I needed some putty for a large scale restoration job, the woodwork on a building constructed in 1850. This is for exterior application on sills, lintels, bargeboards, moldings, etc. Mostly for covering cut nails used in the restoration, but some to fill seasoning cracks. Here is my recipe based on traditional formulations: 1/2 cup whiting […]
Traditional Putty for woodworking Read More »
Exotic woods don’t blow my skirt/kilt/skort up much. In small doses they can look beautiful, but for the most part I find them oily, difficult to work and far too wild looking for full-size furniture. I’ve always preferred hardwoods and softwoods from the Northern hemisphere. Quartersawn beech is exotic to me. Quartersawn sycamore is too
My Chisel Handles are Older Than Yours Read More »
I know the exact moment that Roy Underhill cracked my workbench open during Woodworking in America last weekend. There was a disturbance in the Force. In other words, my phone went nuts with people texting me and mentioning the event on Twitter. Those first-hand reports were dire – and wrong. Roy had split the chop
Recovering (and Repairing) After Woodworking in America Read More »
Theaster Gates, a Chicago artist, takes wood from old factories and turns it into art — or ladders.
Salvaged Industrial Wood Becomes Art Read More »
When I inspect an antique tool – especially one that hasn’t been messed with much – I always take a look at the cutting edge. How was it sharpened? What is the shape of the edge? Did they do any work on the unbeveled face of the blade. Usually, the edges of most vintage tools
A Look at H.O. Studley’s Blades Read More »
‘There is nothing like the sound of a logging chain snapping taught behind a good team.’ For centuries man has used animals to help in the process of woodworking. If you were lucky you could get a cat to keep rats and mice from the shop, but that is all they will ever
Animals and Woodworking Read More »