This must be a cooper’s (tonnelier’s) plane. It’s huge. That iron is at least 10cm wide. If so, we would be looking at the bottom of the plane beam (edge side faces up). But I don’t see any place for mounting the spindle legs. Granted the length is cut off in this photo. Speaking of which, it seems rather long, even for a cooper’s plane. I’m not totally convinced. Paul Bunyans’s plane, maybe.
I've been working hard selecting tools for my beginners woodworking toolkit.
You know what I've realised?
I overthink a lot. I get caught up in the detail trying to find the “perfect” tool.
But it doesn't matter!
These aren't the last tools I will buy 
A self-made workbench is a physical record of a woodworker's journey.
Successes, failures, and lessons - All carved in.
Every future project is built on those lessons.
Symbolic right?
Does your workbench tell a story?
I’ve not bought an old tool lately. I was jonesing. So I picked up this older Darex 110 block plane. 5 €.
Darex made a few block plane sizes, small to large: 101, 102, 110, 130, 131. The smallest, most rare, is a tiny thing, almost like a luthier’s plane. The two largest (always frog green paint) have reversible iron positions.
The 110+ have knobs. The oldest have wood knobs with screws, like this one. Then plastic (no visible screw) in one of 3 colors.
Calling all Hand Tool Woodworkers!
I'm buying bench planes but my budget will only let me buy two!
As a beginner, which combo should I pick and why?
I want to hear your thoughts...
Made a new shooting board to go with a new shooting plane I picked up as a factory second a while back from Lee Valley. First time I’ve ever used a dedicated shooting plane with a track. What a pleasure to use. #woodworking #handtools
Card Scraper Guide | Paul Sellers
Dowellalpalooza - Final. My deck table is finally done. It took a little less than 7 bd-ft of ash. I cheated and rough cut the slats and leg tapers on the band saw, and I used an electric drill for the 160 dowel holes. Otherwise it was all hand tools.
Here it is in its natural habitat. Of course, it's November and we're expecting snow tomorrow night, so the deck is kind of bare. The table will join it's siblings for a long nap in the basement to dream of warm days and cool drinks to come next summer.
I think this is the beginning of the end of EvapoRust and its ilk.
I’m buying supplies tomorrow and putting it to test.
If it works as good as it seems, I’m done babysitting vinegar baths.
h/t @Franky47
Another rust removal success, this time on a cheap triangular file.
Not only does the solution remove corrosion, it's also great at cleaning resin and other residue stuck in the file teeth.
What was once a very dull file is now ready to sharpen my larger hand saws.
Handle finished with BLO & paste wax, as usual.
I made a little step!
This was a fun experiment because I didn’t do any planning and just started chopping mortises with less overthinking than usual. I’m a little concerned about strength because it’s cedar and the aprons are kind of thin, but probably fine?
Really happy with the center bits though!
All cleaned up, finished, and it took its first shavings in its new home, jointing an edge.
No chipbreaker, so I need to watch out for tear-out. Adjustment was easier than I was expecting. The iron has a slight camber, not sure what's that going to be like for flattening panels.
Removing the dust & mold revealed gorgeous flaming sides, and a previous owner's initials. Thanks F.L. for looking after this tool, it'll be in good hands.
Catch of the weekend: an old wooden jointer plane, for 5€ at the flea market.
Made of oak, at 73cm (28" 3/4), it's now the largest (and heaviest) plane I've owned.
It's covered in dust, paint spatter and mold spots, but it should cleanup nicely with a card scraper and a new coat of oil & wax.
I need to take the time to write up the details on the 1920s cabinet conversion I’m working on, but it’s nearing completion. Finished the front top show face and first half blind dovetails today. I think this will come out nice. It’s slow but rewarding working without power tools. #woodworking #handtools
I tried the Wood by Wright / Backyard Ballistics recipe for rust removal.
For 1L of water, add in 100g of citric acid, 40g of sodium carbonate (washing soda), and a pinch of dish soap.
The results are phenomenal. The body of the plane was covered in black oxidation, all gone after 12 hours in the bath.
Video link: https://youtu.be/GYEbzI4AtpA
Happy to see very little pitting in the sole, a little sanding to make it shiny and it'll be done.
Next step: redoing the finish on the tote & knob.
Scraped the old crackled red tainted shellac, sanded and finished with BLO and paste wax.
I am not a man's man. I often question if I am even a woman's man. As such, I usually don't get excited about tools. If a tool works, that's all I need.
Today was different, though. I needed a new staple gun, because mine kept jamming. Was going to just get the same model, as I've had it for years. But then the DeWalt started calling my name. It's about a dollar more than Arrow, but the belt hook alone makes it worth it. More importantly, not a single staple jammed during today's repairs.
If you're in the market for a basic staple gun, I definitely recommend the DeWalt.
The first plane I ever bought was a cheap Chinese piece of 
After flattening the sole and setting it up, it wouldn't take a good shaving, even with a crazy-sharp iron.
Today I turned it into a scrub/fore plane, by cambering the iron. The mouth was already way too wide for normal use, making it a no-brainer conversion.
Now it's a useful tool, hogging large chips at a time.
