Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking: Recent Episodes
Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking
Woodworking is all about solving problems, and dealing with little inconveniences are a necessary part of creating a hand made item.
The problem with most recommendations for the best first hand plane to buy is that they don't take into consideration the individual's staring point.
The post Which Hand Plane Should You Buy? first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
As of 3:00 PM EST today, my new Hand Plane Foundations course is live. It's taken than expected, but it's finally ready for the world.
The post Hand Plane Foundations is Live first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
I've been hard at work creating videos for my Hand Plane Foundations course. The current target for the official opening of the course is March 1st.
The post Hand Plane Foundations News first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Grinding and honing a router plane blade can be a challenge, as it's a freehand operation. A hollow grind is a huge aid in freehand honing.
The post How to Grind & Sharpen a Router Plane Blade first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
All the pine for my new hand plane shelf started off life as 4 x 10 roof rafters. Turning them into boards required planing, resawing, and more planing.
The post Making a Hand Plane Shelf first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
I started writing this yesterday, and it ended up entirely too long for a single post. So today is the second half of my novella on storing hand tools.
The post Storing Hand Tools, Part 2 first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
I’ve been woodworking now for over 30 years. In that time, I’ve tried just about every solution you can imagine for storing hand tools.
The post Storing Hand Tools, Part 1 first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
A quality combination square usually comes with a steel scriber. However, sometimes the bushing that’s supposed to hold the scriber in the handle, doesn’t.
The post Repairing a Loose Combination Square Scriber first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
I'm currently working on the Hand Plane Foundations class. I have also started working with the Chestnut Creek School of the Arts to plan in-person classes.
The post Shop Update, New Classes first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Recently, I have changed the format of my Hand Saw Foundations course from a fixed price to Pay What You Can. In essence, it is now completely free to enroll in the course, however, there is an option on the course page to offer a donation of any amount, if you are able and so inclined.
The post Hand Saw Foundations is Now “Pay What You Can” first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Slide out shelves make accessing kitchen cabinet interiors easier.
The post Making Kitchen Cabinets – The Pull Out Shelf first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
I know that not everyone that gets one of these planes will get the manual with it, so I've created a high resolution scan of the manual that came with my plane. Feel free to download and print it for your own use.
The post Record No. 050 Combination Plane Manual – Free Download first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Making drawers for cabinets with mechanical slides/glides can be a pain in the rump. Ultra-precise measurements and calculations are required or the drawer either won't fit the opening properly, or won't operate correctly.
The post Making Kitchen Cabinets – The Drawer first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
An old deck of playing cards has so many uses in the shop. Everyone should have a deck in their cabinet.
The post Work with the Cards You’re Dealt first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Before building drawers for any cabinet that will utilize mechanical drawer slides, it's absolutely critical to have the hardware on hand.
The post Making Kitchen Cabinets – Choices in Drawer Slides first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Throughout my series of posts on milling lumber by hand, I used several different hand planes. Each of the planes that I used was chosen for the specific tasks that they excel at. The jack plane is the perfect size …
The post How Much Camber Do You Put on That Plane? first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
I just finished up writing a series of posts about milling lumber with hand tools. In the past, I've done several videos that cover the process pretty well. They're older videos, but still valuable for seeing the process. Here's one of the better ones.
The post How to Plane Boards Flat, Straight & Square first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
In the late 18th and into the 19th centuries, drawers with extremely thin, delicate sides become fashionable. While these very thin drawer sides look light and dainty, they present challenges for attaching drawer bottoms.
The post How to Make and Use Drawer Slips first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
The over sized board is flat on one face and has two edges that are both straight, square to the first face, and parallel to each other. I now have to make a decision about the board's second face.
The post How to Hand Plane a Board to Final Thickness first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On my old workbench, I had a drawer that I found extremely convenient for keeping things like pencils, a pair of scissors, and other odds and ends. I had always intended to add a drawer to my current bench, but just haven’t gotten around to it until now.
The post Adding a Side Hung Drawer to a Workbench first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
To make the edge of a board straight, start with a hollow.
The post How to Plane the Edge of a Board Straight first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Making the edge of a board perfectly square to its face isn't always necessary. When square edges are required, though, you had better know how to get there efficiently or you could be chasing your tail for a long time.
The post How to Plane the Edge of a Board Square first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Processing rough sawn lumber starts by addressing the reference face.
The post How to Plane the First Face of a Board Flat first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
One way to mitigate wood movement that can occur after planing is to not plane the wood to final dimensions right away. This is often referred to as skip planing, and it's a technique can aid in keeping wood flat whether working by hand or machine.
The post Skip Planing to Address Wood Movement first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
All boards are warped to some degree. Usually, starting with the saw is more efficient than starting with the plane.
The post To Efficiently Flatten Rough Lumber, Start with a Saw first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
If you have a power jointer, and flatten board faces on it, you might think that knowing how to do this task by hand is useless, antiquated knowledge. However, there are several reasons why I recommend you learn this valuable skill.
The post Why Learn to Flatten and Square Boards by Hand? first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
A few posts ago I talked about dealing with a badly warped blade from a wooden bodied hand plane, and then addressing issues with the bed of a wooden plane. These posts might suggest that wooden bodied hand planes are not as reliable or as functional as their iron siblings and that they're not worth the effort to bother trying to use. However, nothing could be further from the truth.
The post Troubleshooting and Tuning Wooden Hand Planes first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Several folks have asked about it, so I put together a set of project notes for the chestnut coat rack.
The post Chestnut Coat Rack Project Notes first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Sometimes, tuning up a wooden hand plane requires a little more than sharpening the blade and flattening the sole.
The post Tuning the Bed of a Wooden Hand Plane first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
WARNING: If you are a sharpening purist or a flat back Nazi, stop reading this right now, go to your safe place, and watch a few cat videos. If you ignore this advice, understand that what you are about to read is guaranteed to trigger you in ways that you've never imagined. Continue at your own risk.
The post Sharpening a Badly Warped Plane Iron first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Here's the final video of building the American chestnut coat rack.
The post Rustic Reclaimed Barn Wood Coat Rack Video first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Applying finish to the parts of a project before assembly of the piece solves some problems that can occur when finish is applied after assembly.
The post American Chestnut Coat Rack Finale first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Match planing is a method whereby two boards are placed face-to-face and their mating edges are planed simultaneously. If you aren't familiar with the technique, allow me to present you with a crash course.
The post Edge Jointing Using the Match Planing Method first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
I have wanted to play with a sliding dovetail plane that I acquired last year, and this project seemed like the perfect opportunity to do so.
The post Experimenting with Tapered Stopped Sliding Dovetails first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Starting a new project using wood salvaged and reclaimed from an old Appalachian barn.
The post Working with Reclaimed Barn Wood first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
I use card scrapers a lot in my work. They’re not only extremely valuable for smoothing areas of difficult long grain, I also use them all the time for cleaning up and smoothing end grain as well. However, for a …
The post How to Sharpen and Burnish a Card Scraper first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
I'm working on a project that I'm assembling with tapered sliding dovetails. So in this video I discuss the method that I've settled on for making this uncommon form of joinery.
The post How to Make Sliding Dovetails with Hand Tools first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
These days, frameless cabinets are all the rage, but in my opinion, frameless cabinets are too industrial looking. I like face frames and inset drawers and doors.
The post Making Kitchen Cabinets – The Face Frame first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
I thought the cabinet box was done, but I was wrong.
The post Making Kitchen Cabinets – The Box Addendum first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Better materials make for better cabinet boxes.
The post Making Kitchen Cabinets – The Box first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
I'm happy to say that the Hand Saw Foundations course is now 100% finished.
The post The Hand Saw Foundation Course is Live first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
A lot of folks have asked to see the kitchen that we've been building in the new cabin. I've hesitated because the kitchen is far from done, and may yet be in progress for some time. But as I'm beginning to work on another new cabinet, I thought maybe some folks would like to see the process that I'm using to build them.
The post Making Kitchen Cabinets – The Design first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Just about everyone who has ever used a hand saw has bent or kinked a saw in use at some point. Sometimes the bend springs back, and sometimes it doesn’t. However, bending a saw doesn’t necessarily relegate it to becoming scraper stock or wall art. In many, if not most cases, the saw can probably be straightened out again.
The post How to Straighten and Tension a Hand Saw first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Milk paint is an easy finish to apply, and gives pieces a beautiful and lively color with lots of character. Here's my method for mixing and applying it.
The post How to Mix and Use Milk Paint first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
In the power tool world they're called jigs. In the hand tool world, we call them appliances.
The post Hand Tool Appliances first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
My shop is much different today than it was when I started making videos over 12 years ago. So today, I give you my shop tour from 2009, and some storage and organization ideas that I used back when I worked out of a much smaller space.
The post Shop Tour 2009 & Shop Organization Ideas first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Wooden hand planes can be confusing to the new hand tool user because it isn't very intuitive how to use them. In this video, I attempt to demystify the process.
The post How to Adjust a Wooden Hand Plane first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Locks can be a bit tricky to install well on boxes and cases. They typically require multiple mortises of varying depths, and things don't always line up quite right. Measuring can work, but I find it best to use the lock itself to lay everything out. Here's how.
The post How to Install a Half Mortise Lock first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Today, we have the Patron Extra podcast from November 2018. In this show, I talk a bit about my favorite woods to work with.
The post HTT065 – My Favorite Woods to Work With first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
If you have an old saw that needs a new handle, you will have to transfer the location of the saw bolt holes from the saw blade to the new handle blank.
The post How to Align Saw Bolt Holes to a New Saw Handle first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Today, we have the Patron Extra podcast from August 2018. In this show, I answer a question from a listener about coloring wood and preventing blotching.
The post HTT064 – Stains, Dyes, Glazes, Toners, and Preventing Blotching first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Sticking with the saw theme, in today's video I'll do a little simple saw doctoring.
The post How to Repair a Bent Backsaw Blade first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
I thought it might be fun to re-visit a video I made in 2010 on building a panel saw from a kit.
The post How to Make a Panel Saw (From a Kit) first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Just going to be away from the blog for a little while.
The post Minor Medical Leave first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Today, we have the Patron Extra podcast from July 2018. In this show, I answer a question from a listener about restoring an old oil stone.
The post HTT063 – Restoring an Old Oil Stone first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
This is the introductory video to my Hand Saw Foundations course.
The post Hand Saw Foundations Introduction first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
I recently built myself a couple of continental European style frame saws, also called bow saws. Rather than making my typical style video where I do lots of talking and explaining, I decided to just let the camera roll while I shut up and worked. So enjoy the silence.
The post The Building of a Bow Saw first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
I have never really understood all of the hesitation that folks have learning to sharpen their own hand saws. It's no more difficult than learning to sharpen a plane iron or a chisel. All it takes is a small investment in some simple, inexpensive tools and a few minutes of practice.
The post How to Sharpen a Hand Saw – The 2009 Version first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
My plan was to make the course live after I had all of the content created, edited and uploaded. Apparently, I goofed.
The post The Hand Saw Foundations Course is (Unintentionally) Live first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Today, we have the Patron Extra podcast from June 2018. In this show, I talk about milk paint.
The post HTT062 – Milk Paint Primer first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Today, we have the Patron Extra podcast from October 2017. In this show, I talk about building vs. buying a workbench. Is building a workbench a rite of passage? Listen in for my thoughts!
The post HTT061 – Workbenches: Build or Buy? first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
While I may be an introvert at heart, I always look forward to the opportunity to talk and teach woodworking. So I was a bit disappointed that the classes that I was planning to teach this spring at the local school had to be cancelled.
The post Foundations of Traditional Woodworking – The Online Version first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
I've received a lot of requests for a tour of my new shop space over the last couple of years. I've finally gotten around to putting one together, so in today's video, I take you on a tour of the new space.
The post Shop Tour 2020 first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
I frequently get questions about hot hide glue. Contrary to what some would have us believe, hot hide glue is not complicated to use. In fact, it is actually very forgiving.
The post How to Prepare and Use Hot Hide Glue first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
In this video I demonstrate the process that I use to make frame and panel doors.
The post How to Make a Raised Panel Door by Hand Part 2 – Making the Panel first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
In this video I demonstrate the process that I use to make frame and panel doors.
The post How to Make a Raised Panel Door by Hand Part 1 – Making the Frame first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Today, we have the Patron Extra podcast from September 2017. In this show, I talk about photographing your work.
The post HTT060 – Photographing Your Work first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
I'm not a big fan of shiny hardware. So, most of the time, I don't use hardware as it comes right out of the package if it is shiny and bright.
The post How to Make New Hardware Look Old first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
The cabinet door I’m making features some carved Gothic tracery. So in this video I show how I designed and carved these elements.
The post How to Design and Carve Gothic Tracery first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Today, we have the Patron Extra podcast from August 2017. In this show, I talk about the pros and cons of wooden and metal hand planes.
The post HTT059 – Wooden Hand Planes vs. Metal Hand Planes first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
As work continues on the cupboard I’m building, I need to make the back boards. These will be joined with tongue and groove joinery. So in this video I show how to use a tongue and groove plane to make this joint.
The post How to Make a Tongue and Groove Joint by Hand first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Today, we have the Patron Extra podcast from July 2017. In this show, I talk about finding woodworking inspiration in unexpected places.
The post HTT058 – Inspiration from Unexpected Places first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
When hand made moldings are discussed, molding planes are typically the first tool that comes to mind. However, the scratch stock or beader is a simple tool that can be commercially made or shop made and can make beautiful, simple decorative elements with little expense.
The post Using a Scratch Stock to Make a Molding first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
I'll admit it, I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to joinery for furniture. I learned to make furniture the old way, using traditional joinery, like mortise & tenon, dovetails, dados, etc. So it was with some hesitation that I approached the joinery in two of my most recent projects.
The post Does Dowel Joinery Belong in Your Woodworking? first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Today, we have the Patron Extra podcast from June 2017. In this show, I talk about some non-traditional woodworking projects to expand your horizons.
The post HTT057 – Non-traditional Woodworking Projects first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
When you need to clamp something that's 5' wide, and your longest clamp has a capacity of 4', you're faced with a bit of a dilemma. But there are solutions other than buying longer clamps.
The post Clamping Assemblies That Are Longer Than Your Clamps first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Today, I offer up the Patron Extra podcast from April 2017. In this show, I talk about some ways that you can get out of your comfort zone and take your woodworking to the next level.
The post HTT056 – Taking Your Woodworking to the Next Level first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Orientation marks are not the same thing as reference marks, which are used to identify a flat, straight, and square face, edge and corner. So today, I want to go over the reference marks.
The post Orientation Marks, Reference Marks, and Layout – Part 2 first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Some additional thoughts and perspective on reference marks and layout from reader Willard "Bill" Anderson and myself.
The post Orientation Marks, Reference Marks, and Layout – Part 1 first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
When working by hand, minor inconsistencies in thickness or parallelism between faces or edges can cause major problems with joinery if the reference face and edge are ignored.
The post Video: Using Proper Reference Surfaces for Layout first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
In this video I clean, set up, and test out a Stanley No 39 dado plane.
The post Video: How to Clean, Set Up, and Use a Stanley No 39 Dado Plane first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
In today’s video I’ll show you how to camber a plane iron without a grinder.
The post Video: How to Camber a Plane Blade Without a Grinder first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
In this video, I demonstrate using a high speed grinder to camber the cutting edge of a jack plane blade.
The post Video: How to Camber a Hand Plane Blade with a Grinder first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
In this video I'm making a simple waist molding that serves to draw the eye upwards from the floor and transition from a lower case to an upper case.
The post Video: How to Make a Molding with Hollows and Rounds first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Since we moved into our new cabin in December, I've slowly been going through my boxes of "stuff" and trying to organize my new shop space and get rid of things that I don't need or can't/won't use. To that end, here are a few items that you might be interested in.
The post For Sale: Sash Saw, Turning Tools, Spoon Bits, and Miscellany first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
You can never have too many squares in the shop, and wooden ones are super easy to make, in any size you need, even if you don't already have a square.
The post Video: How to Make a Wooden Try Square first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
In today’s video, I’ll show you how I make my improved version of the French marking gauge.
The post Video: How to Make an Improved French Marking Gauge first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
To make grooves, rabbets, and dados quickly and precisely, I call on specialized planes designed just for the purpose.
The post Video: How to Make Grooves, Rabbets and Dados with Hand Planes first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
The mortise and tenon is one of the strongest joints in woodworking and is used extensively in projects like tables, cabinet doors, and chairs. In this video, I detail the method that I use for cutting the tenon half of this fundamental joint.
The post Video: How to Cut a Tenon by Hand first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
The mortise and tenon is one of the strongest joints in woodworking and is used extensively in projects like tables, cabinet doors, and chairs. In this video, I detail the method that I use for chopping the mortise half of this fundamental joint.
The post Video: How to Chop a Mortise first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
In today's video, I discuss my method for tuning up and using a dado plane.
The post Video: Tuning & Using a Dado Plane first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
In the spirit of encouraging and enabling the use of joinery planes in the home shop, today's video goes over tuning up and using an un-fenced rabbet plane.
The post Video: How to Restore a Rabbet Plane first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
In this Q&A video, I talk shaving horses, when to stop and sharpen your tools, and a bit about primary and secondary woods for your projects.
The post Video: Hand Tool Q&A #1 first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
No self respecting hand saw is complete without a proper nib.
The post Video: How to File a New Nib on a Hand Saw first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Contrary to common belief, re-toothing a saw isn't difficult at all, and doesn't require any fancy expensive equipment. All it takes is a mil file, a tapered saw file (or two) and a little patience.
The post Video: How to Re-tooth a Hand Saw first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Mitered frames can be a challenge to build without specialized equipment. Even without the specialized miter trimming machines that are used by professional picture framers, the home woodworker can still make frames using a few simple common workshop appliances and techniques.
The post Video: How to Make a Mitered Frame for a Painting first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
My most popular video on YouTube to date has been making the French style marking gauge. So here's that original video for your enjoyment.
The post Video: How to Make a French Style Marking Gauge first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
One of my subscribers asked a question about making compound angled dovetails. These are actually just as easy to saw out as dovetails on square corners. The difficulty is in laying out and making the compound angled butt joint that is necessary to make before laying out the dovetails. In this video I go over the process for laying out the compound angled butt joint and then cutting the subsequent dovetails.
The post Video: How to Hand Cut Compound Angled Dovetails first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
I just finished building a Welsh style stick chair, but when assembling the arm and spindles to the seat, a small crack opened up in the arm. Here’s a cool trick for repairing these small cracks when a glue brush or syringe won’t fit.
The post Video: Repairing Small Cracks in Furniture first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
It's inevitable. No matter how careful you are fitting your joinery, doing dry assemblies to check fit, and rehearsing your assembly process to make sure you have everything in place and ready to go, Murphy is going to show up from time to time and throw a little hiccup into things.
The post Repairing Small Cracks in Projects first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Part 2 of a two part series on making a wooden bodied spokeshave from scratch.
The post Video: How to Make a Wooden Spokeshave Part 2 first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Part 1 of a two part series on making a wooden bodied spokeshave from scratch.
The post Video: How to Make a Wooden Spokeshave Part 1 first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
If you've been around woodworking hand tools for a while, you've likely heard of the hand saw hack that lets you saw perfectly square across a board without the aid of a pencil line to guide your cut. Wait! You haven't seen this before? Here, hold my beer.
The post Using Saw Reflection for Square Cuts – Practical or Parlor Trick? first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Try these three tips to improve your hand sawing.
The post Video: Three Tips for More Precise Hand Sawing first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
While sawing precisely by hand may seem like black magic when you're first learning, the secret to precision hand sawing, if you can call it that, is starting the cut precisely, and proper body mechanics during the cut.
The post Body Mechanics for Precision Hand Sawing first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
In this video, I demonstrate an exercise I call "saw without sawing". This short exercise helps to teach the new hand saw user what it feels like to take the weight of the saw off of the wood when starting a cut with a hand saw, and makes for more precise cuts.
The post Video: How to Start a Hand Saw Cut first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
A common struggle for new hand saw users is starting the saw cut cleanly and accurately. While the symptoms being experienced might seem like a problem with the saw itself, they are all caused by improper technique.
The post How to Start a Hand Saw Cut first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
If you don't have a band saw, you can still resaw thick boards into thinner boards, or make your own shop sawn veneer. In this video, I demonstrate the use of a frame saw for resawing by hand.
The post Video: Resawing by Hand first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
I've received inquiries from multiple readers regarding my version of the Roubo frame saw. Specifically where I got the parts from and how they could make their own. Here are some options from finished saw to completely DIY.
The post Sources for Resaw Frame Saw Parts first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
If a bandsaw is not available and you need to resaw a board into a thinner dimension, are there ways to do it by hand? Of course there are!
The post How to Resaw by Hand first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Most historical texts don't have much to say about the process of resawing, or the tools that would have been used in the joiner's or cabinetmaker's shop to perform this task. This usually begs the question, "How did they do it?" However, before we address the question of how they did it, we should first understand IF they did it.
The post How Much Resawing was Historically Done? first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Frequent visitors to the site (is anyone actually a frequent visitor?) have probably seen an unexpected page upon visiting brfinewoodworking.com over the last week or so. That's because I've decided to do some housekeeping and make some changes to things around here.
The post About the Updated Look first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
So if you're not a user of social media, specifically Instagram, you might be wondering what happened to me. Rest assured that I'm alive and well.
The post State of the Shop and Tools for Sale first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
I have some upcoming projects that I need to prepare for and so I'm selling some of my surplus tools to make room for and fund these projects.
The post Hand Tools for Sale first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
One of the questions most often asked by new woodworkers, and most often waffled on by experienced woodworkers in not HOW to sharpen but WHEN to sharpen.
The post When Should You Stop Working and Sharpen? first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
The audio podcast archive has been updated and should be available through all of the regular channels, and right here on the site.
The post Update on Audio Podcast Files first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
The question of how much set to add to a hand saw is a common one for new saw sharpeners. Tooth set is a critical component to the performance of a hand saw. But how do you know if your saw has the proper amount of set?
The post How Much Set Should Your Hand Saw Have? first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Contrary to what many of the woodworking books and magazines would have us all believe, not all of the furniture and cabinetry of old was built using dovetails and mortise and tenon joinery.
The post Clenching (or Clinching) Cut Nails first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
One inconvenience with a solvent based finish like shellac is getting the brushes used to apply it thoroughly clean when you're done. However, there is a very simple solution to this little conundrum.
The post The Best Way to Clean a Shellac Brush first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
In addition to the recent series of blog posts that I did on restoring an in-cannel gouge, I also made a video of the process.
The post Restoring an In-cannel Gouge – Video first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Due to the limitations of recording the last podcast on my phone – the recording app has a time limit, and I talk too much – I wasn't really able to go into a lot of detail about my reasons for ending the podcast and what the plans are for the future. I'm sorry for that. But I'm hoping that this post will shed some light on some of the questions you might have after listening to the last episode.
The post Following Up on the “Narrowing Focus” Podcast first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
This will be the last episode of the podcast. On today’s show, I discuss securing glass in a door frame, and troubleshooting a shooting board.
The post HTT055 – Narrowing Focus first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
The final step in putting our vintage in-cannel gouge back to work is to re-grind and hone the bevel and back of the cutting edge.
The post Restoring an In-cannel Gouge – Part 2 first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss setting up a cabinet scraper, sapwood vs. heartwood, attaching handles to thin case sides, slop in bench plane adjusters, and learning from poor furniture designs.
The post HTT054 – What Can You Learn from Bad Design? first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
I'm going to be restoring a 19th century in-cannel gouge to working order. So the first step is obviously to obtain a gouge.
The post Restoring an In-cannel Gouge – Part 1 first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
I find these tools extremely useful in the work that I do and I think it's really unfortunate that more people don't use them.
The post In Praise of In-cannel Gouges first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss how oversized to rough mill your stock, making curved moldings, and lathes and turning for furniture.
The post HTT053 – Lathes & Turning for Furniture first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
In this video, I discuss reference faces and edges, combination planes, dado planes, and rabbet planes.
The post June 2019 Patron Q&A Video first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
It is often said that the true mark of a master is that they can repair and hide their mistakes in such a way that they are invisible to the observer. I tend to disagree with this cliché.
The post Repairing a Mis-cut Rabbet first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss holding small stock for plowing grooves, long planes with narrow irons, frame saw vs. bandsaw for resawing, flattening wooden hand planes, and hand saws for sawing curves.
The post HTT052 – Hand Saws for Curves first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss making cabinet backs, my personal finish preferences, achieving full width shavings, natural finishing products, and taking a project from concept to final finish.
The post HTT051 – Projects: From Concept to Finish first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
In this video, I discuss making the fox wedged (or blind wedged) mortise & tenon.
The post May 2019 Patron Q&A Video first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss dovetail orientation for casework, making a mortise across the grain of a board, small smoothing planes, and "non-traditional" projects.
The post HTT050 – “Non-traditional” Projects first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
In this video, I discuss miter shooting boards, including the traditional donkey's ear. I also discuss making a miter joint with spline by hand.
The post April 2019 Patron Q&A Video first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss dovetail pin to tail ratio, leaving space for seasonal expansion between case back boards, and some basics on using shellac.
The post HTT049 – Shellac Basics first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss order of operations for projects, workbench top board orientation, nails for a cabinet back, mixing hot hide glue without a glue pot, saw sharpening files, and flattening a workbench.
The post HTT048 – Just Questions first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Even if you have no intention or desire to regularly work on a pole lathe, I encourage you to at least try one out for a bit. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at the improvement you see in your electric lathe work.
The post Improve Your Turning – Try a Pole Lathe first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss saw handle hang angle, frame saw length, repairing a split board, and varnish.
The post HTT047 – Demystifying Varnish first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
In this video, I discuss using a frame saw for resawing, and planing the end grain of thick hardwood pieces.
The post March 2019 Patron Q&A Video first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss extending the working time of hot hide glue, using the "ruler trick" for plane irons, frame saws, and work holding.
The post HTT046 – Work Holding first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss hand saw handle size, inexpensive hand tool friendly woods, hiding a rabbet or groove in the bottom of a dovetailed box, replacing marking gauge pins, and hand tools that I wouldn't be without in my kit.
The post HTT045 – The Hand Tools I Wouldn’t Be Without first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
In this video, I discuss drawboring a mortise & tenon, work holding for planing small stock, and hand sawing and planing veneer.
The post February 2019 Patron Q&A Video first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss keeping table tops flat, scratch stocks, hollow grinding, dealing with changing grain direction, and hand tool that I just don't need in my kit.
The post HTT044 – Hands Tools I Don’t Need first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss woodworking in a small corner of the house/apartment, old woodworking books, auger bit lead screw pitch, and the basics of designing your own projects.
The post HTT043 – Basics of Design first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
In this video I answer questions like "How flat is flat enough?", "What angle do you hone a mortise chisel?", and I talk about options for saw filing vises.
The post January 2019 Patron Q&A Video first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss turning saw blades, hybrid filed saw teeth, managing glue in cold weather, auger bit cutter angles, and card scrapers.
The post HTT042 – Scrapers first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss making a flag case, maintaining a wax finish, saw vises, non-yellowing finishes, and dovetailing details.
The post HTT041 – Talking Dovetails first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss workbench vises, four squaring lumber with hand planes, insulating basement walls, preventing sagging bookshelves, and shooting boards and planes.
The post HTT040 – All About Shooting Boards first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss lead screws on auger bits, single vs. double iron wooden planes, stair saws, and considerations when setting up a new workshop.
The post HTT039 – Considerations for Setting Up A New Shop first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss laminating 2Xs for a workbench top, mixing shellac, linseed oil odor, replacement blades for Stanley hand planes, music in the workshop, and making elaborate frame & panel doors.
The post HTT038 – Fancy Frame & Panel first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss shoulder planes, sanding after hand planing, web frames and dust boards, when to use mechanical reinforcement in your joinery, and working with reclaimed lumber.
The post HTT037 – Working with Reclaimed Wood first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss jointing really long boards, making curved moldings by hand, using thinner lumber to make a thick workbench top, rounding the corners of plane irons, and starting a woodworking related side business.
The post HTT036 – Starting a Woodworking Related Side Business first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss paring yellow pine end grain, using cambered irons to square board edges, making moldings with a combination plane, more on reference surfaces, and sliding dovetails.
The post HTT035 – Sliding Dovetails first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss a method for ensuring that large workbench leg mortises are square, controlling rust on items that can't be stored in a tool chest, saw wrests, and and proper use of reference surfaces.
The post HTT034 – Proper Use of Reference Surfaces first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
The more you use your brace and bit in different situations, and at different angles, the better you will get at boring straight by eye. Until you get there, here are a couple of aids you can use that will help you along as you practice.
The post How to Bore Straight with a Brace & Bit first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss mouth opening on wooden planes, marking knives, leveling the bottoms of deep mortises, cambering a plane iron with a honing guide, and sharpening systems.
The post HTT033 – Sharpening Systems first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
How small of a space can you really work with?
The post Minimum Space Needed for Hand Tool Woodworking first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss drawboring large tenons for workbenches, tools for spoon carving, plow planes, and camber on bench planes.
The post HTT032 – To Camber or Not To Camber first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
They say that for the true artist, inspiration can strike at any moment.
The post Inspiration from Unlikely Places first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Out of all of the tools and appliances we use in our modern shops, none brings out the hoarder in all of us quite like the humble clamp.
The post Alternatives to Expensive Modern Clamps first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss workbenches, butterfly keys, setting up a dado plane, chopping mortises square to the edge of the stock, and four common woodworking myths.
The post HTT031 – Four Woodworking Myths first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss two-piece chip breakers, smoothing plane setup for controlling tearout, when to use haunched tenons, troubleshooting a smoothing plane, and scratch stocks.
The post HTT030 – Scratch Stocks first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss pins first dovetail layout, fishtail chisels, setting up a toothing plane, miter boxes, beginner projects, and lessons learned from revisiting old projects.
The post HTT029 – Revisiting Old Projects first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss planing the edges of thin stock, dado planes, replacing the blade and chipbreaker in a transitional plane, woods, glues and finishes for outdoor projects, and dealing with wood movement woes.
The post HTT028 – Just Questions first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss finishing both sides of a board, book matching veneer, cooper's jointer planes, workbench designs, pins vs. tails, hand tool jigs, boring straight with a brace and bit, and experimenting with historical practices in your shop.
The post HTT027 – Experimental Archaeology first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
My new video on how to make a panel gauge was just posted over on my YouTube channel. This gauge build will be included in the August 2018 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine.
The post How to Make a Panel Marking Gauge first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss hand planing vs. sanding before finishing, shoulder planes, working with long stock, side hung drawers, and moving your shop.
The post HTT026 – Moving Your Shop first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss multiple irons for a try/jointer plane, clarifications on the fore plane, tips for planing square board edges, building a stand alone shop, and hammer veneering.
The post HTT025 – Hammer Veneering Basics first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss wood choices for tool boxes, traditional joinery methods for joining the corners of casework, dovetailing the corners of a box with angled sides, and lighting in the workshop.
The post HTT024 – Light It Up first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss tools for working with green wood, spring joints, cambering plane irons without a grinder, and the traditional names and setups for the bench planes.
The post HTT023 – What’s In A Name? first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Several years ago I made a two part video series on making a traditionally styled wooden spokeshave. Here are the details and plans for that spokeshave.
The post Plans for Building a Wooden Spokeshave first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss making curved cabinet doors, dealing with warped boards, combination planes, and tips for improving your hand sawing.
The post HTT022 – Improving you Hand Sawing first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
A panel gauge is a tool that no traditional workshop should be without. If you don't use a table saw to rip your stock, you need a panel gauge.
The post Panel Gauges first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss keeping inset cabinet doors aligned, white pine for a workbench top, bevel up vs. bevel down smoothing planes, tongue and groove planes, and tips for working efficiently in a small shop.
The post HTT021 – Working In A Small Shop first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Can you really have too many marking gauges?
The post More Thoughts on Marking Gauges first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Is one style of marking gauge better than another? Do you need more than one?
The post Thoughts On Marking Gauges first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
I have received quite a few requests to publish the list of fasteners that I discussed in episode numbers HTT018 and HTT019 of the podcast. So I'm listing everything out here for easy future reference.
The post Nails and Screws for Furniture first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss using multiple tenons on wide table aprons, making cock beading with hand tools, workbench placement in the shop, edge jointing thick stock, and the pros and cons of the different types of hand planes.
The post HTT020 – Wooden Planes vs. Metal Planes first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
While you may not be able to work really quickly in very dense, kiln dried hardwoods, there are some strategies you can employ to make the work a bit less physically demanding.
The post Working with Very Hard Woods by Hand first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
I'm happy to have been able to rescue these saws and give them a proper second home.
The post Restoring a Special Pair of Saws first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss working plywood with hand tools, making moldings with combination planes, strategies for working really hard woods with hand tools, getting started on a budget, and using screws in woodworking.
The post HTT019 – Choosing & Using Wood Screws first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss edge jointing, workbench tool trays, cupping boards, building a saw on a budget, and nails for building furniture.
The post HTT018 – Carpenters, Joiners, and Nailed Furniture first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss sharpening angles, straightening a kinked hand saw, making large mortises for workbench legs, and getting started with molding planes.
The post HTT017 – Getting Started with Molding Planes first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss keeping green wood green, marking tapered octagonal legs, when to throw in the towel and re-cut a miscut tenon, and efficiency with hand tools.
The post HTT016 – Are Hand Tools Really That Slow? first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss removing paint splatters from saw handles, adding bolsters to shop made chisels, boiling your own linseed oil, high bevel angle blades in low bed angle planes, making serpentine front drawers, and sharpening cambered blades.
The post HTT015 – Just Questions first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss smoothing end grain to long grain transitions, more on in-cannel gouges, rust control in humid shops, working end grain with hand tools, and getting started with green woodworking.
The post HTT014 – Green Woodworking first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss cabinetmaker's screwdrivers, rub joints, fishtail vs. skew chisels, portable workbenches, and my favorite woodworking books.
The post HTT013 – What’s on the Woodworking Bookshelf? first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
About 6 years ago, I spent a couple of months putting together a set of straight sided firmer chisels for my period tool kit. I sold that set of chisels last year, but I still have a few more that need some new handles.
The post How to Re-handle a Chisel first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss jointer and planer size, fixing problem with old saw handles, methods for cutting down an old saw, restoring wooden bench planes, and making your own tools.
The post HTT012 – Making Your Own Hand Tools first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Last time, I finished up the construction of the saw. Now all that's left to do is to file in the teeth.
The post Filing New Saw Teeth first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
At the end of the last post in this series, we were at a point where pretty much all of the difficult, finicky work was behind us. Now we come to the part of the process where we get to relax a little - the shaping of the handle and the final assembly.
The post Making a Tenon Saw – Part 4 first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss tool acquisition as a new woodworker, cutting up old saws, repairing a twisted frame and panel door, accuracy vs. precision, and dust control.
The post HTT011 – Dust Control in the Hand Tool Shop first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Shaping of the blade and back are done. So now it's time to start on the handle.
The post Making a Tenon Saw – Part 3 first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss outdoor finishes, auger bit lead screws, re-sawing by hand, more on hand tool storage, and using hide glue.
The post HTT010 – Using Hide Glue first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Most joinery saws have some kind of back, or spine, to stiffen the blade because the blades on these saws are typically quite thin and could easily buckle without some kind of support.
The post Making a Tenon Saw – Part 2 first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss period finishes, the chisels that I find most useful in the shop, must have hand tool appliances, and hand tool storage options.
The post HTT009 – Hand Tool Storage first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
All saws need a blade, otherwise they have a hard time cutting wood. So that's where our saw making process starts.
The post Making a Tenon Saw – Part 1 first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss planing the end grain of a thick board at an angle, Auriou carving tools, making a frame for a glass panel, fixing miscut mortise and tenon joints, and the dos and don'ts of teaching woodworking classes.
The post HTT008 – Teaching Woodworking Classes first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Just one more use for blue (or in this case green) tape.
The post Setting the Mouth Opening on a Smooth Plane first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
If you are willing to put in the time and effort required to build one, a premium hand saw is within your budget.
The post Making a Tenon Saw – Introduction first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss intermediate projects, workbench designs, cutting up wide lumber, sharpening saws for different woods, and getting started with carving.
The post HTT007 – Getting Started with Carving first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Flawless skin cannot make up for poor bone structure.
The post Form Before Figure first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
There's still space left in my candle box class, scheduled for July 22nd.
The post Still Space Left in the Candle Box Class first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Do you really need a plane with a low cutting angle to efficiently plane end grain?
The post Planing End Grain first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
I don't usually do this, but today I want to share what I wrote in my subscriber newsletter with everyone, because a lot has happened in the last few weeks.
The post Progress on the Cabin first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss set on hand saws, auger bits for softwoods and hardwoods, spring pole lathes, shopping for used tools, and staying motivated to work in the shop.
The post HTT006 – Motivation first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Jacks of all trades or masters of none?
The post Versatile Tools and Specialized Tools first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss scraping chisels, drawer slips, bits for boring into end grain, starting the cut with a hand saw, and working with kids in the shop.
The post HTT005 – Kids in the Workshop first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Before committing too much time to a new wooden plane, I start simply by cleaning the plane and honing the iron to make sure it's worth putting in additional work.
The post Tuning a Wooden Hand Plane – Part 1 first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
The date for my sliding lid candle box class has been set and registration has been opened.
The post Sliding Lid Candle Box Class Details first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Using a historical finishing technique to apply a fast, beautiful finish.
The post Building a Sliding Lid Candle Box – Part 4 first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss getting back to video podcasting, how flat boards really need to be, resaw frame saws, proportioning project parts, and pre-year 2000 resources for learning traditional woodworking.
The post HTT004 – Learning from the Past first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Completing the construction of the candle box back and lid.
The post Building a Sliding Lid Candle Box – Part 3 first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
If you have ever wondered about the holding power of cut nails, wonder no more. Small cut finish nails hold much stronger than you think.
The post Building a Sliding Lid Candle Box – Part 2 first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Starting construction on the box with the main joinery.
The post Building a Sliding Lid Candle Box – Part 1 first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Have you ever wanted to learn how period drawers were built? Look at a sliding lid candle box.
The post Building a Sliding Lid Candle Box – Introduction first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss setting up a shooting board, good hand tool woods, when to stop and sharpen your tools, workbench top thickness, and what power tools make the most sense in a mostly hand tool shop.
The post HTT003 – Power Tools in the Hand Tool Shop first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
When the lever cap is properly set, the blade should not move during normal planing, but should be able to be adjusted without having to loosen the lever cap.
The post How Tight Should the Lever Cap Be? first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Cutting open three wooden coffin smooth planes to see what makes them tick.
The post Wooden Plane Throat Geometry first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Basic leather work is actually not that difficult or expensive to do. So let's make a dovetail saw case.
The post Making a Leather Dovetail Saw Case first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
What's more important for today's traditional woodworker, obtaining the end product, of the process of doing so?
The post Product or Process? first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
On today’s show, I discuss hiding grooves in dovetailed drawers, building a period style overlay drawer with a thumbnail molding, black stains on wood, modifying basic joinery for special situations, and starting out with hand tools on a limited budget.
The post HTT002 – Hand Tools on a Budget first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
To be efficient with hand tools, sometimes you have to change the way you think about the craft.
The post Efficiency with Hand Tools – Mindset first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
How does the joinery you choose to use to assemble your projects impact your ability to be efficient with your hand tools?
The post Efficiency with Hand Tools – Joinery first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
How does the wood you choose to work with impact your ability to be efficient with your hand tools?
The post Efficiency with Hand Tools – Choosing Wood first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
What are the secrets to working more efficiently with hand tools?
The post Efficiency with Hand Tools first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
If you still think hand tools are slow, I have some news for you - it's not the tools.
The post Hand Tools Are Not Slow first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
The podcast is back! On today’s show, I discuss how long it takes to complete tasks by hand, modern substitutes for period woodworking tools, the care and feeding of in-cannel gouges, and the nuances of sharpening hand saws.
The post HTT001 – Back in the Saddle first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
How fast can one actually work with hand tools?
The post How Fast Were Period Woodworkers? first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
The simple scratch stock can be used to create some very dramatic effects.
The post Making a Scratch Stock first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Should you make room for a scrub plane in your tool kit?
The post Thoughts on Scrub Planes first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Try these tips for sizing a saw to your frame and I'm confident you'll find the perfect saw for you.
The post Choosing Hand Saws first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
How many hand saws does one really need?
The post What Hand Saws Do You Need? first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Cutting curves efficiently by hand requires still another saw...or maybe several.
The post Saws for Curves first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
If you're going to cut joinery by hand, you should really have the right saw for the job.
The post Joinery Saws first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Having the right saw for the job can make the task much easier. But which saw do you need?
The post Making Sense of Hand Saws first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Almost any longer length hand plane can be used as either a try plane or a jointer plane. It all comes down to how you set up the iron.
The post You Say Jointer Plane, I Say Try Plane first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Woodworking books and videos are wonderful resources. But hands on time with your tools and a few boards will teach you more than any book or video ever will.
The post Experience IS the Best Teacher first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Building a shooting board with an adjustable fence.
The post Making an Adjustable Shooting Board first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Some old texts would have you believe that gimlet bits cannot be sharpened. However, this is not the case.
The post Sharpening Gimlet Bits first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Setting your goals high, but attainable, will enable you to challenge yourself, obtain new skills, and still have fun while doing it.
The post Improve Your Woodworking this Year first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Auger bits had several advantages over center bits and shell bits, so it comes as no surprise that auger bits came to replace the older style bits. Here's how to sharpen the most common bit found in today's hand tool kits.
The post Sharpening Auger Bits first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Whether you use a wooden block or a commercial version is a personal decision, but some kind of guide is definitely a big help when sharpening saws.
The post Hand Saw Sharpening Guides first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
A properly sharpened center bit should bore a clean hole with no chipping around the edge. Here's how to get there when your bits don't.
The post Sharpening Center Bits first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
The last time I attempted to make a chair, things didn't go so well. Maybe I'll have better luck this time around?
The post Thinking About Chairs first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Rust on a saw blade makes for a dirty cut, a saw that sticks in the kerf, and teeth that just won't get as sharp as they can be. For a saw to perform at its best, the blade should be clean, free of rust, and smooth. Here's a tried and true process for cleaning up just about any old saw.
The post Cleaning & De-rusting Hand Saws first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
The dilemma of home center lumber. We've all heard from the curmudgeons who would never buy their lumber from a home center and are appalled that anyone else would either. But is home center lumber really that evil?
The post Home Center Lumber first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Deciding whether to use a Western style saw or the Japanese equivalent can be a tough choice. They perform the same tasks, so what's the difference?
The post Western Saws or Japanese Saws for Beginners? first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
In traditional woodworking we often use the phrase "saw to the line". But what exactly does that mean?
The post What is Sawing to the Line? first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
Being able to saw to a line is a skill that takes practice. If you don't do any hand sawing but joinery, you won't get enough practice to saw straight and true consistently.
The post Improve Your Hand Cut Dovetails, Try a Longer Saw first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
So when we last left our restoration project, things were looking much cleaner. So now I need to make a decision. Do I just put the plane back together and put it back to work or do I take it a step further and make it pretty again? In most cases, I wouldn’t bother with anything more than grinding and sharpening at this point. However, in this case, I find myself in a bit of a pickle. If you’re a purist, I suggest you stop reading now because you’re probably not going to like what I do next. But this plane isn’t in any way rare or collectible, sooooooo………..
While the japanning on the main plane body isn’t in terrible shape, the frog is embarrassingly naked. The rust remover did a great job of removing the rust on all the parts that spent the night soaking. It revealed that a good amount of the Japanning on the main plane body still remained, although most of it was quite oxidized and dull. What I didn’t expect is that the overnight soak would cause all of the red paint on the frog to soften and peel. Hence, my frog is naked.
The finish on the tote and knob, or what’s left of it, has also seen better days. An inspection of the tote and knob reveals a similar state of affairs. What little finish is left on them is dull, cracked, flaking off, and just plain ugly. So while they are completely functional, they are also in need of a bit of a facelift. So I started by preparing the plane body and frog.
No, I’m not painting them green. Since the frog was naked, I really had no choice but to paint it unless I wanted the entire thing to rust. And while the plane body really didn’t need to be painted, I felt that if I painted the frog, the dull and only partially japanned plane body wouldn’t quite fit in. So if I was going to paint them, I needed to mask the areas that I didn’t want painted first. The frog took a bit of patience, and I didn’t want to remove the riveted on lateral adjuster, to that had to be masked in place. Masking the body wan’t so bad, except for the area down inside the throat where the frog bears. So rather than masking this area, I coated the spots I didn’t want painted with petroleum jelly.
Then it was outside while the weather was nice to paint. I’m not that picky about paints for old hand tools. Most of todays spray paints will work, and I typically will use whatever rattle can paint I can find that I think will look OK. Spray paints are not as hard or durable as the old Japanning, but if allowed to fully cure in a warm place for about a week after painting, they’re plenty durable enough. I’m not trying to be historically accurate here. I’m merely protecting the iron from the environment and hoping to stave off rust. Again, the tools that I’m giving this kind of treatment to were made by the thousands, if not tens of thousands and are not in any way rare or valuable.
A card scraper removes thick varnish fast. While the paint was drying on the iron bits, I turned my attention to the wooden ones. Over the years, I’ve tried sanding, chemical strippers, but nothing works quite as fast, or as well as scraping. So I spent about 10-15 minutes with a small card scraper and completely stripped the tote and knob. The cracked varnish came off easily and left some not to shabby looking rosewood. Not the nicest I’ve ever seen, but not terrible either. So the scraped tote and knob got sanded with a bit of 220 grit to smooth and even out the texture before three coats of Minwax Antique Oil Finish (i.e. linseed oil & alkyd varnish mixture thinned to a wiping consistency). Once the varnish dried for a couple of days, I rubbed it down with paste wax and 0000 steel wool, then buffed it to a smooth, soft luster. Then it was time for reassembly.
Much better than the condition I got it in. The paint I ended up using was a semi gloss black. I’ve found that regular [high] gloss is just too much shine, and flat just doesn’t look right on these older planes. I also decided not to go with the original red for the frog. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t care for the different color frog look.
Now to make it sing. All that’s left now is the final sharpening and tune up. But that’s going to have to wait, as this plane is going to be the demo tool for my sharpening and hand plane tuning seminar in April.
The post Craftsman Hand Plane Restoration – Part 2 first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
With my 2017 seminar and class dates fast approaching, I’ve been working on a few tools for students to use at the school. These are separate from the tool donations that I wrote about in my previous post. I haven’t gotten around to working on any of the donated tools yet. The tools that I’ve been working on are ones I have purchased myself that will be for student use at the school and also at my shop when I teach private classes there.
Today’s subject will be the first of these. This is a plane I got for $15. Hardly a steal, but when you compare it to the going rate for #4 sized planes on Ebay these days, it’s not bad at all. One of the things I always tell new woodworkers is to watch out for “off” brands as you can get yourself a real bargain by not setting your mind on the Stanley name, if you know what to look for. This is one of those cases, and it’s a name I look for often when I’m shopping for old tools.
While the Craftsman name is not typically associated with quality tools today, the same cannot always be said for many of their older tools. The Sears & Roebuck company has never been a manufacturer of tools. In fact, Sears was one of the very first companies who contracted with manufacturers like Stanley, Sargent, and Millers Falls, and re-branded those manufacturers’ products with their own logo. So if you purchase an old tool with the Craftsman logo on it, there’s a 99.9% chance that your tool was in fact made by one of the other big name companies that were in business at the time. I own and have handled many old Craftsman tools, including a bevel gauge that is identical to a Stanley #18 ($7), a hand drill that is identical to a Millers Falls No. 2A ($10), a bit brace that is identical to a Miller’s Falls Holdall ($5), auger bits made by Irwin, a block plane made by Sargent, and a combination plane that is identical to a Sargent 1080. Every one of these tools was/is just as high quality as those with the more popular names.
I’m not sure which company made this particular #4 sized Craftsman smooth plane, but it has several attributes that make it a tool worth a look. This particular plane could have been made by any number of companies that Sears did business with over the years, including Stanley, Sargent, and Millers Falls. This one adjusts like a Stanley (i.e. spinning the knob clockwise advances the iron), so I don’t think it’s a Sargent made plane (Sargent planes adjusted the opposite of Stanley, i.e. spinning the knob counterclockwise advances the iron). But the adjuster wheel has an unusual knurling not usually seen on Stanley planes, so I’m not sure it’s a Stanley made plane either. Never the less, I don’t really care who made it because it’s still a quality tool and will make a good user plane with just a bit of work.
Regardless of who makes a particular plane, there are some things to look for that will identify the plane as a quality tool. The features that make this plane a good candidate for restoring into a quality user have nothing to do with the name cast into the lever cap. Here are the things I look for when I’m considering a plane for use:
- A solid casting – This is somewhat subjective as opinions on body castings will vary from person to person. But I look for something that feels like it has some weight. This is obviously not possible to do over the interwebs, but if you look at a lot of good pictures of planes, you’ll start to see what a thin casting looks like and what a nice heavy casting looks like. The good quality castings all have a more solid look to them.
- A large flat bed – The later planes had recesses machined into their frogs to make creating a flat surface easier. While this is a great idea from a manufacturing perspective (it’s easier to do that milling the entire frog surface flat), it doesn’t help the function of the plane, and in fact, it removes support for the iron. Anything done only to improve manufacturing efficiency, without improving function, in my mind only serves to cheapen the product. I like the large flat frog surface (see photo below).
- Brass components – I don’t like plastic adjuster wheels. Sure they may function just the same, but they were nothing more than a cost saving measure and represent a time when hand tool quality was steadily declining.
- Rosewood tote and knob – All the best older hand planes used rosewood for their totes and knobs. Stained hardwood was, again, a cost saving measure and, in my mind, represents a lower quality tool. I won’t even discuss plastic here.
As long as the plane is functionally in good shape, most problems with dirt, grime and rust can be remedied. So with the plane in hand, I first check that all of it’s parts are functioning. Can I remove the lever cap? Does the depth adjuster knob spin? Does the lateral adjuster work? I look at the iron set and make sure they are proper for the plane. If the plane has the wrong chipbreaker, the adjusting yoke may not be able to advance the iron through the mouth, or retract it for that matter. I also make sure there isn’t so much rust that things are going to be badly pitted. Minor pits in the iron body are usually only a cosmetic problem. However, if the pits are deep and the body resembles baby Swiss cheese, it’s usually best to pass. This example looks pretty hideous at first glance. But upon inspection, the rust looks to mostly be on the surface and the pitting looks minor enough to warrant further work.
Disassembling everything down to the smallest part allows you to really see the plane’s condition and better assess the next steps. So the first step is to disassemble as much of the tool as easily possible. I try to get everything off if I can. Removing the adjusting yoke from the frog may seem like an intimidating part of the disassembly, but with an inexpensive punch, the pin drives right out and you can easily remove the yoke for inspection and cleaning. In this case, (as in most of these planes) the lateral adjuster is firmly riveted to the frog. The only way to remove it would be to file off the peened section of the rivet. But then I would need to find a new rivet to put the adjuster back on – not worth it in this case.
To soak, or not to soak? That is the question. With everything disassembled, I look all the parts over carefully and make a decision on next steps. If the plane were oily or greasy at all, the first thing I would do is to wash all the parts thoroughly. For light oil and grime, I just take the parts to the kitchen sink and give them a good scrub with dish detergent and a stiff nylon bristle brush from the dollar store. For really heavy grime, I’ll spray the parts with a commercial degreaser first and then wash them in the sink. These parts weren’t oily at all, so I just brushed off the loose dirt and dust, and sorted them into parts that needed a lot of rust removal and parts that just needed a little. Those that needed a lot of rust removal would spend the night soaking in a tub of rust remover (it’s warm enough here right now that it won’t freeze). Those that really didn’t warrant a soak (including all of the brass parts), went right to the next step.
A soft wire wheel can help quickly remove dirt and oxidation, but care must be taken not to scratch softer metals like brass. Wire wheels get a bad reputation if you ask me. Used carefully, a soft wire wheel mounted to a bench grinder or drill press can save hours of manual work with a wire “toothbrush” and/or steel wool. But speed comes at a cost. You need to have a soft touch when using these methods to avoid overdoing it. If you’re too ham handed at the grinder, you’ll end up with parts that look like they’ve been cleaned on a wire wheel. Softer metals like brass are particularly susceptible to scratching, but I’ve seen harder metals succumb to it as well. The trick it to go easy and just let the tips of the wheel do their job with the minimum amount of pressure necessary to remove the oxidation, but not any of the good metal. The softer the wheel, the easier it is not to overdo it. Avoid wheels with bristles that are not easily bent by hand.
I took all of the parts that didn’t need to soak to the wheel to clean the oxidation off. Areas that the wire wheel couldn’t reach (like the inside of the brass adjuster wheel in the photo above) got cleaned up with some metal polish and steel wool. The parts that were soaking in the rust remover were allowed to soak overnight. I removed them in the morning, rinsed them off in clean water, and then took them to the wire wheel as well to take care of any oxidation that remained after the soak.
All clean and ready for reassembly…or is it? Now that everything is clean and free from rust, it’s time for the next decision to be made. Do I just want to put this plane back to work, or do I go a step further and make it pretty again?
The post Craftsman Hand Plane Restoration – Part 1 first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.
I mentioned in my last post that I would be starting to teach hand tool classes at the Chestnut Creek School of the Arts this year. I have added all of my currently scheduled classes and demonstrations to the appropriate pages on the site here. You can click the links here to get to those pages or the Education link in the menu above. Classes are fee based of course, and I don’t set the prices, but the tuition that the school charges is, in my opinion, very reasonable, compared to some other offerings. The seminars are free to anyone who wants to attend and may be especially valuable to you if you are planning to take one of the classes. While the current class offerings are fairly basic and aimed at the hand tool beginner, I’m hoping that the response will be positive and that we’ll be able to offer some more advanced, longer duration classes in the future. If you are interested in any of the classes or seminars that I’m teaching, you can register for them online at the CCSA woodworking registration page.
Which brings me to the subject of this post. The school has a really nice setup that they have put together for their class offerings and their open studio. Well, at least in terms of the machines. They have a fully set up machine area with lots of good quality machines, good dust collection, etc. They were able to build the studio and buy the machines with grants and donations. But their hand tool closet is almost bare. There are a couple of Irwin pull saws, a handful of tape measures, one rusty big box store combination square, and that’s about it. I’m working with them to try and get some of the hand tools they have tuned up, and help them figure out what more they need, and that’s where I’m asking for your help.
For the hand tool classes I’m offering, I am providing a tool list, and the tools are pretty basic. Anyone who has been doing woodworking with hand tools at any level for more than a few months likely has all of the tools they need for the classes. But due to the very beginner nature of these classes, some of the students taking the classes may not yet have their tool kit set up, or may not have any tools at all. So I’d like to have some spares available for students to use if they do not yet have their own, or if theirs are not in working condition when they come to the class. I know lots of hand tool folks can’t pass up a good deal at the local flea markets and antique shops so many of you have boxes and shelves of extra planes, saws and chisels. Well, now’s your chance to put these tools in the hands of a new woodworker and show them what a well tuned hand tool is capable of.
Chestnut Creek School of the Arts is a 501(c)(3) organization and all charitable donations are tax deductible. They do have information on their website pertaining to monetary donations for the woodworking studio. However, there is not currently any way to send tool donations through their web site. So if you want to send tools directly to the school for the hand tool woodworking programs, your best bet would be to contact them directly to find out how to go about doing that and getting documentation of your donation for your tax deduction. Alternatively, if you don’t care about the tax deduction, you are welcome to send the tools directly to me (I’ll be the one cleaning, sharpening and tuning up the tools that the school receives anyway). If you send the tools to me, I will personally clean, sharpen and tune them and make sure they are delivered to the school. I have all the tools I personally need, so please be assured, I’m not taking any of these tools for myself. Any tool that is sent to me will be delivered to the school and placed in their tool closet for use by the students of the school and folks attending the open studio. So if you’d rather just send tools to me, you can contact me via email and I’ll provide you with all of the necessary information to do so.
Here are the specific tools I’m looking for, based upon the classes I’m teaching:
- Rips saws, 24-28″, 5-6 PPI
- Crosscut saw, 24-26″, 8-10 PPI
- Backsaws, 12-14″, 12-14 PPI
- Coping saws
- Bench Chisels (1/4, 1/2, & 1″ sizes)
- Mortise chisels (3/8″)
- Metal jack planes (#5 sized)
- Metal smooth planes (#4 sized)
- Block planes (low angle preferred)
- Router planes (Stanley style)
- Marking knives (spear point style)
- Marking/mortising gauges
- Combination squares, 12″
- Wooden mallets (if you make them, even better!)
- Bit braces, 8-10″ swing
- Brace auger bits (smaller sizes like #4s to #6s)
- Eggbeater style hand drills
Thank you for your consideration in helping out this cause, and introducing the craft to some new woodworkers! I hope to see some of you at the free seminars and the classes that I’m teaching this year!
The post Seeking Tax Deductible Hand Tool Donations first appeared on Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking.