Recent content by sdjp

Depleted Uranium (and, for that matter, non-depleted uranium too) is hard, thus you wouldn't be able to bend it over the back. You could cut a slot in it, with a mill - but you'd have to do it under inert atmosphere, as it's pyrophorric (burst sinto flames with the heat of machining). Mind...

Difficult to judge the surface roughness there; as it depends on the duration and exact manner of the buffing process. However, 0000 wire wool has a fibre width of around 25 microns typically … Granted, the surface wire wool leaves is different from sand paper; and the autosol will make some...

Indeed, that's a very interesting question. Here's my best theory: Firstly, I observe that the planes sole mostly rides on the smoother surface. (Also, taking more than one pass is common. Therefore if the initial wood surface roughness makes a difference, that'll iterate out). Secondly...

What sort of tip shapes are you thinking of? I'm suspecting they will be more similar to metal engraving tools, rather than wood carving chisels. In which case you want a flat surface to hone them on - hence a wheel giving a hollow ground isn't what you want. The pro's use rotary laps...

Indeed - I have a similar welsh Dragons Tounge, and it's perfect for the straight razor - not least because it polishes well, without cutting too much. I've yet to take the chisels to it, but great on knives after a 3000 grit ceramic. And huge - 9x3 inches … no need to faff to get the blade...

Isn't a fretsaw, like a jewellers piercing saw, typically used on a bench peg, with the blade vertical? In this case, in addition to the tension aspects, it pulls the workpiece into the support, meaning that the off hand is used to position, but need not hold, the workpiece. I don't know if...

If anyone really wants to plumb the depths, you can get one with the 'Dekton' brand in the uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dekton-DT40210- ... B00EBRSHO4 I'm pretty sure that they all come out of the same factory; whichever yum-cha brand is on them… Scarily enough, that's _not_ the cheapest 'new'...

4/0 sounds like it's 4/0 _emery_ paper. Looking that up, http://www.cafa-info.org/grit.html says P1200; I'd had it in my memory at P2000, however, and can find informal support for that. Somewhere in that band for sure.

Is this the jeweller's saw? If so. then the key aspect is likely the handle shape - that's a style often called 'Gent's saw'. It's most likely to be one of three things: Either the saw is filling with sawdust, your grip is such the you're pushing the saw off line, or the saw has been unevenly...

The Wood Database lists it as having 'a large amount of movement in service'; the important numbers being Oak clocks in with 13.6% volumetric, with a T/R ratio of 1.8; so beech is a bit more than others. It's the T/R ratio thats responsible for the uneven movement - 2 is mostly typical...

Given I've a shorter than average username; I'm going to add the constraint, "found in _my_ workshop". That should keep it interesting, not least as my 'shop' is smaller than most... Spears and Jackson Dick JCB Powerfix (The JCB is a set of branded bevel edges bench chisels. Not their earth...

Ah, a combolin - always weird looking instruments. Roy Wiliamson, of the Corries used the first attested such instrument, and it was featured on an album cover: http://harpguitars.net/blog/2012/03/the ... combolins/ Apparently, they are very taxing to keep in tune; which I find unsurprising.

They are Dick or Valerobe files; those are hand files, not the flat files under question here - they lack the crowning. They don't show the small taper in width, which is a good indicator. Also, neither manufacturer lists an engineers hand file in their catalogues any more….

Further digging pulled out: http://www.apexhandtools.com/customer_s ... onSect.pdf which described Nicolson's range. Importantly, it includes, as separate entries: flat files, hand files and mill files. That lend confidence to the guess that they might still make a 'proper' flat file. I'm...

As an aside, when looking for a 'smaller' splitting wedge, I was struck by the similarity between a 'cold chisel' and splitting wedge. The cold chisel runs out of splitting power faster, but for a small log that's not a problem. Might need to sharpen the edge a little, but I'm sure there's a...