Recent content by jakethebuilder

I'm just a hobby woodworker, but I've got a ten year old grandson showing interest in woodworking. He's the youngest of eight grandchildren, and the first one to show any interest at all. Now I have a real obligation to make sure I show him only the safest ways to do things. It will all be...

It's the common sense that's missing. It's not really "common" any more. Instead of learning to do things from people who know how, everyone thinks they can become experts, simply by going on line, and watching a few videos. (Oops. I may resemble that remark myself, at times). The point is...

It's a good thing he glued it together first!

I totally agree. I haven't been on here for a while. My employment leaves little time for such things in recent months, but if I'm going to waste away, sitting at a computer, I want to be reading about tools or wood, for the most part. If I must hear about what someone had for breakfast, then...

I must agree with the comment regarding the American Woodworking Videos. (I AM an American too). Statements like "I'm gonna go ahead and.." drive me up the wall! I think I know exactly who you're talking about. I am also irritated by the same guy's constant thrashing around with his hands...

I always considered "backsaw" to be a generic term for any saw with the reinforced "Back", with a Dovetail saw being one type.

Love the way you created a little mini bench atop the main workbench. Good use of materials!

My bar is hexagonal, six feet long, with a chisel on one end, and a point on the other. About an inch and a half in diameter. I like the hexagonal shaft, because it's easier to keep your grip when you start sweating. And you will be sweating if you heave that bar for more than a few minutes...

Their definition of "play" is rather like a house cat "playing" with a bird it's caught. One playful swipe to the head, with a front paw the size of a tennis racket, and you're done for.

When I see something like that, I always think it's very interesting, but have to ask myself why anyone would bother doing it that way. Another example of Americans (sorry guys) finding a way to do something with a power tool - the wrong power tool, that is more work than doing it the normal...

Yes, the US does focus more on power tools. You can probably thank the New Yankee Workshop for that, but I think the trend toward mixing hand work with power tools is getting stronger all the time. It's a bit of a laugh sometimes, reading the various magazines. On one page, they tell you to...

Yes, I would recommend following through. I've been tinkering with the same sort of thing of late. I plan to post pictures when I get a bit farther along. All the comments about twisting grain are correct, as you will find, as soon as you start trying to split the log. I used a chainsaw down...

Found a picture, similar to the type saw I was talking about.

It looks like someone cut the lower end off of a panel saw, then bent the brass back to conform to the curve. On some panel saws, the back of the blade is curved, exactly like that.

The term you are asking about, if you REALLY don't know, originally referred to an apparatus used by women for personal hygiene. I won't go into any more detail than that. It is intended to be an insult, obviously. It was derived from some movie script, I presume. The term has been around in...