* I remember using some rasps that my grandfather had in his shop, back when I was a young kid. I’d always wonder when I’d use such coarse tools, as they just seemed to mess up my wood, rather than really seeming useful. Through the years, I’ve tried quite a few different brands, and even […]
My trusty shooting board, perhaps the great-great-great-grandson of my first shooting board, was getting a little “long in the tooth.” Giving birth to a new one would typically involve about fifteen minutes of labor. But, I decided to prolong the gestation period over a cup of coffee and think about whether the laughably simple “classic” […]
When I’m working at our Lie-Nielsen events, we are asked a wide range of questions about hand planes. Most are somewhat typical, like: “Can you show me how to sharpen a plane blade?” One question that does seem to resonate with a fairly large number of woodworkers, and perhaps even more for those just starting out, is which are […]
Christmas is coming and it is time to look at the old wish list. My family laments the fact that I have all the $30 woodworking tools. Anything I still need/want is going to be more. Assuming you have been a good boy or girl, perhaps it will be a fruitful year in the workshop. […]
I’m always on the lookout for the “perfect” surface to help hold my sharpening stones, so they don’t have a mind of their own and walk around on me. A couple of years ago I made the Lie-Nielsen sharpening guide, which you can see at any of our events, and whose plans are available online. I love how […]
A few months ago, I posted some videos of my wood turning efforts with the Easy Wood Tools. These tools are fairly new at Highland and I wanted to give them a try. I started with the Large Rougher which has a rectangular tip on it and has turned into one of my favorites especially […]
I’ve been playing guitars for well over 35 years, and had always just bought guitars off of the rack, in music stores. A number of years ago, I thought I might try my hand at building a guitar. Not the type where you buy a kit with all the parts pre-cut, then just put it together, but one where […]