18-06-2011, 01:49 PM
Hi Colin,
I will probably put a separate thread up with various projects I've done so far. At least we can go off topic here on a subject that's not exactly on topic for a vintage radio forum
You've made my sawbench all embarrassed now by your compliments! It's good to hear it should be very simple to maintain and as you say has the main safety features built in which is very nice for an elderly piece of kit.
We actually have an electric planer, perhaps I just need to practice with it more as I feel happier using traditional hand planes. A lot of the time we take hardwoods raw as they come from the sawmill and turn them into a product (a shelf for example) without using any power tools, so hand planing from a dark mess into a beautiful piece of walnut for example. The cost of planes new is rather ridiculous, personally I'd rather buy older ones anyway as I find they have better quality steel. Jack and Fore planes are more expensive but smoothing planes seem very common and cheap (my two have been passed down from relatives). Of course a thicknesser and a jointer does render handplanes irrelevant for most work but we aren't allowed to use the one at school (until we no longer are officially students in a couple of weeks).
I'm fairly confident in working in both metric and imperial but I do try work in mm when making something from scratch.
I am highly tempted to bid on that metalworking lathe but sadly our workshop just doesn't have the space (and it won't fit in the back of the Marina...). I do love metalworking and lathe work however, I guess if I ever need to use one I will use one of the schools' ones (which are rarely used, and only one is useable as the others' chucks are so worn).
I will probably put a separate thread up with various projects I've done so far. At least we can go off topic here on a subject that's not exactly on topic for a vintage radio forum
You've made my sawbench all embarrassed now by your compliments! It's good to hear it should be very simple to maintain and as you say has the main safety features built in which is very nice for an elderly piece of kit.
We actually have an electric planer, perhaps I just need to practice with it more as I feel happier using traditional hand planes. A lot of the time we take hardwoods raw as they come from the sawmill and turn them into a product (a shelf for example) without using any power tools, so hand planing from a dark mess into a beautiful piece of walnut for example. The cost of planes new is rather ridiculous, personally I'd rather buy older ones anyway as I find they have better quality steel. Jack and Fore planes are more expensive but smoothing planes seem very common and cheap (my two have been passed down from relatives). Of course a thicknesser and a jointer does render handplanes irrelevant for most work but we aren't allowed to use the one at school (until we no longer are officially students in a couple of weeks).
I'm fairly confident in working in both metric and imperial but I do try work in mm when making something from scratch.
I am highly tempted to bid on that metalworking lathe but sadly our workshop just doesn't have the space (and it won't fit in the back of the Marina...). I do love metalworking and lathe work however, I guess if I ever need to use one I will use one of the schools' ones (which are rarely used, and only one is useable as the others' chucks are so worn).
