Quoting a Repair You Cannot Fully SeeNew!!
I remember sitting in my workshop back in the late nineties, staring at a job ticket for a client who wanted a simple door hinge replaced, only to realize I’d spent more on petrol and travel than the actual repair was worth. I’d gone out there thinking I was doing a favour, but I was […]
Sawing to a Line ConsistentlyNew!!
Most people think that if their cut is wandering off-line, they just need a bigger saw or a more expensive brand. That’s a load of rubbish. I spent forty years on sites and another ten in the classroom, and I’ve seen more lads ruin perfectly good timber because they were fighting the tool instead of […]
The Tool You Do Not NeedNew!!
I was sitting at my workbench last Tuesday, staring at a brand-new, cordless router that some lad from the college had brought in. He was convinced it would change his life, but all I saw was another piece of plastic destined for a landfill once the battery dies. We live in a world that tries […]
Workshop Jobs for OctoberNew!!
I remember a particularly bitter January back in my teaching days when I walked into the college workshop and felt the dampness settle right into my bones. My fingers were so stiff I could barely hold a marking gauge, let alone a chisel, and the condensation on the metal surfaces was thick enough to ruin […]
Getting Another Five Years From a Bench
Most people think that once a garden chair starts wobbling or the wood begins to grey, it’s time to head down to the big-box store and buy a cheap replacement. They’ll tell you it's easier to scrap it than to learn how to repair outdoor furniture for another season, but that’s a load of rubbish […]
Finishing the Thing in the Corner
I can still see that half-finished walnut sideboard sitting in the corner of my shed, gathering dust and mocking me. It’s been there for three years, a silent reminder of that mid-afternoon slump when the novelty wore off and the hard work began. Most of the "productivity experts" online will tell you to go find […]
Five Free Improvements to a Workshop
I spent forty years on site and another ten in a college workshop, and if there is one thing that gets my goat, it is the modern obsession with "upgrading." I see lads walking into the trade shops every week, eyes glazed over, looking for the latest cordless kit or some fancy-pants vacuum system they […]
The Right First Project
I see it every time I walk into a modern hardware store: aisles upon aisles of shiny, plastic-cased power tools designed to make you feel like a master craftsman before you’ve even even measured a piece of timber. They want you to believe that if you just buy the right expensive kit, you’ll suddenly know […]
A Review That Says Who It Is for
I spent thirty years on site and another ten in a college workshop, and if there is one thing that gets my blood boiling, it is the sheer amount of rubbish being peddled online these days. You scroll through a website and see these polished, shiny presentations that look more like a sales brochure than […]
Three Causes of Tear Out
I remember standing over a piece of expensive English Oak back in my second year of apprenticeship, watching a blunt router bit chew into the grain like a hungry dog on a bone. The sound was a sickening, ragged tear, and my heart sank knowing I'd just ruined a week's worth of prep. Most blokes […]