Recent content by adrian

Thanks for posting the pages from that book! I found it interesting that he doesn't seem to say anything about sharpening the centre point. (It also seems that there's an error on pg 110 where it says, "The nicker o (Fig 398) must be sharpened from the inside only" because on the figure, o is...

These hardware systems seem like overkill for my project. I'm building a storage chest that won't be opened daily, or probably even weekly. The doors will be approximately 600 mm squares and will weigh about 3.5 kg each. Regarding durability of the tongue, Janofsky recommends a tongue that...

Ironmongery? All the "hardware" I've seen is made out of plastic. When I've examined pieces in shops they seem to have plastic. I wonder if having the wear surface on top means that it continues to work smoothly as it wears. One could imagine that if the wear surface is initially at the...

I personally just care about finding bits that work well in my brace. As far as I can tell, all of the available bits are "period" bits of one sort or another. Are you saying that auger bits are miles better? Auger bits can be annoying if the screw clogs, and at least all the ones I have are...

My next project calls for sliding doors, and I'm trying to figure out the best way to make them. One option is to use plastic hardware such as this: http://www.leevalley.com/US/hardware/page.aspx?cat=3,43614,43620&p=40162 Is that actually a good way to go, or just the easy way? The...

In an old Popular Woodworking, Adam Cherubini indicated that the "center drill bits" are (in his opinion) the best period bits, especially for hard woods. I acquired a few of these bits and tried out a 3/4" specimen. I sharpened the cutting edge and filed the inside of the outer spur and tried...

You don't indicate which of the two styles of cutter you have. The site shows a "wheel and circle cutter", which looks very similar to the item I tried from Lee Valley that worked my chuck loose. But also shown is an "adjustable circle hole cutter" which is a balanced device with two cutters...

Holes cannot be undersized and I'd say they shouldn't be more than 3mm oversized. I wasn't aware you could even get a 100 mm forstner...but there they are. I guess somebody's drill must be able to run these things. But it seems like for through holes the hole saw is going to be a much...

I have a pillar drill and no objections to using it, but there's the problem of finding a cutter (other than a set of six hole saws). As I noted earlier, several years ago I cut some large circles using a fly cutter: http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=32275&cat=1,180,42316 This...

I attempted another hole last night. I used a backer board made of the same wood and tried drilling horizontally instead of vertically. The backer board did not make a difference. The lead screw only made it about 1mm into that board, creating just a small divot. One thing I noticed was that...

So your idea is to use the bit to mark the hole edges and then cut out the hole with a coping saw? I'm not sure which side of the spur is the "back". I sharpened in inside surface of the spur and didn't touch the outside surface, which defines the hole diameter. There are two cutters, one...

phil.p, since I need 6 different holes that means £36 to get six hole saws. I think it's a bit much for a one time use tool. I had not thought of the idea of removing some of the waste with a different drill. I would have to leave enough material behind so that the center area is still well...

It was actually Maguire's post that inspired me to try this approach. I think I have the largest type bit. The bit's nominal range is up to 3". It includes two interchangeable cutters, one for smaller holes and one for larger holes. I'm using the large cutter. I would have imagined that...

I need a series of holes that are fairly precisely sized ranging from 2.5" to 3.25", I think, six holes in all. The price of all those hole saws for a one-time use is prohibitive. I suppose this job could be done using the router with some circle cutting jig of some kind. But I hate to use...

I'm trying to make a series of big holes (~2.75") in wood about 1/2" thick. I got myself an expanding auger bit and sharpened it and it sort of works. Things seem to start out well, it scores the circle and starts cutting, but then as the cut proceeds it becomes difficult to keep the bit...