Lost Art Press

LAP Open Wire, Oct. 10, 2026

Posted on by fitz

Welcome to Open Wire, our bi-monthly Woodworking Q&A session.

Until 5 p.m. today, you can post your questions in the comment section below, then Chris and I, along with your fellow readers if they wish, will answer.

I’m writing this post about a week ahead of time, but it’s fairly safe to assume that as you read this, Chris is working on a chair in between his answers, and I’m unpacking from one teaching trip and getting ready for the next one (as is Chris – we’ll both be at the London International Woodworking Festival in two weeks).

Our final Open Wire of the year is on December 12.

– Fitz

135 thoughts on “LAP Open Wire, Oct. 10, 2026”

  1. Two questions: 1) Do you have any recommendations regarding the Veritas pull-shave? 2) Have you tried using catalpa wood in a chair, say an Irish-y stick chair? Our local lumber seller has some lovely 4/4 X 12” x 8’ pieces for sale. They say it doesn’t split well. Wood DB says : stable, works well, a softer less strong hardwood, beautiful grain, used for fence posts and furniture.
    Thanks!

    1. Hi Evan,

      I’ve never been able to make friends with the pull shave. The tool and my hand position tend to block my view as I work. So I prefer a traditional travisher.

      And I’ve never used catalpa for anything, I’m afraid. So I don’t have any exerience to share, I’m afraid.

  2. Hello Chris.
    How deep do you ream the tapered leg mortises? I made a mistake and reamed until the narrow end was far enough in to contact the circumference of the seat top hole. As I corrected the angle of the reamer, it turned the top opening into a keyhole.

    And, any tips on setting up the veritas tapered tenon maker? I find it tough to get the top to match the 5/8″ hole.

    Thanks for spending the time to do this.
    Les

    1. Hi Les,

      I don’t use the tapered reamer much in my work these days. I mostly stick to cylindrical mortises and tenons. When I do use it, I ream most of the way through the mortise. But I try to leave a little bit of cylindrical mortise if possible.

      On setting up the tapered tenon cutter, I don’t worry too much about hitting 5/8″ at the tip. The tenon is tapered, so it will (eventually) fill the tapered hole when I drive it home. The goal is to get the slope correct so the tenon will stick in the mortise. Using the little marks cast into the body of the tool, I usually set the blade to 1 mark (from the outside) at the tip of the tool. And 3 marks at the opening.

  3. I am curious if you still like the Pentel graphgear 1000.

    I have been using them since your post mentioning them a ways back.
    .5 for paper
    .9 for the coarse and obnoxious materials that I measure, mark, and cut.

    If you have a different pencil that you prefer, can you share the name.
    Not sponsored, of course.

    1. That is still one I am happy to reach for when marking out dovetails. But for classes, I buy inexpensive BIC Xtra-Precision Mechanical Pencils … because I don’t always get them all back!

    2. I have not found a better pencil. The only trouble I have with the graphgear is that sometimes debris from my shop apron clogs the mechanism. Shavings get into the opening at the tip and prevent the tip from extending.

  4. Hi Megan and Chris,
    is Matthew Bickford’s book on building moulding planes still in the works?
    What titles are expected to come out the upcoming year?
    Thanks a lot for this open wire and for all LAP things you do,
    Yoni

    1. It is! I’m hard at work on it now, and editing the final section. Next up for me is Elia Bizzarri’s on Samuel Wing. We’ll also have a revised edition of “Make Fresh Milk Paint” out soon, Jarrod Dahl’s “Axis Mundi” on turning (in its final stages before going to press), Dr. Mike Epworth’s “Wild Line: The Past and Future of the Jimmy Possum Chairmaking Tradition,” a new artisan geometry book from Jim Tolpin and George Walker, two on design – one from Jeff Miller and another from Chris Becksvoort, Albert Klein on marquetry…and no doubt a title or two I’m forgetting

  5. My chute plane factory blade is a Veritas 35 degree bevel up bedded 12 degrees with a slight micro bevel. It tends to chatter on end grain of hard woods like Bolivian Rosewood or hickory. Do you think a higher angle is called for?

    1. A higher angle will likely make the chattering problem worse. Three typical solutions:

      1. Resharpen (always step No. 1 with me).
      2. Take a lighter cut
      3. Moisten the end grain with a 50/50 mix of isopropyl and water

  6. I’m out of town so my tool-boxing is on hold, but when I return next week I’ll be zipping the top off my version of your small T&G tool chest, fitting up hinges and bails and latches, and mulling over interior fitments.
    Do you intend to write up some specifics about how you’d fit out the lid and interiors, or is this a personal thing that depends more on one’s own tools and needs and wants (as I write this I’m thinking “Yeah well, of course it is”… It’s not like there’s any lack of resources, not least under the LAP imprint …)
    So yeah, sure. We’ll see where this one goes 🤨😂

      1. LOL. I’ll grant you’ve been slightly busy of late 😏..
        Then there’s nowt to do but keep up momentum.
        I don’t doubt I’ll post progress on my ‘stack, muttering along with every step backwards …

  7. Hey guys,
    In season 25 of the Woodwright’s shop, Roy builds a “cabinet workbench” or “high bench” that he says is based off a design by Charles Hayward. I was wondering if the design was included in any of the Hayward books published by lap? My best guess would be the Woodworker Vol IV, but wanted to check.
    Thanks
    Dan

  8. Greetings,
    Thanks for doing this again!
    Q: in making side hung drawers, (re: your recent blog posting with Peter’s new book) the groove is in the drawer sides, and the carrier is in the carcass side. It seems like putting the carrier in the drawer, and the groove in the carcass would make a stronger drawer. Any historical or otherwise reasoning for putting the groove in the drawer? Many thanks!

    1. If the carrier spline is in the drawer side, the groove must be exposed on the face of the carcass. It’s neater the other way.

      1. That makes sense!….the spline in the carcass can start an inch back from the front….
        This was my attempt at making drawers with as thin sidewalls as possible. The groove dictates the width.
        Thanks for the response

    2. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a side-hung drawer with runners on the drawer side and a groove in the case side. Doesn’t mean there aren’t any, but.. I’m revealing an aesthetic bias here, but I think narrow pieces of wood sticking out the sides of a drawer would look rather inelegant when the drawer was pulled out…rather like metal side-hung ball-bearing drawer runners look cheap to me.

      And how would the drawer go into the case? The dado would have to come out the front face of the case, unless the drawer were inserted from the back – which would be easy before the back is in place and the piece isn’t yet up against a wall, but after that, you’d have to hope that runner never failed, because how would you get the drawer out to replace it, then re-insert it? And,I think you’d need a wider piece of wood on the interior (unless the drawer is flush to the case sides) to support a dado in which a runner could ride, and you already have a wider surface available on the drawer side.

      1. Thanks for the thoughts!
        What I’m “experimenting” with at the moment is a drawer that is basically 4”x6”x 1” deep (so kinda small). What looks appropriate are sides that are 1/4” thick. A groove in the side doesn’t leave much for strength…and too shallow a groove (+radii for handling) doesn’t function. Thus the reason for putting the carrier in the drawer sides….but creating guide slots in the carcass face.
        Perhaps I need to look at a bottom mount dovetail slide guides or something….

        2. What fitz says— I’d put the guides under, and not groove the drawer sides at all. To cover the guides, make the faceplate “taller” to hang down over the gap. Or use a seperator in the carcase face

        3. Another thought would be to make the face of the drawer 4 1/2 by 1 1/4 inches, inset the face frame if you want a flush drawer face, and go from there…

  9. I’m pretty good at wedging/leveling/scribing chair leg bottoms but struggle with the actual sawing. I’m fairly accurate with hand sawing in general but I can’t seem to follow the too-many lines on an octagon. It’s also confusing when clamping the angled leg so that the saw cuts are perpendicular to the floor. I’d appreciate some suggestions or references in your books. Thanks.

    1. Try sawing a shallow kerf on one facet. Then saw a shallow kerf on an adjacent facet. Waste out the material between those two facets.

      Then add a shallow third kerf on an adjacent facet. Waste the material between the three connected facets. Add a fourth facet….

      Then saw through the rest of the leg, focusing one smooth strokes.

    1. I don’t think there’s anything new since Issue 3 of The Stick Chair Journal, but Chris will chime in if I’m wrong.

  11. Hey guys! Thanks so much for being so open to questions. I really appreciate it Chris, I am working on my Lincolnshire chair ever so slowly. I downloaded the file for full sized plans and printed them out at the printer and they look good and correct(hope they are…). The comb is not full sized on my plans(19 1/2”). Do I duplicate that curve on the plans along the 26” overlong comb that I cut(is the curve on the plans correct)? I did replicate the curve on my 26” comb that I cut out, just want to clarify before I move forward. Thank you!!

      1. Ok. So it is the same as the seven stick comb back comb? Just clarifying. Thanks.

  12. Great choice of artwork at the head of this open wire. What can you tell us about it? I found it quite eye catching.

  13. Excited for Axis Mundi! And the updated milk paint!

    I seem to remember Rudy Everts was possibly doing a book on wood cuts?

    Any update on the Joiner workshirts?

    1. See…I knew I forgot at least one. Yes, Rudy is working on that. And Joiner’s Workshirts: hopefully at the beginning of November.

  14. Hello! Any recommendations for 2-3 chisels I should start out with as fairly new handtool woodworker. I’ve been working on building up my handplane collection and practicing with those first, but want to try my hand at things like dovetails and other joinery next. Thanks as always for what you all do.

  15. Good morning, Megan and Chris. I am working on a Hobbit-y arm chair. Are the 5/8” mortises in the seat through or blind? If they are blind mortises, how deep are they?

  16. Are concave spokeshaves more useful/usable for rounded work than multiple passes with a flat bottomed one. I’m contemplating a purchase but have never used the concave variant and I’m thinking they would require a different technique? Maybe mor difficulties to use well?

  17. For octagonal chair legs, do you make them octagonal first, or taper first? Do you still use the jointer method to taper?

    1. I make them octagonal first. There is no advantage to doing it my way – or the other way.

      I taper mine by hand (though the jointer is a good option).

  18. Oak leg with tapered tenon into a poplar seat (Veritas reamer & matching tenon cutter). I pound the leg in but when I wedge it, it pushes the leg back out about 1/8″. How can I keep the leg seated? I’ve tried holding the leg vertical on the bench when wedging but that doesn’t help much. I”m ready to go back to cylindrical tenons. Thanks.

  19. Chris, there has been an ownership change over at dictum, as I am sure you are aware. I am happy that they will continue to be in business, but it looks like they shut down their classes? What a shame!

    Is there any chance you´ll continue to offer yearly(-ish) chairmaking classes in Germany? Any plans for 2027? Thanks!

    1. I know there are some people working to open a new school in Munich, but I can’t say more than that.

      However, I won’t be teaching in Germany in 2027 because of my heavy schedule at Workshop Covington. I do hope to return to Germany soon, however.

      1. sounds good! see you in Munich in 2028, hopefully. I don´t know anything about anything but I feel there has to be a reasonably profitable small business in there somewhere, especially with the gap dictum is leaving. Thanks for the reply, and all the best

  20. I will be starting my 5th chair soon using 1″cylindrical tenons for the first time but need to buy a bit. Should I get a 1 1/16 bit to allow room for the tenon to expand when wedged? Or is the tenon slightly undersized? Thanks for the great service/resource!

  21. This is a question about laying out and drilling a comb in a side chair that is only sticks and a comb.

    I would like to have the sticks splayed somewhat so should I bend them into position and mark the angles? The other issue is how do I set the mortise angles in the seat to match the curve of the comb in the first place? There must be a way to do this on the actual chair without CAD!

    1. When designing a chair, I make mock-ups using scrap and dowels. I would rather the mortises in the backrest and seat line up without a lot of bending. But there will be some bending because the chair is being made by a person and the drilling won’t be perfect. Usually a couple mock-ups gets me where I want to be.

  23. I run a small publishing house, and I appreciate the quality of LAP books and your commitment to working with local businesses. You’ve often shared who’s involved in making the tools, but who prints the books? (Apologies if this was in a blog post somewhere and I missed it).

  24. I’ve been saturation watching instructional videos this past week. It seems like wedges are cut to a different angle in each individual presentation: 6 Degrees to 12 degrees. Would the smart viewer have learned that there is no Golden Rule for the angle of your wedge? Are we free to use our discretion?

    1. Like everything in woodworking, it depends. I find that 7° (included) is a good place to start. But if the wood I’m working with is softer or harder than is typical, I will adjust the included angle. Make some wedges with different included angles. Experiment. There is no Universal Wedge Law.

  25. Speaking of the revised Milk Paint book, I’m working on painting with milk paint from your current edition and… having trouble. A lot of trouble. The paint “gels” quickly in the jar (even before refrigeration, which just makes it worse), and it struggles to adhere in some places, chipping off bare, 120-grit-sanded, clean wood while I’m just lightly paper-bagging it between coats (yes, it’s dried fully, sometimes as much as overnight).

    Are any of the revisions potentially addressing these sorts of issues, and if so, any pointers while I’m trying to get this project done? I’m using a good quality skim milk with no additives, not overheating it, and following the instructions pretty religiously, including pouring it through a fine-mesh strainer after blending.

    Also, will those of us who purchased the first edition be able to get a PDF of the revisions, or will we have to buy the book again?

    Thank you!

    1. As far as the gelling, my gut reaction is that it needs more water.

      On adherence, Nick mentions that while MP works on most species, some are a challenge, and he suggests a test board.

      On your current project, perhaps he’ll weigh in with thoughts; he often does – or you can reach out to him on IG: https://www.instagram.com/thehobojournals/

      And he’s writing a blog entry on the changes in the new edition.

    3. If you are on Substack, connect with Nick Kroll. He’s a great guy and has spent significant time with me discussing experiments and what he’s learned, as well as troubleshooting.
      Have you tried paint with different pigments? Bc I learned that some work way better than others. Ex. Monte Carlo blue makes a weird translucent poorly adhering blue paint that gels quick.
      I also wonder if the lime you’ve got is bad somehow…
      https://substack.com/@krollsmilkpaint

  26. Good morning, and thanks for doing this! I’m thinking about getting a side rabbet plane for tuning dadoes and such. Should I prefer the #79 or a #98/99 pair? I like the idea of a single smaller plane to stash in my chest, but functionality matters more.

  27. Is there an archive of no-longer-in-print LAP books anywhere? I understand things disappearing from the store, but trying to track down past titles via the blog and various archives is rather kludgey.

        1. I’m not interested in fostering collectors. Other readers are collectors, and they track this stuff because they like to. So we leave it to them.

          We are tiny and unable to do everything that people ask of us. Sorry.

          1. fair enough. For me it’s less about collecting and more about having a hint that the information exists on paper somewhere. Hard to find a book if you don’t know it existed, at least without a card catalog to paw through.

  28. Kind of a silly question but I’ve been thinking of building a roorkhee chair for my wife and I to use at kids sporting events.

    I’ve watched the assembly video and I know they’re transportable but in the “take it apart, transport it, and reassemble it for a few months of colonizing the locals you grunt” kind of way…..not necessarily the “we’re late, hurry, get your shoes on, go! We’ll get setup,” kind of way.

    So what say you, can it be kept partially assembled and put together in about a minute or so I need to just accept the fact I’m gonna have an aluminum and nylon folding camp chair like everyone else?

    2. I can assemble the one he gave me in less time than it takes me to fight the folding aluminum ones…just takes a little practice.

  29. The concept of “Glue Without Joinery as Sin” has stuck in my brain. I know you’re a fan of loose tenons for chair seats, but what informs the decision to use them on, say, a panel glue up? Rules are meant to be broken, of course, but I’m curious how you go about reasoning.

    1. I try to imitate old work.

      For panels in a cabinet that is inside a house, dovetailed and won’t be tossed around, glue alone has always been OK.

      Door panels – kept together by a frame – glue alone is OK.

      Shelves – low abuse factor – glue alone is OK.

      For a panel that will see weather, abuse (chair), is unsupported by other joinery elements (such as a tabletop) then I’m going to use splines, loose tenons, tongue-and-groove – something else that will keep the panel together if/when the glue fails.

      Looking at old furniture usually gives me the guidance I need in these cases.

  30. The outside long stick on my walnut 6 stick chair has fractured just above the arm. Not sure when this happened but the chair had been fine for several months before it occurred. It’s a ragged fracture across the diameter of the stick. Is this a common failure and do you have a suggested approach to repair?

    1. Sounds like the wood is brash. Cut out the stick. Drill out the mortises. Drill the mortise in the seat all the way through the seat. Make a stick you can thread through the armbow and into the seat. Then push it into the extra-deep mortise so you can then pull it into the comb.

      This is just one approach. Others make a new stick with a scarf joint they glue together.

  31. I usually use a 50/50 alcohol mix to soften the end grain when leveling pins/tails. I did this recently and got an unpleasant blue green stain on the cherry.

    https://photos.app.goo.gl/4zYyWM3BK2CVsuyd9

    It was a nuisance to remove. I’m wondering if you’ve seen this before – it could be an interaction with the alcohol and the bronze plane body, or the oil on the plane, or the TB liquid hide glue. Or … something else? I’d really like to avoid it on the future.

    1. I use it on cherry all the time, and I have a bronze plane. I’ve had this occur once or twice, but I don’t know why it happened (and I was almost certainly using our hide glue or fish glue). I simply planed the dry stain away (that is, I added no additional spritz) in a few passes though – problem solved.

  32. Chris if you were designing a chair specifically for one person, which measurements of that person would you take, and how would you determine the actual chair dimensions from them? For example, would you subtract anything from the person’s seated leg height or knee-to-back measurement when establishing seat height and depth and arm height? thank you.

    1. There are measurements you can take, such as popliteal height, and where their lumbar and thoracic are located. Plus the length of their back.

      Other than popliteal, these are hard to map on a chair in my experience. What I prefer to do is ask them to sit in a variety of chairs and see what is comfortable to them. A lot of it relates to how you like to sit, and what you like to feel on your back (sicks or a backrest). Oh and how much back meat you have.

      There have been countless attempts (such as Humanscale 1-2-3) to quantify what people like. But I am unconvinced they are gospel.

  33. Any upcoming project with Mortise & Tenon? Haven’t seen much crossover lately beyond the consistent LAP shoutouts by piece authors.

    1. We don’t have anything planned or in mind. We fully support Mortise & Tenon magazine and all their efforts. Honestly, we are so busy on our own titles that we don’t give a lot of thought to partnerships and the like. Those things are good business, which is why I probably neglect them.

  34. any tips on something that will mark a fine line on dark wood? Best I’ve found are the Staedler omnichrom pencils, but they lose their point with precious little provocation.

    1. Chris might have a better answer, but I have yet to find a lasting light-colored marking device for fine lines. So when it’s critical that I see a line on walnut, I first put down a piece of blue or orange tape and mark on that.

    2. I have a Never Sponsored review publishing next week on Uni’s NanoDia leads in colors. They are the best (and erasable) option (aside from tape)

  35. I have the alternative arm jig plan for the Gibson chair and wondered if you still think this is better to go with or use the original one with the video? What about the other jig, which is a small block of wood with an angled hole drilled through it; does it work for all the posts on the Gibson, or is is better to have the arm lined up on top of the jig? Thanks!

    1. Both jigs work. I am in the midst of reworking the patterns for the Gibson that uses sandwich drilling. No jigs.

      The little jig I show for the Irish chairs works, too. It’s just a little fussy to set up.

      So feel free to use the jigs, but know that by January we should have a new video out that shows the jigless method. Sorry I don’t have everything ready to hand out today.

  36. I turned an old 6 inch laminated slab – bought at the previous handworks – into a bench as per Anarchists work bench – initially the holdfasts work well and then I applied linseed oil to the surface and, I am guessing, enough oil snuck in that the holdfasts no longer hold fast. Easiest way to fix my poor choice?

  37. I am contemplating using a modern, highly engineered, non-traditional screw system for the wagon vice on my Anarchist bench. It’s made by Hovarter, a company in Michigan. It uses a 6 TPI screw, with a clutch mechanism in the thread allowing very rapid in-out re-setting. They use the same clutch mechanism for a leg vice kit as well.

    Does anyone on the LAP team or anyone else in this group have any experience with or thoughts about the Hovarth mechanism? It seems reasonably priced at $230, with a heavy duty aluminum body and steel clutch and screw mechanism. My biggest concern is whether the clutch mechanism works or not, whether it opens and closed as advertised, and its durability.

    Installation of the mechanism as a wagon fice appears simple compared with other wagon vice setups. Details at: https://hovartercustomvise.com/product/vx21-wagon-vise-hardware-kit.

    Comments welcome.

    1. I haven’t used the wagon vise mechanism, but the Hovarter twin-screw that is on a bench at Pine Croft has been abused for years and still works well.

  38. I’ve read sharpen this and followed the sharpen directions for a smoothing plane pretty close. I end up with a fantastic wood finish with no plane tracks. My problem is I’m ending up with what looks like burnished streaks where the blade camber feathers out.

    I’ve done a hard reset of the plane (like new Lie Nielsen), and confirmed the plane isn’t leaving marks. The wood is cherry if that makes any difference.

    Is this normal? Do I need to grind my blade and try again?

  39. Who has recommendations for a high quality set of screwdrivers that are specifically sized for US slotted head screws #2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 & 14?

    I’m looking at the set made by Grace in Maine but seeking alternatives.

    I have a set of the Grace mini-screwdrivers that I purchased for HO Scale model railroad work, and like them a lot. Excellent quality, oxidized steel blades, hardened steel.

    My main objection to the design of the full-sized Grace set is a lack of flat surfaces for gripping with an adjustable wrench to add torque when needed, something along the lines of the old Marples cabinet maker’s screwdrivers.

    US-made products preferred but not essential. Used or new both fine.

    1. My Grace screws have a hex shaft, which can be gripped with pliers no problem.

      But the other solution is to buy gunsmith hex bits from Brownells, or another gun supply store. They carry the bits in a wide variety of widths (not to mention thicknesses). Then you can pair the bits with whatever you want. I wrote about these bits on our Never Sponsored Substack.

    2. I use a set of gunsmith hex-drive bits from Brownell’s, paired with the Elementary driver handles. The #2 Elementary has a hex shaft for applying extra torque if you need it.

  40. When polishing the backs of my chisels, I find them “sticking” to the 5,000 and the 8,000 stones after a few strokes. I am using Shapton Ceramic stones, and flattening them with the Lapping Plate. I lubricant them with a water/Dawn dish soap (2-3 drops/qt) solution. I rewet them, but the same thing keeps happening.

    I have your book and video series on sharpening, but if you mentioned this problem, I missed it.

    Thanks for all you do for the community. I use your principles to teach my grandchildren (teenagers now) the trade. They each made a stick stool of their own, and I just finished my first stick chair. I literally could not have done it without you. Thanks again!

    1. When that happens, I add more water to the stone, wipe away any swarf and go again. It only takes a couple swipes to polish the flat face and remove the burr, so the stiction isn’t a huge problem in my book.

  41. Thinking about making the boarded tool chest form the ADB book but would like it to be a little bigger. Would you have any hesitations to make it 24 inches tall instead of 15? Mainly worried about the strength of the cut nails

  43. Hello Chris and Megan

    My dad and I are setting up a new shop, and I wanted to ask if there are historical guidelines/books/articles on where everything in the shop should go? Its mostly hand tools, aside from a small bandsaw, drill press, grinder, and chop saw(though that doesn’t get used much)

    Secondly, I recently made a batch of your soft wax but when it cooled it set up hard. It melts easily but its nowhere near a paste, making it a bit annoying to use. Ive reheated and added extra limonene to no avail. Any ideas?

    1. There are lots of resources out there. Visiting Colonial Williamsburg is a good way to see it in person. Many old books discuss how to set things up. And Scott Landis’ “Workshop” book covers the topic in exhaustive detail. Honestly, there isn’t one way to do it. The most important consideration is getting light on your bench, keeping your tools close by and leaving some space by the bench for sawing and assembly. After that, small machines can go almost anywhere.

  44. While building my 52″x24″ writing desk (out of red oak) with a drawer (drawer guides using twin tenons set into the front and back rails), I’ve been closely following Robert Wearing’s The Essential Woodworker. In his instructions for building a table (his rails are only 2 3/4″, mine are 4 1/2″ wide), he recommends that a haunch is needed to prevent the mortise from splitting and, adding width to the tenon, “reduces the possibility of the rail twisting in the leg”. He only uses glue (and the buttons attaching the rails to the top), it seems, to keep the table’s structure together. However, Christian Becksvoort, in his Shaker Inspiration, designed a hall table using just drawbore mortises, with dowels toward the top and bottom of each tenon. My question is—why does Wearing prefer the haunch over a drawbore mortise? Or did he just not use those much (different construction tradition)? I assume the drawbore mortise, with two dowels, as Becksvoort has it, will also reduce the possibility of the rail twisting in the leg. If I also might ask (I know, naughty, second question—and of course, I don’t expect you to answer it): why buttons instead of pocket screws? Because screws will eventually wallow out the screw holes? Once again, thank you for these very helpful fora!

    1. Both assembly methods work. Wearing is approaching the topic as a 20th-century hand tool woodworker. Becksvoort’s mind is more in the 18th and 19th centuries, where drawboring was far more common. Pick either method.

      Buttons and pocket screws are also just different answers to the same question. Buttons are more refined and proper. Pocket screws are more vernacular (though they are sometimes found on very nice work).

      When I select a method, I try to use what was common in the era – if possible.

      Or just make yourself happy.

  45. I’ve read sharpen this and followed the sharpen directions for a smoothing plane pretty close. I end up with a fantastic wood finish with no plane tracks. My problem is I’m ending up with what looks like burnished streaks where the blade camber feathers out.

    I’ve done a hard reset of the plane (like new Lie Nielsen), and confirmed the plane isn’t leaving marks. The wood is cherry if that makes any difference.

    Is this normal? Do I need to grind my blade and try again?

  46. Chris, on your recent trip to Wales you studied tons of lovely pieces and have spoken about the design and materials, but did this trip reveal more about the tools and fixtures used by the original creators? Have spent the day cursing as I wrestle sticks in my yard à la celtic peasant, and wondering if they might have had a shave horse let alone a pole lathe. Wondering if you believe Welsh peasants had such things or if that was more for proper chairmakers/bodgers.

    1. So workholding is always going to be a mystery.

      Of course shave horses were everywhere. They seem to appear and disappear through the record. There’s lots of evidence they were used. As were simple benches a la Hulot. “Woodworking in Estonia” is filled with workholding ideas for sticks, including simple devices that use an upright tree.

      So pretty much anything that we do today in green woodworking was almost certainly in use back then. Plus things we’ve forgotten.

      The way John Brown, Chris Williams and I work is about making the work accessible to people who do flat work. Many of these techniques are adaptations from Hulot or from old Swedish films.

      As to tools: We can see the work was shaved, not turned. So drawknife, shave, plane, whatever. Ax marks are common on seats. Wales doesn’t have as much of a turning tradition as England. The few turnings you see on chairs were many times ordered from a commercial place (different woods than the rest of the chair; common commercial patterns). That’s according to Emyr Davies at St Fagans, who has spent his life studying this stuff.

      1. Thank you! I saw shavehorses in the blackhouses at the Highland Folk Museum but have found scant evidence they had them in the western highlands and islands, however as you said—there isn’t much evidence of ANYTHING that’s survived that northern climate so… I reckon to hear that Scotland is similar to Wales in these regards. “Appearing and disappearing” sounds a plausible “maybe” and I’ll take it.

        Also, now that I say it…I’ve not yet been to Wales, but i imagine the whole reason they used bent branches and salvage woods was because of lack of forest, so a pole lathe would probably be tricky since they weren’t under springy trees.

        Thanks again. Love hearing your research on this.

          1. I didn’t know that about Wales OR Ireland. I’ve noticed the Hebrides have precious few trees, and the ones they do have are twisted and gnarled from weather. That is why they had to be creative and precious with bent trunks, repurposed shipping packaging, bog wood, and even broken tools (saw a chair with a comb made from a broken peat shovel). But this also explains why they’re literally is no woodworking tradition that I could find, making my research difficult. Meanwhile, Wales has become legendary for chairs haha

  47. I’ve found some articles on popwood saying your work with the 5 1/2 was successful when working off the machines like David Charlesworth and I’ve seen some more recent work saying to avoid the super smoother. I actually love my 7, and use it for almost everything but its length does get in the way sometimes for final passes.

    What’s your latest thoughts on the 5 1/2 craze?

    1. As my work has tilted to the more traditional, I now use a No. 5, No. 3 and a jointer (at times). But mostly the 5 and 3. These are good choices when the wood isn’t perfectly machined. The 5 rips away the excess to get it flattish. And the 3 cleans up the show surfaces.

      I would have to work my butt off to use a 5-1/2 in our shop, which isn’t machine-centric.

      The No. 5-1/2 is ideal for shops that use well-tuned machines and want/need precise parts with minimal planing. It would be a less-than optimal tool in a band-saw-based shop with a lot of riving going on.

      Hope this makes sense.

  48. What black wax do you recommend for filling the engravings on wooden rulers? Do you shellac or pre-finish before the wax?

    1. We apply the wax over the film finish (shellac or lacquer….). We use Liberon Black Bison wax in dark oak. Apply the wax, wait about 15-20 minutes, then buff with a huck towel to remove the excess

  49. No question, but rather a comment.

    Chris, you wrote a piece a while back, not sure of the year, but it was after your doctor’s appointment and your were awarded good news. I read it all and printed it off and put it aside. I hadn’t read it since then, but I dug it out and read it again, but with a bit different digestion of the words.

    The past year, or longer, I have been going from one thing to another trying to keep ahead of the crap happening to my body. Injury to PT, surgery to PT, and more PT, another surgery and more PT, etc…

    This Thursday I meet the doctor and hoping for an all clear to move ahead message. Now, I’m a tad older than you and figure I have 9 – 10 good years left to do those things I want to do. I have this list of those things I compiled this last year and have it sitting on the table.

    Like you, I picked option #2. Past couple days I have gotten the planes and saws ready for use since we haven’t done anything for more than a while. I’ll be learning how to handle these tools all over again, but now with a brighter sense of urgency and meaning. We’re gonna have us some fun.

    Just wanted to say, thanks for your article. It mattered to me.

    2. The Benchcrafted founders are 911 aficionados and have restored theirs — a passion they share with a couple other woodworkers and friends who were at the show, Konrad Sauer, Marc Stonestreet and Rutiger…I’m blanking on his last name. Sorry, Rutiger!

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