Ben Ellenberger
Contributor

If I wasn’t in an apartment and had power in my shop I’d get a grinder today (I wouldn’t wait until tomorrow, even though it’s after 8 pm my time)....

I don’t recall a curve this pronounced before, and I’ve had it a while. it is straight for the first 1/2 or so of the blade, then has a concave curve...

Nice work. That is a really thoughtful thing to do for your friends family.

How thick is the stock you are cutting, and are you using one of the very fine-tooth back saws? I like Japanese saws for stuff that is less than 1/2”...

I made a little compass plane out of maple, just to see if I could. It was a fun little project and it came out reasonably well. I’d make the...

If you can’t make the cross rails any taller and you can’t put a back panel on either shelf for shear stiffness, then strengthening the joint is the...

I’ve had the same experience as Ed. The blade on my Swiss Army knife is easy to sharpen, but the steel isn’t very hard. So, I don’t try to sharpen it...

I brushed on the shellac. I will probably try padding it on next time. I try to be careful about not putting it on too thick, but I still ended up...

This conversation reminded me it was time to sharpen my saws. So, I’m going to revise my advice. Having a sharp and well-set saw is much more...

If you look up Paul Sellers Keepsake box you can find a video he made with more build details. I think his detailed build videos are pay-only, but...

I put a little curve in the sides. The baselines for the tails have a slight angle too, to complement the curves.

The top is a panel. I cut a groove in it, with the bottom edge of the groove sized to fit into a groove in the box. So the spacing of the groove in...

Two thoughts: I’m pretty happy if I make one thing a month. You seem to be on a one-per-week pace. That’s hard to keep up with! I bet some of...

I’ve got a #5 Stanley a friend gave to me. The chrome plating is more or less gone from the lever cap and the body looks a little rough and dingy. It...

I was kidding about pins vs. tails. Everyone knows it is pull saws vs western saws! Although, to be serious for a minute, I agree with someone...

Doesn’t the Rob Cosman method require you to cut the tails first? I think pins first is self-evidently the superior method. And don’t get me...

I think cutting square and close to your line with a saw makes a much bigger difference in clean-up time than tooth count does.

Mine is 11 ppi, 22 inch. It works fine for breaking down stock. I could see the appeal of getting something with larger teeth if you are working with...