Sanding Tip

HI Folks
Been all go in the Philly Workshop these last few weeks. Another Woodworking show (Yandles), catching up with orders and making two Oak Bookcases. And a few other things besides.....

First up - a tip. If you use power sanders of any type you really need to get yourself a "belt cleaner". I use a 12 inch disc sander for roughing out and they clog fast - as soon as they clog they burn out and become useless. A cleaner removes any clogging in seconds and prolongs the life of the abrasive by ten times, easily. They cost little (I bought the small one form Axminster and it has lasted 18 months) and work well. You can see the remains of the old one on top of the new one - I certainly had my use from it ;)

Next up - the oak bookcases. These were a project for my friend Steve. They were pretty big (2.2m high, 1.5m wide and 400mm deep) and I managed to use pretty much every clamp in the workshop. But the customer was very happy and it was good to do some furniture making.

Cupcake the 'shop cat is getting bigger by the minute. She is also quite comfortable in the workshop now and looks forward to having a nap in there (when she's not rooting out sawdust). Here's a photo of her hard at work ;)Yandles show was a lot of fun (except for the rain!!!!). It was great to meet so many of you in person and fun to see Folks making shavings with my planes. I have some new models in the pipeline so keep your eyes peeled (as well as a new-look website!)

Cheers
Philly

Showtime....

Hi Folks
Time for another woodworking show - Yandles in Martock, Somerset.
I do enjoy Yandles, a twice yearly event. It is held in a working sawmill and has a wonderful atmosphere - huge woodworking machines lurking everywhere, stack after stack of planks air drying in the fields and the smell of tannins in the air. It's not the biggest show but definitely the friendliest.
I'll be there Friday and Saturday - do pop by my bench and say hello!

Back in the workshop I've been busy with the Rosewood again. Just finished a Luthiers Scrub plane - a lovely little plane. The sole is gently curved in both directions (front to back, side to side) which allows you to cut hollow surfaces. If you've ever used a curved spokeshave you've probably found it a bit difficult to keep the tool cutting throughout the cut - this scrub is completely different! It is so simple to use and has a very shallow learning curve. I was so pleased with the way it worked I had to make one for myself, so a baby version in Pau Rosa was born :)

So - better go pack the van ready for Yandles.
See you there?

Philly