Here are some photographs of things going on in the shop that have been cluttering up my hard drive.
As a dulcimer maker I do a lot of fine, detailed work requiring extreme precision and accuracy.
Perhaps this is why I love using a mallet! Here is my often used mallet resting on top of the form [...]
Category Archive for 'Tools'
This post is inspired by a router bit that slipped in the chuck while working on a curly claro walnut and Adirondack spruce dulcimer this afternoon.
When I saw the bit was tearing through the side of the dulcimer a sense of calm came over me. I turned off the router. I looked at the gaping [...]
Some odds and ends I’ve gathered from here and there.
Some of these ideas make sense. Some make some sense. Some I’m just not sure about.
I Might Bail Out On Bailey Planes
Posted in Tools on Jan 3rd, 2010
Well, mainly the big ones.
I have become very frustrated with my beautiful old Stanley/Bailey jointing planes.
They feel great in the hand, have enough weight to add heft to my planing and they are beautiful to behold.
The problem is that I can not get the soles to stay flat. I have spent many hours getting the [...]
Leveling The Top Of My Workbench
Posted in Tools on Dec 19th, 2009
To start off I would like to say that it is my firm belief that nothing is perfectly flat, straight or in tune. Everything on earth seems to always be a little bit off. This includes myself from what I have been told.
That being said, hand-planing the thin stock used for dulcimer tops, backs, sides [...]
The full title of this book is, “Field Book Of American Trees And Shrubs: A Concise Description Of The Character And Color Of Species Common Throughout The United States, Together With Maps Showing Their General Distribution.” I guess they were into long titles in 1915!
Woodworkers and luthiers could not do what they do without tress. This book [...]
My shop used to be a bedroom, a small bedroom. It is what a realtor would describe as being “cozy and intimate.”
I work primarily with hand tools so most of my time is spent standing or sitting by the bench.
I tend to multitask so there are several things in the works in this picture; [...]
More fun facts to know and tell provided by Google Books.
The Tree Book: A Popular Guide To A Knowledge Of The Trees Of North America by Julia Ellen Rogers (1905)
Five Hundred And Seven Mechanical Movements (1908)
Posted in Tools on Oct 21st, 2009
Another gem from the Internet Archive, 507 Mechanical Movements has detailed llustrations of gears, pulleys, water-wheels and all the marvels of modern technology in 1908.
Get your copy here: 507 Mechanical Movements by Henry T. Brown
The Panorama Of Professions And Trades (1837)
Posted in Tools on Oct 10th, 2009
As I recover from gallbladder surgery the most frustrating thing is not being able to work in my shop for a week. I feel pretty darn good but I’m not supposed to lift anything over ten pounds, push a plane, etc. Probably not a good idea to go to the sawmill and sort through lumber [...]