Search results for:

That is a steal!

It’s difficult to tell from the photo what is veneer and what isn’t. But no, you don’t want to remove it.

I had a desk of similar vintage. First thing to check is what is veneer and what isn’t. That will indicate where you need to be cautious with the sanding. It’s surprisingly easy to sand through the veneer, don’t ask how I know. The drawer faces look to be solid oak. For those, I’d consider a rub down with a fine brass wire brush to get the old varnish out of the grain prior to sanding. It looks like a lovely project to work on.

Nice work!

It will sharpen fine. Eyeballing the edge, I’d recommend sharpening at a smaller angle. It looks like you have something close to 20 degrees on there and for a Santoku you would be better off between 12 and 15 degrees.

Knipex pliers wrench is the one for the job. Maintains parallel jaws and clamps while turning.

Oooh, matron!

Is this the one with ceramic beads in it? I have used it before to fill deep holes and it didn’t sag at all. Maybe they have changed the formula for the worst.

When did this come in?

Thank you!

First attempt at a bookcase for an odd sized alcove. Wood came from the British Wood Panelling company, recommended unthread by Airhead. They don’t say what wood the panels are made of but I am pretty sure it’s American Tulipwood, which rather undermines their Britishness.

Still needs to be sanded and finished, and put on a plinth. Obviously I will be using Osmo.

I’ll be joining your number soon!

I have an Evolution Mitre saw currently on loan to Trunkie, who has been trying to give it back to me for ages. Decent saw, not much used. You can have it.

Decent saw, but for the money you could get a corded track saw, which is probably more useful.

I knew I held on to my school compass for a reason.

When you bumped into Millard, did he say, “Hi there, hope you’re well.”?

“Yeah, just slap some two pack on it mate.”

Forum favourite Peter Millard has an ace video on scribing. I think this was the one my gf described as the most boring video she has ever seen, but that was before I watched the one on MFT hardware.

Edited to add link:

https://youtu.be/g0W23buOgoE

There are three videos in this thrilling series.

Flap wheel on a die grinder to get to the inside areas. The angle grinder will only really get the faces done. I don’t envy you this job.

I don’t rate the coverage of that undercoat, even one coat. What did you use?

I remember reading a breakdown of how they get to the actuarial rate, based on the concept of “average luck,” which I found quite compelling. As my mother used to say, “You never know your luck in a raffle.”

+1 for antibiotic cream, or tea tree oil splash if you want something natural. I got a nasty infection once as a result of going months between changing the blades on my Mach 3 (or whatever it was).

Piano hinge? It would make it a feature.

Worth taking the front off the fan and seeing if there’s a mesh grille that has become clogged with dust from the bathroom redecoration. Our kitchen fan was struggling recently and this was the cause, although the buildup took years rather than months.

Very nice. How are you going to finish that Valchromat? Polyx?

People in £500k houses feel incoherent rage about not being able to afford Islington Georgian terrace houses where politicians in films live. ‘A box to live in / with airs and graces’.

Practice. Not every day, but at least once a week, for years in my case. I use a double sided DMT diamond stone for everyday sharpening, I can reach for it and get my regular chef’s knife sharp in a few minutes then down to slicing. A Wickededge would be a faff by comparison, but I totally understand the appeal, and the frustration it removes. When I started sharpening, videos on how to do it were few and far between. I can also remember using the coin under the blade method for judging the angle, which is completely unhelpful. Blades come in different widths. They taper, and they curve towards the point. It’s a problem you have to solve with your perceptions and your body movement, not with coins. Like other forms of mastery, it’s great when you start to get it, but a royal pain before that point.

With all that said, when I take in knives from friends and neighbours to sharpen, they are often so blunt that even a beginner’s efforts with a stone would yield some improvement, so I always encourage people to try themselves. Just because you can’t slice tissue paper doesn’t mean you have failed.