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Hi, Just wondering if anyone has done anything with the fence on their Elekra Beckum BAS315 or 316 bandsaw. Either improving, or replacing. The most important thing I'd like to improve is the angle adjustment. Mine won't actually adjust far enough for the drift of the current blade. The other...

Hi, I'm on the lookout for brace that can be used with modern round parallel drill bits. Even better if it can use square tapered as well, so I don't need to keep my existing brace. Any particular types or models I should look for? I'm thinking old or at least second hand of course, but don't...

Hi, I need to apply something to the exterior woodwork of the garage, this is a mix of new untreated wood with some existing wood with and without existing paint finish. In the past we've used Butinox 2, a spirit based paint that we could apply to everything from whether planed or sawn. No...

Hi, Family member has asked if I can make up matching mouldings for this chest of drawers. The first picture shows a sample draw with the moulding missing, I think there are some other sections missing or damaged (but I'm not going to ask until I know I can make it). Second picture shows the...

Hi, I'm trying to make my various tools moveable, to best make use of a restricted space. The planer thicknesser is one of the worst as although it's not that light it's awkward to move, and in use it needs space both ends. Ideally a pair of retractable wheels on two if it's legs would do the...

Hi, I hope this is the right place for this question. The background here is that a dishwasher fault has damaged some glasses, creating areas or bands that are very slightly abraded, looking almost like frosted glass. I was having a try to see if this can be polished off and was having some...

Hi, As in the subject, is anyone else worried about the Offensive Weapons Bill that's currently going through parliament? All the publicity is all about knives and weapons, but the actual proposed law would affect any "bladed article", only marginally qualified as articles "capable of causing a...

Hi, I'm a bit short of space at the moment, but the good think is that the floor is flat concrete. I'm trying to think of cheap and easy ways to make the planer thicknesser, bandsaw and maybe router table all mobile so I can wheel them out when needed and tuck away when not needed. The other...

Hi, I've always thought of after market plane irons as being a pretty modern thing, but one of my older Record planes has a third party iron that doesn't look modern, nor does the name or brand mean anything to me. The iron is just over 3mm thick so around 1mm thicker than normal. Anyone...

Hi, I'm making up some internal trim for round hatchways in the house. The trim will be 50mm wide by 9mm thick, and the parts are 500 or 600mm long at the moment before cutting to exact size. I want to run a bead along one edge, then the other edge will be rounded over. I've been...

Hi, I haven't used my Elektra Beckum BAS316 bandsaw for a while, and when I came to try and use it today I found that the upper guide castings have distorted, apparently of their own accord, to the extent that the saw is unusable. Has anyone else found this sort of thing happening? The...

Hi, I get continually frustrated trying to get decent edges on household knives, kitchen knives in particular. I'm now wondering whether I should splash out on one of the various gadgets, like the Lansky system. Does anyone either use anything similar, or have any home-made equivalent? It...

Hi, The battery for my not too old 1.4V B&D cordless drill is now short. It charges, but runs flat really quickly making it virtually useless. I am not convinced that it's worth paying out £25 for a new battery, but not sure what else to do. It seems a shame to scrap the drill. I had a...

Hi, I am sure that I saw recommendations way back for a mail order outfit that sells every sort of sandpaper, but I can't remember the name. Does anyone know who I would be thinking of? I need some sheets for a power sander, and also need to top up my supplies for hand sanding. Thanks, Tony S

Hi, The house that we're moving into has had quite a lot of the interior woodwork stripped back, and I have a nasty feeling that some of it has been waxed judging by smell and the fact that the wood has a non wetting surface. My questions are firstly how could I test that to see whether it is...

Hi, Our "stable" is roofed with standard profile metal sheet, I can't remember the name but its the stuff with trapezoid rather than round corrugations. The eaves and ridge are draught proofed with foam inserts, which are very prone to mouse damage. Because these inserts are difficult to...

Hi, Has anyone got a cunning way to plane thin slices of wood? I've been sort of managing by holding the sheet down on the bench and using a block plane on the bit I'm not holding. I'm talking about starting with a thin slice sawn off a larger chunk, so one face is already planed. For...

Prompted by Alf's comment that "old tools are better". Does anyone else find that a preference for old tools leads to the temptation to buy them when they turn up, or because "its a bargain", or because "you may never see another one of those"?

Hi, I need to make a carrying case for a small button accordion. Where would be the best place to look for decent quality latches and fittings? The case will be around 11" square, by around 6" or so. It would be kind of disastrous if it came open while being carried around, and I'd also...

Hi, This is a junk shop purchase, and needed a bit of a clean up before putting into service. What I'm finding is that the plane doesn't seem to run easily on the work, there's more friction and resistance than I'd expect even with a bit of wax. I think I have the sole pretty clean and its...