If you’ve read “Calvin Cobb: Radio Woodworker!” by Roy Underhill perhaps you’ve noticed the numbered “chapter spots” – the little images at the beginning of each chapter. (If you haven’t yet read it, well, you should! It’s variously funny, poignant, thought-provoking and, of course, quintessentially Underhill-ian.) Here’s the back story on those chapter spots: Christopher …
M. Hulot’s workbench for chairmakers. You don’t need one. Because I have written books on workbenches and chairs, I am regularly asked what sort of workbench is best for making chairs. Here’s my answer: the same bench you use to make cabinets, boxes and snake toys. Unless you are a professional chairmaker who makes chairs …
FIG. 177. Bending an unsegmented felly. Kodavere, Assikvere village. Photograph by A. Univere, 1942. Photocopy 1146:4. This is an excerpt from “Woodworking in Estonia” by Ants Viires; translated by Mart Aru. Unsegmented felloes in Estonia and Latvia were always bent from ash wood. In Russia too, ash was occasionally used, although oak and elm were preferred. The Assikvere wheelright used …
Fig. 2.29 Published many times over the years, the Stent panel is still an eye-opener for period tool historians. With the turner and joiner working in one shop together, it is clearly not a London product. In that city, these trades were separated by regulation. While the details might be less-than-ideal (are those moulding planes …
We will open registration for the Crucible Tool launch event at 9 a.m. (EST) Monday (Aug. 22). We can accommodate only 100 attendees at the event because of fire codes, so don’t dally if you want to attend. We’ll have both of our new tools there for you to examine, use (and buy, if you …
Registration for the Crucible Tool Event Opens Monday – Read More »
The following is excerpted from “Ingenious Mechnicks,” by Christopher Schwarz. I empathize with the early woodworker. My brain is wired to look for a simpler solution to a problem instead of creating complexity. Example: Earlier this year, I spent a couple hours in the dentist’s chair and was force-fed several episodes of a home-improvement show …
We are in the final stages of producing our latest tool, a Crucible Planing Stop that is easy to install, looks similar to a traditional hand-forged stop and is reasonably priced (about $49). I hope this tool will be out by the end of the year, but we are at the mercy of our supply …
