December 2010
19 posts
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“I’ve been told that it’s pretty impressive that I can do this with...”
– Matt Bickford, in his excellent blog Musings From Big Pink.
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Foodie fatigue →
Christopher Borrelli, in the Chicago Tribune:
I was saying that the food culture is getting a bit insistent with its obsession-of-the-moment and one-upmanship and casual snobbery and need to proclaim this the most authentic Mexican cooking in Chicago and that a poor excuse for a Korean taco.
This could be a cautionary tale for us woodworkers. Substitute “woodworking world” for...
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Anonymous asked: Were you the guy that had the temerity to correct Frank KLAUSZ?
“Even in the fourth century B.C., Plato touched upon the subject of anonymity and...”
– Julie Zhuo, in the New York Times, on how Plato knew about internet trolls 24 centuries before the proliferation of woodworking internet forums.
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Placeholder
The only reason for this post is so that when you visit this blog, the first thing you see won’t be my stomach (see post below).
(Photo of Tasai Migaki finish bench chisel from Japan Tool.)
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Anonymous asked: Wilbur,
How high is your work bench? Or how high is the bench relative to your arm/shoulder? When I tried a more downward pull similar to the direction in your recent posting, it was a definite improvement in speed/accuracy, but somewhat awkward. My current bench already feels too low, and I have been thinking about making a taller one. Any thoughts?
How high is your work bench? Or how high is the bench relative to your arm/shoulder? When I tried a more downward pull similar to the direction in your recent posting, it was a definite improvement in speed/accuracy, but somewhat awkward. My current bench already feels too low, and I have been thinking about making a taller one. Any thoughts?
Anonymous asked: Are you a practicing Buddhist in any sense?
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“Our enormously productive economy demands that we make consumption our way of...”
– Victor Lebow, Journal of Retailing, 1955, articulating the philosophy that probably drove the last nail into the coffin of the idea that maybe we should have furniture that lasts.
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Hybrids
Sometimes the question comes up of whether putting a western handle on a Japanese saw might be a good bridge for woodworkers who would like to use a Japanese saw but don’t like the stick-like handle that Japanese saws have. You could put a western handle on a Japanese saw, but I don’t think it will work very well. The reason is that the sawing motions for a Japanese and western saw...
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Anonymous asked: Wilbur,
Are you the guy in the Dwight Howard Adidas commercial?
-Eric
Are you the guy in the Dwight Howard Adidas commercial?
-Eric
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“I don’t believe in Elvis,
I don’t believe in Zimmerman,
I...”
– John Lennon
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Oriental Eating Table repair →
Stephen Shepherd says that this is a quick repair of an Oriental eating table for some friends. I’m not sure why his friends want to eat Asians, or why they have a special table to do so. Maybe it has something to do with being close to the Hastings Cutoff. Irregardless, it’s a great example of how to use clamp extenders.
I also like to think that this might be a shout out from...
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“Patrick Leach be damned, my #6 is the MOST useful plane in my shop!”
– Matt Cianci, from The Saw Blog, on the best way to prepare an 8 foot long 6 x 8 oak beam for ripping in half with a Disston #9.
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Metal and wood
At first glance, Japanese chisels appear to be similar to western socket chisels. The construction of the chisel, however, is much more like a tanged chisel. The blade of the chisel has a tang that is integral to it that goes into the handle of the chisel. The tang goes through a collar at the end of the handle that acts like a socket, but it is not integral to the tool end of the chisel like...