To date my workbench has been a much-bastardised sideboard that my father made in the 1950s, which gradually got relegated to his shed and then given to me to use as storage. I removed the bookcase part and attached a sacrificial top surface so it could see service as a bench. Unsatisfactory barely comes close to describing the numerous deficiencies of this arrangement.

Over the years I have considered different kinds of replacements including the bench shown by Alex Smith in The Australian Home Carpenter, and the various benches illustrated and discussed by Christopher Schwarz in his two books on the subject.

This weekend, I decided to take the first major step in this project by creating the work surface, since this seems to be the most difficult part of the task. Once I have that work surface finish, I will start decisions on height, worth holding, and...

jmk89

After watching Lesson 10 of the Renaissance Woodworker Hand Tool School (worth every penny of the subscription - no association with Shannon Rogers who conducts the HTS, just a satisfied 'pupil')) and the associated project, I decided to try my hand at inlaying a diamond of Sydney blue gum into a board of spotted gum using the techniques that Shannon demonstrated.

Aside from not being able to find my mallet (which would have made chiselling out the spotted gum very difficult) the exercise went well.

Here are some pictures:



The diamond glued in place with hide glue all over (to keep the inlay flat while the glue sets).



The piece clamped down to ensure a good glue fit.



Then piece after initial smoothing....

jmk89

Chris Schwarz's recent posts (and video) on using a hand grinder and the recent thread on the Forums on the same subject made reminded me of a very useful jig from Robert Wearing which appears in his book, The Resourceful Woodworker. So I decided to make one.

I find the low tool rests on most grinders (powered or hand-cranked) to be somewhat inconvenient. Often, the handle of a chisel (especially a long handled one) can't be accommodated without hitting the bench that the grinder sits on. Also the nut holding the tool rest at the required angle works loose – it always seems to let go right at the worst moment!

Wearing replaces that tool rest with you a simple L-shaped wooden construction which is held in position by a nut on a bolt in the bench and can be moved closer to or further from the wheel to change the angle of the grind because of a slot in the...

jmk89

As those who have read this blog over the years will know, my workbench is not a Christopher Schwarz-inspired thing of beauty. In fact of the kindest description might be that it is a mongrel.

It started out its life as a bookcase and base that my father made shortly after he and my mother were married. The base had three equal sections. On the left-hand side was a set of drawers that he used to store glassware , in the middle was a space into which he shoehorned an old radiogram (including changer turntable and speaker) and on the right-hand side was a space with a couple of shelves which he used for storing spirits.

When I was growing up, this piece of furniture also served as the sideboard in my parents' dining room. As I grew up and as they became more prosperous, it got relegated to less and less formal areas of my parents' house until, at the stage when...

jmk89

In the never-ending search of a woodworker for the perfect way to sharpen chisels and plane blades, I have, over the years, tried most techniques - sandpaper of every kind stuck to glass and metal plates, oilstones, diamond plates, waterstones and various kinds of grinders.

After all of that, I have come to the view that I prefer hollow grinding a primary bevel of about 25° or 30° (depending on the use) and then honing that primary bevel's front edge on an old oil stone followed by a letter strop charged with paste. I have also decided that this is an art and not really a science and that everyone else can sharpen their tools however they like - this method just suits me!

So this weekend, I decided that I had to get organised and get my grinders in one place in a systematic way that enables me to use them efficiently and effectively.

The first...

jmk89