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The Bahcos that Garrett Hack likes (and James Krenov) were really Eskilstuna Bergs after Bahco purchased Berg but before Bahco went to a different design and process. There are later red handled Bahco's (Model 1031) that are not the same steel or design. Berg style...

This is quite a valid point regarding the raw material that one begins with. It is the process downstream where one wonders if some of what we today call "core competency" was lost when the accountants were running the show. I know that a very similar phenomena has occurred in the industry with...

Nanowire, Just to clarify, I was not talking about any contemporary Swedish makers, but Berg, Janport, Gensco, etc. Jeff

Hello Matthew, I do not take the position that I stated just because I believe that older is necessarily better, nor do I know the details of manufacturing then or now. (And you know what I mean by "cast steel", i.e. the era in which it was stamped on the chisel.) What I do know is how the...

James, An opinion from the other side of the pond.....you live in chisel heaven! Modern manufacturers have yet to equal the steel used in vintage Sheffield cast steel chisels. Even the no-name ones that I have (usually just stamped Sheffield Cast Steel) are better than any modern western...

My favorites are all old Sheffield cast steel...Butcher, Ward, Charles Taylor, etc. I am still waiting for a modern maker to duplicate the characteristics of these chisels.

It is clear that this company is violating intellectual property laws and thus their practices are clearly unethical. It is also true that it is very expensive to combat patent violations, particularly in an international setting. However, as long as a company is not violating intellectual...

Water is Life and..... ...........Water is the Enemy.

The large Kiwi shoe polish tins are a good substitute. I especially like the cam lever used for opening. Of course, it is getting harder to find folks who actually have shoes that require shoe polish and who have ever polished a pair themselves! It does take a while to collect a set. Too bad...

Thank you, Philly. That video very well illustrates how hand tools are not necessarily slower than power tools. The accompanying music also complements the work. Much better than the green woodworking chap who forces me to listen to "techno" whilst he is turning on a pole lathe.

Admiral, I have purchased tools from the Mother Country from both Tony Murland and Andrew Stephens. I have been quite pleased with both firms. If you do not see what you are looking for on their website(s), shoot them an email and they will be glad to check their stock. Tony Murland...

I like natural fencing around my gardening area and split-rail cedar is getting relatively expensive here. I also have need for hurdles as as well rustic furniture. Then, there are the myriad of uses in the garden for supporting beans, peas, etc. In my neck of the woods, about the only...

Thank you, Brian. That looks to be similar to our Hazelnut (Corylus Americana), is available here at certain nurseries and will grow in my climate zone. I wonder why coppicing is rarely practiced here? Jeff

We don't do much coppicing here in the colonies, but I have a small wood on which I would like to start. I am aware that one can coppice almost any species but I see that Hazel is commonly used for this in England. My question is what is the actual species that constitutes English Hazel? We...

Thanks for investigating further, Bugbear.

Bugbear, That is a very nice find. I don't think even Todd Hughes could frown on that price. Do you know an approximate period for the manufacture of that saw?

Thanks for the update, Bugbear.

You have a strong argument with regard to sandpaper lapping the soles of metal planes. However, my experience with wooden planes tells me that uneven wearing of the sandpaper and the resulting effects are insignificant. I don't think I've ever spent over 15 minutes truing the sole of a wooden...

Hey, I'm with you there. However, some folks won't be aesthetically satisfied with the surface finish of the finest file. I don't think there is too much danger in some light lapping afterwards.

George, You might want to do some filing before lapping with sandpaper. See the bit on filing on Bugbear's sole flattening page. http://www.geocities.com/plybench/flatten.html