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Earlier in the year I bought a secondhand - though in good nick - Rexon BS3050AL 12.5" bandsaw. Having used it quite a bit now I'm beginning to wonder if there's something wrong with it. It's to do with the alignment of the wheels in relation to each other - the top wheel is a quarter inch or...

I was wondering what angle most people would settle on for the final polish on the blades of their low angle block planes: this would be the second or even third bevel. I've been experimenting with my old stanley version by grinding the stock blade at just under 20 degrees, then honing it at...

Does anyone know of a UK supplier for stainless screws with either of these types of heads? I'd settle for square heads but am really after torx. Took a look at the Spax stainless screws offered by Axminster and Screwfix but these only seem to come with the pozidrive heads. I've been trying to...

Given that Polymite (formerly known as Cascamite, then Extramite) has a short shelf life I'm concerned about buying any from my local hardware store as the pots have been sitting on the shelves for months. Indeed, they seem to date from sometime before the change from Humbrol's ownership: the...

As well as honing compound I'm also looking to get a replacement blade for my Stanley 60 1/2 block plane. Would a regular LN blade - not the thinner kind designed for retro-fitting a Stanley or Record - fit into my old 60 1/2. Mines the older type of block plane that pre-dates the change to the...

I'm going to start stropping my plane blades on a piece of mdf charged with some of that honing rouge. I made up a leather strop but the leather is too soft as I made the mistake of getting pieces intended for uppers in shoes - don't want to round over the bevel or ruin the flattening job I've...

I know this is the hand tools forum but I got the grinder pretty much exclusively for sharpening chisels, etc. My question is how long can you reasonably run a bench grinder before it gets bad for it? I'm asking because after having to send the previous one back due to damage in transit - and...

This is probably a really dumb question - but how do you do it? You see, I've just purchased a slow running grinder from Axminster and - having had to return the first one they sent me due to damage in transit - am having difficulities in tightening the nut on the cool running wheel I'm putting...

I'm fed up with my el cheapo high speed grinder and am thinking of getting a half-speed one and trying one of those fancy Norton 3X wheels. The problem is, there only seem to be two versions on the market - Axminster's and Creusen's. The latter's outta my price league but even the Axminster is...

I was just pondering the different surface speeds you can get with grinders depending on the rpm and wheel diameter. What sparked this off was a comment by Joel Moskowitz in his article on grinding in this month's Fine Woodworking that an 8" high speed grinder has a surface speed that will burn...

... no, not a post on morality or original sin or something. I've got a Record 112 engineer's vice and a 6" cross vice that I want to repaint as they're quite old and rusty. Instead of slapping on whatever comes to hand I want to coat them properly so that future rusticles are kept at bay for...

That subject title is a bit of a mouthful, and I've probably described the thing incorrectly, but I'm having difficulty stripping down the pillar drill I recently purchased. It's a 1986 Sealey GDM200F floor standing pillar drill that I picked up for 100 quid. I only spotted it sitting there in...

Is this necessary if you do the coatings all in one go? Thing is, this is the part of finishing that I loathe - invariably I rub a coat down and then agonise over whether it's done enough. Then I usually take into it again and overdo it - sanding through in places. I've grown up with boats and...

I'm planning on knocking up a few rough wooden brackets for supporting shelves in the garage soon. Thing is I'll be sawing them by hand and as I don't want to spend much time on them the joints will most likely be a bit sloppy. So can anyone give me advice on what adhesives are good at filling...

I want to get an engineer's vice but am not sure what size of a one I need. I can't see it being used for anything more strenuous than holding threaded rod to have its end peined, holding bits and pieces while I clean them with a wire brush on a drill and possibly securing bits of metal for...

I've been thinking about purchasing a high quality block plane from one of the top tool makers but am not sure on which one to go for. I have an old Stanley 60 1/2 with the original thin blade but think I might upgrade to either Lie Nielsen's 60 1/2 or Veritas' Low Angle Block plane. However...

Some time ago I got a book containing a compilation of articles from Fine Wood Working magazine out from the library. One of them focused on upgrading your run of the mill Stanley or Record spokeshave. If I can remember it all correctly I'm thinking of doing something similar with an old Stanley...

Anyone have an inkling why Clifton don't use ductile iron in their bench planes? Is it something to do with keeping costs down? I was flicking through the Axminster catalogue and noticed that they do in fact make their convex and concave spokeshaves from ductile iron - or as they more poshly put...

I've seen a few of these come up on ebay from time to time and due to the reputation of the maker I've often pondered picking one up. Here's one that recently sold. How do these compare in performance to secondhand Stanley 151s - are they any better or so little different as to not matter...

Yet another prospective purchase I'm considering. Can you buy these new anywhere or do you have to/are advised to go for an old second hand one? I've seen a few with the name Paramo come up on ebay every so often. In my naivety I avoided these as the name gave me a feeling of something dodgy but...