My blog at Popular Woodworking- Diagonal Wedges: The How & WhyWhen wedging through-tenons, I prefer to orient the wedge diagonally across the tenon. This is a somewhat atypical way to work, so an explanation is in order. A diagonal wedge has the advantage of closing up any gaps on all four edges of a rectangular mortise. That’s because it pushes the tenon against all four walls of the mortise. The more typical wedge, o […]
- Fit Irregular (Impossible!) Shapes with ‘Ticking Sticks’The trick to fitting wooden pieces into impossible recesses is to learn about “ticking sticks.” These simple sticks – plus a sheet of paper – can make monstrous tasks into a easy job. Here’s how they work. “Ticking sticks” go by many names in the historical record, but they are the best technology for cutting a piece of wood to fit an odd opening. All you ne […]
- Install a Grippy Liner on Your Bench ViseI’m a huge fan of installing a grippy liner on your bench vise. Wood faces grip your work OK. Add the right liner and the grip will become fantastic. Here are some details on choosing and installing a liner. What’s a Good Liner? Most people prefer leather, cork, felt or a rubber such as Crubber. Each has advantages and disadvantages. Peel-and-stick cork is f […]
- The Hardware Drawer of Last ResortSome of you will file this under “Bleeding Obvious,” but few people ever discuss their “junk drawers” in their shops. I call mine: The Hardware Drawer of Last Resort. It has saved my butt a thousand times. Actually, it’s not one drawer. It’s five. The one shown in the photo above is the “random fasteners” drawer. Every time I install some hinges and have ext […]
- Diagonal Wedges: The How & Why
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Category Archives: Charles H. Hayward at The Woodworker
How to Cut Wide Tenons
This is an excerpt from “The Woodworker: The Charles H. Hayward Years: Volume III” published by Lost Art Press. A reader has been making a piece of work which has involved the use of a tenoned rail some 12 ins. wide, … Continue reading
Carpenter’s Tools of the 17th Century
This is an excerpt from “The Woodworker: The Charles H. Hayward Years: Volume I” published by Lost Art Press. One sometimes gets in an indirect sort of way, a remarkable light on the things that people used to make and use. A man may explore all … Continue reading
Sharpening a Lightning Cross-Cut Saw
This is an excerpt from “The Woodworker: The Charles H. Hayward Years: Volume I” published by Lost Art Press. A reader has sent us a sketch of the teeth of a saw he wishes to sharpen. These are the farmer’s American or lightning … Continue reading
Useful Device for Rebating and Grooving
This is an excerpt from “The Woodworker: The Charles H. Hayward Years: Volume IV” published by Lost Art Press. Anyone using the Stanley or Record combination and multiplanes, or indeed any form of rebate or grooving plane, will no doubt have experienced difficulty in … Continue reading
The Technique of Woodwork
This is an excerpt from “The Woodworker: The Charles H. Hayward Years: Volume II” published by Lost Art Press. The practical working of wood is largely based upon an extraordinarily simple fact; a fact which every man who goes in for woodwork, even … Continue reading
Posted in Charles H. Hayward at The Woodworker
FEATURES IN FURNITURE: CARVINGS AND TURNINGS
This is an excerpt from “The Woodworker: The Charles H. Hayward Years: Volume IV” published by Lost Art Press. From the earliest pre-historic ages man has tried to express himself in some form of decoration, first in flint and then in wood. To … Continue reading
Some Interesting Lesser Used Joints
This is an excerpt from “The Woodworker: The Charles H. Hayward Years: Volume III” published by Lost Art Press. CROSS HALVING WITH HOUSED SHOULDERS The cross-halving joint, with notched or housed shoulders (Fig. 1), is only rarely used in actual practice. In ecclesiastical woodwork … Continue reading
