When Lie-Nielsen started selling this dusting brush (at the advice of David Chalesworth) I chuckled about it like when you see a guy wearing an ascot or pocket square.
Then I used it, and I bought one immediately.
Made with Chinese boar bristles, the brush is the perfect thing for getting crap out of the mouth of your handplane and from that tight spot on the plane’s sole between the body and the blade. It just works – better than a cheap paintbrush. And it’s just a nice thing. It’s the right size for the job, it is well-made and it helps support Lie-Nielsen Toolworks.
Plus it’s $15, so it’s a great gift.
— Christopher Schwarz
Disclaimer: We buy all of our tools. We don’t accept advertising or sponsorships. We are not part of any affiliate program. We don’t make any money if you buy these items. We just like these tools.
There are occasional times in the shop I gash myself pretty good. I know that I don’t need stitches, but I also don’t want to wait for an hour for the wound to stop bleeding and set up enough that I can go back to work.
Enter WoundSeal – a fantastic powder that will seal up a gash instantly and create a scab that protects the area from further damage. You can buy it at any good drugstore.
First clean out the wound with soap and water. Let the blood well up again (this is important) and then apply the powder. The powder reacts with the blood and bam – the wound is sealed.
WoundSeal says that the stuff doesn’t burn or hurt when you apply it. I haven’t found that to be true. The stuff hurts – briefly. But that’s a small price to pay for the excellent results.
Don’t pick at the scab. I like to cover the scab with a bandage to prevent it from getting caught on something, though WoundSeal says that’s unnecessary.
Buy some today and keep it on hand. You’ll be glad the next time you slip with a chisel.
— Christopher Schwarz
Disclaimer: We buy all of our tools. We don’t accept advertising or sponsorships. We are not part of any affiliate program. We don’t make any money if you buy these items. We just like these tools.
You need good tweezers (and sometimes a sharp X-Acto knife) to remove difficult splinters.
I’ve tried a lot of brands. I’m sure there are some really high-end ones out there that I haven’t used, but the best commonly available ones are the Tweezerman brand. I get these from the drugstore and pick the “precision point” tip versions with the most outlandish colors so I can spot them easily in my tool chest.
These tweezers have sharp tips to dig into your flesh (this is a good thing) and they grip like crazy so you can pull the offending sliver from deep inside your hand (or wherever…).
— Christopher Schwarz
Disclaimer: We buy all of our tools. We don’t accept advertising or sponsorships. We are not part of any affiliate program. We don’t make any money if you buy these items. We just like these tools.
I wrote about these in August. They are still awesome and I still use them every chance I get.
Why am I writing this, then? To tell you not to bother ordering them from the Two Cherries website. I ordered some, they charged my card but the pencils never arrived – Pencilgate. So if you want them, I recommend Tools for Working Wood. They won’t let you down (and the pencils are the same price when purchased direct from Two Cherries).
Fantastic pencils. Great lead. Great wood. Perfect balance and feel in the hand.
— Christopher Schwarz
Disclaimer: We buy all of our tools. We don’t accept advertising or sponsorships. We are not part of any affiliate program. We don’t make any money if you buy these items. We just like these tools.
Editor’s note: I usually start this gift guide in November, but November got away from me. Apologies. I started this guide after my kids began asking me what I wanted for Christmas. Some of the suggestions I gave them ($3 Bessey mini clamps, blue tape etc.) were so useful and appreciated I thought that others might agree.
I’ve always had a cork sanding block. It’s such a crucial part of my tool kit that sometimes I forget about it.
Cork blocks are useful as a backing material when hand sanding. If you hold the paper with your fingers only, the wood is unlikely to feel flat after you sand it. If, on the other hand, you use a rigid plastic or hardwood block to back up your sandpaper, you will have to work long and hard to get the surface feeling flat.
Cork is the perfect middle ground. It is rigid enough that the wood feels flat. Yet it has enough give that you can follow the hills and valleys of a large surface and get the job done quickly.
Where should you buy cork sanding blocks? Good question.
My old boss made me one from a piece of 3/4” plywood where one surface was covered with adhesive cork – the kind you line kitchen drawers with. It works OK. The better tool is a piece of solid cork. The block I use measures 1” thick, 2-1/2” wide and 7” long. You can wrap a 6” sanding disk around it (we don’t bother with sheets of sandpaper here because we don’t use much of it).
Finding cork blocks for sale on the internet is all about paying insane amounts of money for shipping. Your best bet is to buy a block from a local woodworking store, where you’ll pay about $6 to $10. You are probably paying too much, but the blocks don’t wear out or go bad.
Another option is to buy a cork “yoga block.” These typically measure 4” x 6” x 9” and you can get one for less than $20. Then you can cut them down to whatever size you like (using woodworking tools). And you can make some for your friends, too.
— Christopher Schwarz
Disclaimer: We buy all of our tools. We don’t accept advertising or sponsorships. We are not part of any affiliate program. We don’t make any money if you buy these items. We just like these tools.
