us. And while I wouldn't call a woodturning chuck "useless," it's certainly a convenience tool rather than a necessity.
I've also noticed that more and more turners are under the impression that you can ONLY d...
2019-07-20 13:28:32 +0000 UTC View PostBack when I was teaching English, I made my wife a desk. By my current standards, it wasn't anything special, but it came out pretty and flat and that's all you need in a desk.
I used to have a dream about this...
2019-07-19 12:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post
Friends:
This one took a lot longer than I was expecting, but I give you my (sort of) brief guide to choosing wood for furniture and DIY projects.
As always, I want to hear what YOU think!
Happy Saturday!
--Rex
2019-07-13 20:46:17 +0000 UTC View Post
Friends:
The plot thickens as I scour the world for affordable tools. Here's a quick (okay, not so quick) update on what I've found and why it's interesting. Really.
--Rex
2019-07-11 17:03:21 +0000 UTC View Post
Friends:
Apologies for the late post. Y'all were supposed to get these yesterday and I just plain forgot.
The plans are attached. Please enjoy them with my compliments.
--Rex
2019-07-11 16:43:20 +0000 UTC View Post
Friends:
I'm especially proud of this one. This vise can be built with handtools in about a day. It costs around $30 and it works really well. After a lot of searching and experimenting, I've finally come up with a vise design that I can stand behind.
If you've built a few of the Woodwork for Humans pr...
2019-07-06 11:38:43 +0000 UTC View Post
Friends:
I'm in the middle of a very involved build. I'm adding a vise to the $30 Bench. Of course, it's not that simple. Anything I add to this bench has to be cheap. It has to be accomplished with hand-tools and it needs to teach people new ideas and techniques.
That's a tall order.
So, I...
2019-07-02 21:34:58 +0000 UTC View Post
