Taking Traditional Spokeshave Pre-Orders - Plus User Reviews!

Hello All! I'm currently working on a large batch of my traditional spokeshaves. I've had lots of great feedback on these shaves so I'm happy to be offering them again so soon.

Here's what Peter Galbert has to say about the spokeshave and a quick video clip here on Instagram.

Another review from Austrian chairmaker Bern Chandley with a video clip here on Instagram.

If you'd like to learn more or place an order click here to go to my shop. I've got some in apple, pear, persimmon, and of course beech.

See the use and care instructions for the shave in the next post and here is a quick video showing what makes this shave different than their moderns spokeshave relatives. (I've posted this previously.) This is no ordinary "wooden spokeshave kit" kinda tool. 

Enjoy and Thank You to everyone for your continued support of small independent craftsman!

Beading Plane Review By Chris Schwarz

I wanted to share a review of my beading planes by Chris Schwarz. He posted this on his blog recently so you may have seen it already.

Essentially this is the gist of the review "They are outstanding. Beyond outstanding, really." He rounds things out by saying "When your beading planes arrive, you’ll want to put a bead on everything. Even your dog."

Click here to read the entire post.

From left to right; Clark & Willaims 3/16", Caleb James 1/4" and 1/8" beading planes

Peter Galbert Drawsharp - Tool Review

I should start off by making it clear, if you don't read my blog, that I am friends with Pete and this could be easily categorized as a biased review. I realize this but I am a chairmaker so here is my opinion. In fact it is probably just as much about my thoughts on sharpening in general.

If you haven't already seen the videos Peter has posted on how this works in use then I recommend checking them out to get the concept. UPDATE: Pete put up a post talking about why he designed this tool. Check it out here.

So is the Drawsharp just another sharpening jig? At first that is how I was looking at it. I guess it is. But I was thinking about how a turner uses jigs to rest there tools on supports to grind the edge or hold the tool in some other way while sharpening. I use jigs in these instances because they make my sharpening retain or achieve the shape I want as well as get there quickly without worrying about achieving a cutting geometry that is crucial to good turning. On the other hand, unless I see a real advantage, I am just too focused on what I am making to fuss with a jig, whatever it is, unless I see that it actually makes my work faster, better, or lessens the interruption of my craft which I think is hugely important. I sharpen all my plane irons by hand for this reason though I can see someone arguing for using a jig to do this faster but they just seem to irritate me.

What do I think of the Drawsharp? Is it a faster, slower or just a more accurate way of sharpening? Before I answer that I should say that I think this tool has two distinct tasks it can accomplish. First it would help you rehab a drawknife that is in the typical shape when found at a flea market or the like. Essentially the edge is very beat up. If you don't want to attempt doing all the clean up on a grinder then this is a far less intimidating way to get it to functioning and I think it may in some ways be just as quick if not possibly quicker. This of course really has more to do with the current condition of the drawknife.

My drawknives are in fine shape so I can't really comment on this process or the speed other than messing around with a few beat up drawknives at Peter's booth at Woodworking In America, the show these debuted at. It was quick, I must admit. It was simple for the first time user which would be the main reason I see some one like that using it. I came to realize it is much cheaper to rehab 3 flee market drawknives even considering the purchase of the Drawsharp than it is to buy a decent new drawknife which then still leaves you with only one drawknife and the standard method of sharpening it. A few different drawknives in chair making is useful if not necessary.

That takes me to the second task this accomplishes and the one I think makes it really most useful to me. It maintains the edge of the knife consistently and without fuss. For instance it takes me about 8 minutes to set up and resharpen my knife and get back to work with my traditional method which is a jig that holds my sharpening stone in an elevated position above my bench. However, the Drawsharp allows me to never even leave my shave horse to get my edge back up to full throttle. It seems to take me about 45 seconds once it is in my hand to be satisfied with the edge especially since maintaining it is so easy I don't even think to not just do it once I get the notion it is approaching dull.

In the end I would say that two types of people would be suited to the Drawsharp the best. The first is if you want to rehab a knife or knives and don't feel comfortable with the grinder for this task. I don't blame you since it is tricky.

Second is the person that does a lot of drawknife work and the down time this saves out weighs the cost of the tool or you simply do this for a hobby and your free time in the shop is of more value than the cost of the tool.

So if you don't mind rehabbing your drawknife with a grinder or you have enough time in your craft to sharpen the old way or enjoy this method of sharpening then you can pass on this tool.

Hope that helped anyone who was trying to decide if this tool was right for them.

Final disclaimer- I do not profit from the sale of this tool.

New Plane Stamp by Blacksmith Peter Ross

If you have been keeping up with the blog then you may have noticed that I don't stamp the toe of my planes. I have had a custom stamp for my furniture for a long time but my planes have gone nameless. I wanted something that was authentic to stamp my planes. Now I have it!

I asked Peter Ross if he would be willing to make me a plane stamp just like blacksmiths made for planemakers a couple hundred years ago. If you aren't familiar with Peter Ross then you may remember him from Roy Underhill's show The Woodwright's Shop. He is a regular and makes historical tools the way they were made originally.

I am so glad he agreed to make me one. I am so pleased with the results of my stamp. It is better than I could have hoped for. Just look at the results. I think this has added a true authentic feel that matches all the work I try to impart into the planes I make.

 Jack plane

Smoother and Jointer. Right is freshly oiled while the left is an older plane. Both beech of course.

Now, I am ready for Woodworking in America. See you there!

Mouldings In Practice By Matthew Bickford - Book Review

I am happy to share this new book on the subject of moulding planes. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Considering how I have not found another book that covers this subject, it is the modern go to book on the subject of moulding planes.

I started investigating moulding planes several years ago and made a couple of my own to use in my case work so I can appreciate the usefulness of these remarkably simple yet highly sophisticated planes. At first glance these planes seem quite mysterious. Matthew Bickford does an excellent job of making these, otherwise, odd looking planes a tool that you feel you can pick up and put to real work. 

The biggest hurdle, I believe, to making these planes understandable and useful to the woodworker is knowing how to go from the moulding you have designed or wanting to replicate to production. Bickford offers the key to unlock these little jewel's full potential. He goes into depth on how to implement the use of each of these fundamental planes. He describes how to lay out your pattern and then create guides by means of rabbets that then direct the planes to create a specific profile exactly where you need it to land.

He also discusses the traditional approaches that many long time users are familiar with and considers logically the pros and cons. He offers suggestion on when and how to use the different approaches. He does this all while keeping it concise and in plain language. 

The book discusses dedicated moulding planes but the bulk of the book is on the use of hollows, rounds as well as snipes bill and side rounds. Plow planes are touched on and of course the rabbet plane which forms the basis for the layouts. 

The second half of the book covers a study of and discussion of a variety of specific historical examples of mouldings and how to produce them. This really rounds out the book and makes it very practical. 

Matthew Bickford has been a full time planemaker since 2010. According to his website he was inspired to make plans while investigating them for his own personal woodworking. After producing his own set of hollows and rounds others inquired if he would produce some for their use. This naturally led to his full time profession. 

I highly recommend this book for anyone looking to put these planes to their fullest potential. It is available at the publisher Lost Arts Press for $37.00 plus shipping.

Gramercy 12" Bow Saw - Review

Recently I was contemplating how to integrate more and more hand tools into my work. I like the pace and control that they impart to my work. I really don't need to rush anyhow seeing as I am not a production shop. That is when I came across this little bow saw made by Gramercy at www.toolsforwoodworking.com. I thought that this was the tool, it seemed, that might keep me away from the bandsaw for those delicate cutting situations and, alternatively, to avoid those awkward holding situations where I might shape a profile with my drawknife. Such as, a curvy handhold on a long arm bow for a continuous arm settee. Swinging that thing around while keeping it flat on a bandsaw table is not happening and to hold it at all the right angles at the shave horse, while working it with the drawknife, is sometimes asking for marred work. Below is a picture of the saw along with such a handhold spoken of.

I purchase the kit that included just the brass pins and a set of three blades for $25.95. The kit included patterns that can be downloaded from their website and suggestions on how to go about making the saw. You can, of course buy a pre made saw for $149.95.

I completed making the saw in about an hour. I did, however, make all my parts completely at the lathe just using their general dimensions. The only additional things needed besides the kit is your own wood and some braided fishing line. I chose to make my own knobs but those can be purchase as well.

So what do I think of this 12" bow saw? It is very nimble and light in the hand. It feels quite natural on the push and the pull stroke once you get comfortable with how to hold it in a variety of positions. In short I think this is one of the best values in a hand tool that I have purchased. Price/value aside I would highly recommend this saw if you will be doing any kind of cutting such as the handhold above. I even used it to cut the tight radiuses of a chair seat, like that found on the sides of a shield shape windsor seat, just to test its limits. It held up to 1-7/8" thick eastern white pine with only a little complaint. I wouldn't recommend it as the preferred tool for that size of work though. However I have a feeling I may be making one of these in a slightly larger scale, say 16" size with a customized blade, which the brass pins, by the way, allow for.

On a final note the only con was that the cross-pin in the blade, that secures it in the slot of the brass pin, broke early on in use for the course tooth blade. I think this was more a defect in the blade and unlikely to have anything related to the design or quality of the saw parts in general since the other blades have worked just fine in use.