Sanding Tip

HI Folks
Been all go in the Philly Workshop these last few weeks. Another Woodworking show (Yandles), catching up with orders and making two Oak Bookcases. And a few other things besides.....

First up - a tip. If you use power sanders of any type you really need to get yourself a "belt cleaner". I use a 12 inch disc sander for roughing out and they clog fast - as soon as they clog they burn out and become useless. A cleaner removes any clogging in seconds and prolongs the life of the abrasive by ten times, easily. They cost little (I bought the small one form Axminster and it has lasted 18 months) and work well. You can see the remains of the old one on top of the new one - I certainly had my use from it ;)

Next up - the oak bookcases. These were a project for my friend Steve. They were pretty big (2.2m high, 1.5m wide and 400mm deep) and I managed to use pretty much every clamp in the workshop. But the customer was very happy and it was good to do some furniture making.

Cupcake the 'shop cat is getting bigger by the minute. She is also quite comfortable in the workshop now and looks forward to having a nap in there (when she's not rooting out sawdust). Here's a photo of her hard at work ;)Yandles show was a lot of fun (except for the rain!!!!). It was great to meet so many of you in person and fun to see Folks making shavings with my planes. I have some new models in the pipeline so keep your eyes peeled (as well as a new-look website!)

Cheers
Philly

Showtime....

Hi Folks
Time for another woodworking show - Yandles in Martock, Somerset.
I do enjoy Yandles, a twice yearly event. It is held in a working sawmill and has a wonderful atmosphere - huge woodworking machines lurking everywhere, stack after stack of planks air drying in the fields and the smell of tannins in the air. It's not the biggest show but definitely the friendliest.
I'll be there Friday and Saturday - do pop by my bench and say hello!

Back in the workshop I've been busy with the Rosewood again. Just finished a Luthiers Scrub plane - a lovely little plane. The sole is gently curved in both directions (front to back, side to side) which allows you to cut hollow surfaces. If you've ever used a curved spokeshave you've probably found it a bit difficult to keep the tool cutting throughout the cut - this scrub is completely different! It is so simple to use and has a very shallow learning curve. I was so pleased with the way it worked I had to make one for myself, so a baby version in Pau Rosa was born :)

So - better go pack the van ready for Yandles.
See you there?

Philly

Westonbirt Part II

HI Folks
A little more about Westonbirt. On the Sunday we had the pleasure of meeting Bill Carter. Bill makes the most wonderful infills, mostly Miter planes. But with a difference. The majority of his planes are miniatures and he ages the metalwork to give an antique look. These give the planes an wonderful timeless look. He also makes a lot of his plane from recycled tenon saw backs - check out his website for more info. Bill was very happy to talk about how he makes his planes and I was fascinated by his methods. As a bonus, his wife Sarah makes a smashing sponge cake ;) Here's a photo of Bill with fellow planemaker Konrad Sauer.

It was good to see so many members of the UK Workshop forum over the four days. Here are a couple of random pics....not sure about the axe one ;)


There were exhibitors from all around the world and it was great to socialise after hours. Here is a picture of Martin and Tommi from Magma - they are holding a Japanese plane they made during the show. A plane with a difference - not many have a walnut blade ;) Tommi (on the left) was also our star goalkeeper during the "International Soccer Match".

More tomorrow....
Philly

He's Back....

Hi Folks
Westonbirt is over - and what a great event it was too!
Another day or two and I should have recovered (mostly) after a hectic but very enjoyable five days. A highlight for me was the "communal living" aspect - most of the exhibitors camped on-site and our host, Mike Hancock, was kind enough to put on a chef to cater for us. Eating, working and drinking (oh, the drinking!) together made for a unique and very enjoyable experience. It's kind of bizarre to be sat under the stars chatting away with an international selection of woodworking superstars!
The standard of work at the show was very, very high and there was a huge variety of wood related disciplines on show. I'll post some more pictures as the week goes by (and I catch up on some sleep - you forget how good it is to sleep in a bed) And also recount the "International Football Match" that took place on the Saturday night ;)
So - the first picture. Many thanks must go to my "glamorous assistant" Mike Riley, who was kind enough to join me at the show. Couldn't have done it without you ;)
Cheers
Philly

Done!

Hi Folks
Well - that's that. I've finished in the workshop and put the bench in the back of the van ready for the journey to Westonbirt tomorrow. I've just about finished all the planes I was hoping to make and I'm sat at the computer now printing out signs and labels. The rain is falling outside (obviously having a last go before the coming heatwave...........) but I'm not worried. I know its going to be a great weekend :)
I've made a couple of planes from some Indonesian Rosewood I've been hoarding. One is the pretty little smoother I showed off yesterday - the other is a monster Miter plane. She looks just awesome! If anyone is interested they'll be on my bench this coming weekend :)

Shock of the day was the Wife coming out to the workshop with the phone. "It's Konrad", she says. My jaw drops - not Konrad Sauer??
Oh, yes - a quick call before he heads to the airport to make his way over. It was great to have a quick chat (and also to find I'm not the only one feverishly packing bags!) and I'm really looking forward to spending a few days in his company. Did I mention Konrad and I will have our benches set up next to each other (along with Infill maker Bill Carter!) in the Classic Hand Tools marquee?
So make sure you head over to Westonbirt this weekend for the "Festival of the Tree" - you won't be disappointed!
Cheers
Philly

T Minus.......

Hi Folks
The workshop has been going flat out preparing for the "Festival of the Tree" at Westonbirt. I'm packing the van and hitting the road in the morning, so today is the last day for me finish off bits and pieces and any last minute tasks.
Again, I've been fortunate to have my workshop helper (let's call him "Mr. X" for now....) giving me a hand. I can tell he's enjoying it because he was moaning he didn't have his own workshop apron - one Tormek apron later and he's a happy bunny! Of course, that doesn't stop him repeatedly dropping hot pieces of metal into a jam jar of water, but I promised I wouldn't mention that ;)
With the Ipod rocking away in the background we've produced some lovely planes in the last few weeks. A Rosewood smoother and Miter plane are two of my favourites, and we've been making a selection of the new "Philly Shaves" in walnut, oak, maple, Gonc and Rosewood. They look fantastic - arty photographs to follow!
So - I should get back in the workshop. Time is ticking away....
Cheers
Philly

Skew Miter

HI Folks
Just finished a plane I haven't made for a while - a skew mouth miter plane.
This one is for a customer in the States and is made from Goncalo Alves. It features a 6mm thick iron, 50mm wide and has a 38 degree bed with a 20 degree skew.
The skewed bed is a lot of extra work (and the math a real brain-ache!) but the plane performs really well and the skew is a real feature on the shooting board.
Cheers
Philly

More Workshop Intruders...

Hi Folks
Yes, the weekend saw two more visitors to the 'shop. First, Cupcake was brought in to let her explore the workshop and start getting used to being in there. She loved it! Shavings were a bit hit with her (and I just happen to have plenty to spare) and the new smells and nooks and crannies to explore were just wonderful. Needless to say, no power tools were used while she was around but she was unconcerned when I did a bit of cleaning with the shop-vac. A good start.

So when she heard the cat was in the workshop out comes my daughter, Sophie. She's six years old now, and doesn't spend as much time in the shop with me as she used to. Too busy, you see.......;)
But with the kitten roaming the 'shop Sophie was quite happy to get stuck in to a bit of sanding - as long as she could giggle at the kittens antics.

The Westonbirt "Festival of the Tree" event is only two weeks away (less, actually!) so I am rather busy preparing myself for that, as well as keeping on top of plane orders. We have a big batch of spokeshaves almost complete in a wide choice of timbers as well as some special little coffin smoothers in Rosewood. More pics soon.......

Cheers
Philly