Bet’cha can’t do this.  Not many people can cut a perfect arc on a table saw in a thin piece of plywood.  Notice how the cut is just the right depth to keep the ply together.  Notice how the cut starts in from the side perfectly tangential to the arc.  Notice how the cut continues all the way across the workpiece in a perfect arc.  Notice the small blood stain in the center of the piece.

Perfect Arc on the Table Saw

Maybe you have guessed by now this is a terrible mistake and a big screwup.  I was cutting some pieces of plywood for our annual family gingerbread house construction and I failed to pay sufficient attention near the end of the cut.  It got away from me in about one tenth of one second and the next thing I knew it was bouncing off the back wall of the shop about 15 feet behind me.  Thank goodness I was wearing a face shield and standing to the side as I always do.  The only damage, besides my ego, was a broken fingernail and a pretty good scrape to my ring finger from the flying plywood.  That thing took off like a helicopter, flew just past my head, all the way across the room and banged into the wall near the ceiling behind me.  It was brutal and scary and reminded me all over again how potentially devastating a moment of carelessness can be in the shop.

I am sure that many of you out there are looking at my saw and noting the lack of a guard and splitter at the blade.  You are right and I deserve that.  But for all you beginners out there, note this.  I am an experienced woodworker who has used a table saw for years and I know how this kind of kickback happens.  It happens because I took off the splitter behind the blade and the piece twisted and the back portion of the saw caught the wood and threw it back at me.  But you see, I was just going to use the saw for thirty seconds to make a base for a gingerbread house and it was not a real project,   and I know all about this stuff cause I write for Highland and I don’t need any advice from you.  That kind of thinking is what gets you hurt.  Leave the guard on your saw or at the very least, get an aftermarket splitter behind the blade.  And be careful out there.

By the way, the way you know you are pretty far gone is when something bad happens, all you can think is “Oh wow, that’s a great blog entry”.

When I mention using a plane to shoot wood, during our events, I usually have at least a couple of customers whose eyes and facial expressions tell me it’s not a familiar term. So just in case, I’ll offer a brief history of this plane, so everyone reading is comfortable.

Using a plane to shoot wood is usually accomplished by laying a plane on its side, so the cutting iron is presented on the left-hand sole that is now vertical (this is for a right hander, but would be opposite for a left hander). The wood is usually held up against a fence, to support the work piece, but also to support the fibers on the out-feed side of the cut. Most woodworkers either make or buy a shooting board that has both a “shoot” area and a fence, that are around 1/2” or so different in height. To better describe, the shoot is lower than the surface where the work piece and fence reside. I made my shooting board with three pieces of 3/4” Baltic Birch plywood, which is historically very flat, and doesn’t have much tendency to move. The bottom piece is approx 12” x 12”. The next piece is approx 12” long x 9” wide and is attached on top of and flush to the first piece on three sides, leaving the extra 3” of material on the bottom piece on the right side of my board. This is where my planes ride, or in other words, its shoot. The third piece is about 1” x 9”, and is used as my fence. If you think about this shoot board, and the area to the right is my plane’s shoot, then my fence is at the top of this setup.

Now that everyone is hopefully up to speed, lets talk about the planes we use to shoot. I’ve seen woodworkers use just about any plane in their arsenal in a shooting configuration. One really critical aspect of any plane used to shoot, is that the side of the plane must be 90 degrees with its sole. Beyond this, in the past, it’s mostly come down to what feels the best, but mass also helps. The 9 Iron (or just 9I) was the plane that many saw as the best shoot plane, since it has such a large bearing surface. This made the plane easy to use since it didn’t require much extra attention in keeping the plane flat, while moving through the cut. The other plane with a fairly large number of users was the #62 Low Angle Jack. The #62 has a great accessory available, called a hot dog, that allows you to comfortably grasp the plane while shooting. The hot dog’s looks don’t give it the credit it is due, in my opinion. It’s hard to tell the hot dog is solid aluminum, and turned on a lathe, before milling out the material that allows it to slip over the side of a plane. Much more high tech than it initially appears.

Woodworkers have been using both of these planes for many years, with good results, but the recent #51 plane from Lie-Nielsen will likely lead to large numbers of ship-jumpers. Stanley originally made a #51, but they are extremely rare. The #51 is a purpose-made shoot plane, and in my opinion, the best ever. I know what many of you are probably thinking: “What can possibly make this plane that much better than the 9I and #62”?  Well, since the #51’s sole purpose is to be used as a shoot plane, certain aspects could be modified without any negative consequence to any other functions. The #51’s body shape is that of a long “L”, which provides a super stable platform and an equally good bearing surface where the iron is presented. Unlike the other multi-purpose planes, the #51 has a wooden handle oriented with the intended function of this plane, and is comfortable enough to use for hours. And for me, the difference that really MAKES this plane, is the skewed orientation of the iron. Now this may make some wince, worrying how they’ll sharpen this bad boy, but worry not. The iron is our normal 2 3/8” straight iron, but the manner in which the frog is oriented creates the skew. This skewing does a couple of things. The iron enters the wood by slicing down through the fibers, starting with just a small section of the iron and working down across the remaining iron. It may not sound like a lot of difference, but when using the other planes, the portion of iron that will cut all makes contact with the full width of the wood. Basically, a lot more surface area making contact with the wood on the other planes, which feels like an impact of sorts. On the #51, since the contact area is initially so small, it doesn’t require as much force to enter the wood, and ultimately the impact isn’t felt. This is yet another feather in the #51’s cap, for those with lots of end grain to shoot.

Stanley also made a #52 shoot board, that was a perfect fit for their original #51. Stanley’s #52 was made of metal, had a track that fit the #51 perfectly, and had a fence that could move from 90 degrees to 45 degrees. These original 52s are quite hard to find, but just in case you have one, the Lie-Nielsen #51 will fit it, too. For those that don’t have an original #52, Lie-Nielsen is working on their own #52, for future release. The #51 will still work just fine in a home made shoot board, but in conjunction with the #52, it makes one heck of a combination. The #51 is presently available, but supplies can at times be limited. Let the end-grain shavings amass!

I hope to see some of you at our upcoming events, all listed on the Lie-Nielsen website. Feel free to contact me at lee@lie-nielsen.com if you have any questions or suggestions for future articles you would like to see.

To take a closer look at the #51 shoot board plane, click here.

To see Highland Woodworking’s entire selection of Lie-Nielsen hand tools, click here.

Lee Laird has enjoyed woodworking for over 20 years. He is retired from the U.S.P.S. and works for Lie-Nielsen Toolworks as a show staff member, demonstrating tools and training customers.

Saturday, Feb. 4 is the final day of Highland’s Lie-Nielsen Hand Tool Event at our store in midtown Atlanta. Here are some photos taken on Friday of the exquisite hand tools being demonstrated that you can try out for yourself today. Come on in. ADMISSION IS FREE!

Exquisite Brese hand planes

Brese bench planes

Lie-NIelsen bench planes

Lie-Nielsen shoulder planes

Lie-Nielsen specialty planes

Lie-Nielsen block planes

Lie-Nielsen dovetail and tenon saws

Lie-Nielsen card scrapers

Here are some scenes from our highly educational Lie-Nielsen Hand Tool Event taken during the day on Friday, Feb. 3. This free event is open till 6 PM Friday and continues on Saturday, Feb. 4 from 10 AM to 5 PM.

Ted Dishner from Lie-Nielsen (far right) talking tools

Lots of exquisite hand planes

and lots more awesome Lie-Nielsen tools

Tim Lovett from Lie-Nielsen Tools making shavings

Chris Black demonstrating new tools

Ron Brese of Brese Tools showing one of his exquisite planes

Bob Zajicek demonstating some of his Czeck Edge Tools

Several of our Wood News contributors sent us their New Year’s Resolutions. As inspiration (or entertainment) for the rest of us, here are 4 of the ones submitted.

(Feel free to contribute your own Woodworking New Year’s Resolutions under “Comments” below.)

 
 
STEVEN D. JOHNSON — RACINE, WISCONSIN

1. Get better at sharpening… Merely slicing paper or shaving hair from my arm is not good enough. I want to sharpen an edge that will split molecules. A plane blade that will go through a drop of water and produce hydrogen and oxygen is my goal.

2. No inventor, I hope to at least be a modifier and create the perfect woodworking apron. I should probably also resolve to fulfill my resolutions, since this was one of my goals last year, too.

3. Either find a convenient and easy way to get glue out of my pants and shirts or be less messy when doing glue-ups. Removing the dried glue is probably a more realistic goal.

4. Re-read all of Alan Noel’s columns… I have to get better at finishing.

5. New Years resolutions should be oriented toward “self improvement.” However I want new tools. I’ll figure out how to reconcile this soon.

 
 
LEE LAIRD — AUSTIN, TEXAS

1. I have been working slowly on building a replica of a Gibson Les Paul guitar for quite a bit longer than is truly needed. I resolve to have it in playing shape by the end of March 2012, at the latest. (EEEK!!)

2. My workshop is a double-car garage, but it’s still large enough to complete decent sized projects. The problem is it was originally more a storage garage. Recently I’ve installed a shed and added some flooring in my attic, to aid in increasing floor space in my shop. I will completely re-organize my shop space, and tools, so I can more easily do my woodworking. (I might even find space for a full-sized workbench.)

3. I have four projects I drew up on paper in the first quarter of 2011. An entertainment center, a cool lamp, a router table and some book cases. I made a small bit of progress on one of the four, but really should have finished all four of the projects. I will have all finished before our 2012 Lie-Nielsen Event season begins in August. (Since our 2011 season ends in May, I’ll at least have a couple of months, even if I’m sluggish starting in the early part of 2012.)

4. Lastly, and of course not least, I will continue to work on both my written and spoken words to hopefully better share woodworking thoughts in my articles and at our Lie-Nielsen events. I suppose this resolution will only be measurable by those who either read my articles or attend our events, so I’ll be looking to all of you for input at the end of next year.

 
 
GEORGE T. (TERRY) CHAPMAN — FAIRBURN, GEORGIA

1. I will find some good classes to go to. Highland offers a wonderful range of woodworking classes with the added advantage (for me) of no air travel, and no hotel bills since I can come back to my own house every night. In addition, I plan to look into the John Campbell Folk School https://www.folkschool.org/ just over the Georgia line in North Carolina. They offer a wonderful range of classes from a weekend to a full week on a wide variety of subjects from kaleidoscopes to quilting to calligraphy. I kinda like the fly rod stuff. Room and board are included in their fees and you stay in a dorm on site and eat family style in the dining room. To be fair, for lunch Highland points you to the saloon next door where you can eat family style with your class and quite often the instructor too.

2. I will clean the filters in my dust collectors. I looked up at the ambient air cleaner in the ceiling of the shop the other day and it must have a pound of dust in it. The filter is two inches thick and it costs upwards of thirty bucks when you buy a new one. Sure would hate to ruin it.

3. I am moving out all the plywood and pegboard that I have in the shop. I do not like plywood and I do not like things made with plywood. I had some plywood imported from Russia one time and it smelled like a wet dog whenever you cut it. Pegboard is a project killer for me. I am going to stick with real wood and concentrate on “fine” woodworking (whatever that is).

4. I will finish my sculptured rocker, the one on display at Highland. I want to rock in that bad boy and I want the right side to match the left side when I finish it.

5. I want to turn a hollow vessel. It is one of the many gaps in my turning skill set and I just think it is something I need to do well before I can rightfully call myself a woodturner.

6. Add the skew to that. Still working on that boy.

7. I plan on cleaning the shop very well at least one time this year. I will get down on my hands and knees with the shop vac and clean every square foot of the floor. I also think it may be time to throw away all those cut-offs I have been saving for heaven knows what. They tend to build up over the years, especially since I really hate to throw wood away.

8. Clamps are all over the floor. I have no good place to store them and it would be a real joy to have them in one place easily and quickly accessible to a project. I may do a cart or I may try to clean off a wall somewhere and build a wall rack.

9. My son laughs at me all the time for the roll top desk which has been about 85% finished for the last 15 years. Perhaps this is the year. Course he claims it is such a tradition seeing it there unfinished, he would really miss it if it got finished and moved up to the house. Oh yeah, there is a tilt back rolling desk chair which is only partially refinished. And the new mahogany writing table. Oh, and the oak barrister’s bookcase. The second cherry Shaker candle stand. The walnut school house clock. Plus about twenty bowls. Better be a long year.

10. I’m going to fix the work table behind the table saw. Right now, it is about four inches higher than the table saw, so if I want to use it as support when I push a board through the saw, it is too tall. (Really helpful if I ever have another piece of plywood in the shop.) Plus right now it has all those bowls and the clock on top of it in the way. I plan to clean it off, level it up and then mark the legs for cutting to the saw height. Same way you level a chair.

11. And last, I want to learn to make my own custom moldings. I find the subject fascinating, both for the detail involved, the lack of noise and dust, and the universality of the methods used. It appears that virtually any molding can be made entirely by hand and with a few of the right tools, it is achievable by most of we amateurs. Go look at “Big Pink” (don’t ask) on the blog http://musingsfrombigpink.blogspot.com/2011/11/result.html. Course he sells the tools also.

12. Oh yes, I want to learn the bass guitar. I find myself picking out the bass line in any song and in another life if I could choose, I would like to be able to sing bass in a Southern Gospel Quartet. Here’s what I mean: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhAqojyHhc8&feature=related Whenever I find myself playing a little air guitar, it is always the bass line. I’ll never be able to sing it, maybe I can learn to play it.

 
 
CURTIS TURNER — ROUND ROCK, TEXAS

1. Make a shop stool. I find that I am always moving my shop stool from one end of my shop to the other. This a minor inconvenience, however, it tends to break the rhythm of my work to stop and retrieve the stool.

2. Attend the annual AAW turning symposium in San Jose, CA and South West Association of Woodturners symposium in Waco, TX. I have found that national and regional symposia tend to be very inspirational. They offer a fantastic opportunity to learn from experienced turners. It is also a great way to meet and talk with turners from all over the world.

3. Successfully complete the management of the Central Texas Woodturners Association’s gallery exhibit at the Austin Bergstrom International Airport. The Austin airport is well known for its support of local business, restaurants, musicians and artists. I am very excited about this opportunity to display some of the works from central Texas wood turners. The exhibit is scheduled for the Spring of 2012.

4. Take a blacksmith class in hopes of better understanding how metals are worked into tools.

WHAT ARE YOUR WOODWORKING NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS FOR 2012?

 
 

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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 bought a few, but they still lived in the deepest, darkest places of my tool area.

What happened next is still not completely clear, but it somewhat reminded me of mad dash purchasing events from the past. (One specific instance involved a little toy called the Furby, when suddenly everyone with kids seemed to be on a crazed mission to obtain them for Christmas presents. Everyone who had kids back then likely gets this.)

So, all of sudden in late 2007, I was reading how a French company named Auriou was likely going out of business, and after the current supply, these wonderful Auriou rasps might never again be available. I had read many woodworkers describing how these rasps were like no other, and the resultant surface was truly amazing. Even with my previous negative rasp experiences, I decided to jump in. I was scouring any and all websites; both those in English and foreign languages. I felt quite lucky, after numerous rejected orders, to finally obtain a couple of different sized/grain Auriou rasps. I figured I’d put them to the test, and if they didn’t work for me, I could sell them to another woodworker. Well, they turned out to work just as well as others had described. I was (and am) stoked to have these great tools.

Fast forward close to a year, and as luck would have it, Michel Auriou was able to find a way to again make rasps. They are now made under the company name of Forge-de-Saint-Juery. Not all styles of Auriou rasps that were made in the past, are available at this time. Michel continues to assess the marketplace and woodworker’s needs, and has plans to add other styles as his company can tolerate, which is always a balancing act. The new rasps are made exactly the same as those before, which will likely keep all the craftsmen continuing to work as they have for years. The new rasps are works of art, just like their predecessors.

After the “re-opening” I was able to fill in a couple of gaps in the sizes of rasps I owned, which brought me to four. Three of the Auriou rasps I purchased, are each flat on one side and curved across the width on the other, which are called Cabinet Makers (except for the smallest, which is called a modelers).These have stiched teeth on both flat and curved sides. The rasps are available from Grain 1 to Grain 15, with 1 being the most aggressive and geared more for stone work, and 15 the most fine. My first is a Grain 5 for initial hogging off of wood, second a Grain 9 for getting close to the final shaping, and then a Grain 15 that cleans up many signs of any rasp usage. I love the control these rasps afford, and with the range of aggressiveness, I can determine where in my process I want to put them to work.

Now I did say I bought four, didn’t I? Well, the fourth is a bit more specialized, but one that I’m glad to have. This one is Grain 13 and used when making handles, like those on a handsaw. Oddly enough, this rasp didn’t come with a handle, so I turned one out of some wood that came from bushes that died in front of my house. The wood had been sitting for about 6 months or so, but still decided to check dramatically, after some of the turning. Luckily, I had ample amounts of super glue around, so I could keep it together. Even with the checks, this wood seems to add extra character to my rasp, but I could always replace it with a store made handle, if it doesn’t last the test of time. This rasp has teeth on one side, while the opposite is completely smooth, with the toothed side similar in shape to the curved side of the Cabinet Makers rasps. It also has a curve at the tip of the rasp, along the length of the rasp, so it makes it easier to get to areas on the piece you are working, while the lack of teeth on the opposing side limits any damage from accidental contact.

The Auriou rasps are hand stitched, which is to say a skilled craftsman takes a blank of metal, held down on a very special work bench, and using a special barleycorn pick and a heavy hammer, work their way across and down the blank. It is truly amazing to watch their skill in this process. I was lucky enough to have Michel Auriou give me a demonstration at our Open House in July 2010. If there had been a little bell sound, at the end of each line, I might have mistaken the tap-tap-tap sound of the stiching process as that of an old manual typewriter.

With this method, the raised rasp teeth from each line don’t form a straight line with the teeth above and below, as they will in most machine made rasps. With this, there is little chance to find a spot where the rasp leaves behind multiple parallel lines, rather than the intended complete consistent coverage. The teeth are stiched all the way to the tip, and across to both edges. Auriou rasps are available in both right and left-handed versions, and with the orientation of the stiched teeth, work best when the correct version is used. This is due to the teeth being stiched at a small angle relative to the length of the rasp. On right-handed versions, the rasp is held with the handle to the right and the tip to the left. This engages the teeth properly and most effectively. Left-handed versions are exactly opposite. All Auriou rasps come with a hardwood handle, except for the smallish carving type examples.

I hope to see some of you at our upcoming Lie-Nielsen hand tool events, as listed on the Lie-Nielsen website. Stop by and say hi. You can reach me via email at LeeLairdWoodworking@gmail.com .

Lee Laird

CLICK HERE to see all the Auriou Rasps available at Highland Woodworking

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” design could be improved.

What’s unique about the design Steve came up with? Read his full article HERE!

BONUS! Are you interested in making a Down to Earth Shooting Board like this one? Here’s a list of must-have materials and the video demonstrating its use after it has been built:

Building the Universal Ambidextrous Shooting Board does not require any special tools — it is mostly cutting and gluing. But in order to achieve the accuracy needed, it is important to mark out and make cuts carefully. For accuracy, I depend on my Starrett Combination Square, an angle gage, and a perfectly flat and true straight edge. All cuts were made on the table saw with a Forrest Woodworker II thin kerf blade. This blade works particularly well on the ¾” plywood used in the project. My “AngleCube” is indispensable for setting tablesaw angles precisely, and really came in handy with the shooting board. I used Titebond III glue for all the joints, not because there was a real need for waterproof glue, but because I like the short “open” time for a project like this.

Veritas Steel Straightedge 24″ | Measuring Straightedge

Starrett Combination Square | Starrett Squares

True Angle 12″

Forrest Woodworker II: 10″ x 40 Tooth, 3/32″ Kerf | Forrest Saw Blades

AngleCube Digital Angle Gauge

Titebond III Ultimate Wood Glue 32 oz | Titebond Wood Glue

Check out the full archives of The Down To Earth Woodworker monthly column.

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 the first three planes one should buy for their toolkit. There is no hard and fast rule which three are best, but I’ll share my thoughts on this question.

I lean towards a #60 1/2 Low Angle Block Plane (swapping out for a 60 1/2RN if the customer is planning to do a lot of mortise and tenon work), a #62 Low Angle Jack Plane, and a #8 Jointer Plane. These three planes together provide a good base for working wood.

So why did these make my top three? Well first, I think every shop should have at least one really good Block Plane, as they are go-to tools for such a wide range of applications. From a quick chamfer, to breaking the edges on a project, to touch-up smoothing a small area on a project that may not be quite as flat as you’d like. And with the short body length, you just might get away with a few passes with this plane instead of coming back in with a large smoother, and ultimately having to flatten the piece quite a bit for the smoother to “reach” the problem spot. A couple of nice things about the #60 1/2 is the heft of the tool, which equates to mass that helps in planing operations, and the adjustable mouth that only requires a spin of a knob to modify. If I’m changing from some easy-to-work wood like Walnut, over to some tougher curly Maple, I’ll usually close the mouth down to the point where the shaving just has room to pass through. This is much more critical on woods prone to tear out. If on the other hand, I need to take a bit heavier shaving, I’ll just open the mouth as required. I also use this quick adjustability every time I sharpen the blade. After sharpening the blade, I’ll open the mouth up all the way, so I can reduce the chance I’m going to accidentally bump my fresh blade into something that would damage it while positioning it in the plane.

My next plane could be seen as a compromise, but I really think it has so much going for it, it makes more sense to think of it as a multiplier. I’m talking about the Low Angle Jack Plane. This sized plane can play a range of roles, from smoothing, to more traditional Jack Plane duties, shooting plane duties, and if you are working small scale work, even as a short Jointer. This plane has the blade bedded at 12 degrees, and the bevel is facing up. With this setup, it is easy to modify the honing angle of the blade to accommodate straight grained woods all the way to super figured hard woods. Since the bevel is up, the honing angle directly affects what the wood “sees”. When using this plane for smoothing or jointing, I’ll adjust the mouth so the shaving will just fit through, and use either a slightly cambered blade or one with the corners relieved. When used for shooting, I use a blade honed straight across, as I’m always working on boards that are thin enough so the blade’s reach is higher than the top edge of the board. For more traditional jack plane duties, I prefer a blade with more camber than I use for smoothing. Since I’m removing more wood with each pass, I open the mouth to provide sufficient clearance for the expected thicker shavings.

Lastly, the full sized #8 Jointer Plane is a tool that is not easily replaced. The level of flatness a Jointer plane can provide is limited by the length of its sole. A Jointer plane ultimately rides across the tops of any undulations, much like you might imagine a large ship spanning across multiple waves. A longer sole will span wider undulations, and obtain a flatter surface. With its 24” length, it is capable of handling flattening duties on relatively short pieces as well as lengths that include the largest most woodworkers would consider working. I recently used my #8 to flatten the top of my workbench, which it handled easily. The #8 Jointer Plane weighs in at 10 lbs, which sounds like it would be difficult to handle. Surprisingly, the weight and mass of this tool works in your favor. It’s not hard to initiate movement on this plane, and once moving, even easier to keep moving through the cut. I usually keep a small block of paraffin near my bench, and that facilitates an even easier time using the Jointer Plane. A very light swipe of paraffin along the sole of the plane body makes all the difference. A tip I regularly provide at our events is to make sure you are certain that you are holding onto the plane tightly when using paraffin for the first time. Initially, it can truly feel as if the plane will race away from the user.

These three planes are a great place to start, and can handle many of the tasks that woodworkers need for their projects. I suggest adding specialty planes to your core kit as projects dictate. With this strategy, none of your planes should gather dust for long, as they are all truly users.

I hope to see some of you at our upcoming events, listed on the Lie-Nielsen website. Feel free to contact me at lee@lie-nielsen.com if you have any questions, or if you have suggestions for future articles you would like to see.

Click to see Highland Woodworking’s entire selection of Lie-Nielsen hand tools.

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.  For the sake of any of you friends and family (particularly my son Jon) who might be looking for something to grace this old blogger, here is my list for this year.  Maybe there is something you might like on my list.

1.   I would like to be able to write songs like Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys and sing like George Younce of the Cathedrals.  Oh wait, did you say this was a Wish List for a Woodworking store?  Sorry, those two just slipped out.

Steel City Hollow Mortiser

2.   Hollow Chisel Mortiser — Highland has a top notch power mortiser from Steel City for $299.99.  I saw it in the store this week and it is high on my list.  If you do a fair amount of mortise and tenon joints, then this tool may be just right for you.  It is bench mounted and has a rack and pinion adjustable fence for easy alignment.  The handle adjusts to six positions and is reversible.  The switch is right up front and easy to reach.  The bits lock into the spindle and there should be none of that twisted bits stuff which is so irritating on lesser models.  This thing looks like an excellent medium duty machine for the serious amateur mortise maker.

3.  ANYTHING from Festool.  I have not started my Festool collection yet, but these tools are always on my list.  Given my choice, I would start with the chop saw, then the router, and then the sanders with the vac.

Shaping a Rocker

When I was working on my rocking chair, Charles Brock in his shop had the heavy duty Festool sander hooked up to the Festool vacuum and it is a sweet operation.  Probably not going to happen this year, but perhaps if I am very, very good next year.

4.  Sawstop Table Saw —  Highland can ship the SawStop Contractor Saw to all the lower 48 states now and if you are looking at a table saw, you owe it to your spouse and family to keep all your fingers.  Touted as the safest table saw out there, don’t ask for any other saw without looking seriously at this one.  Watch the famous hot dog video, (or the chicken leg demo) and you will be a fan.

Fein Multimaster Tool

5.  Fein MultiMaster — I have seen the commercials on TV for this thing.  What really convinced me, however, was when the construction manager at my Habitat for Humanity chapter pulled one of these out of his truck.  We needed to notch out a board to set a marble counter top, and there was no good way to do the work without tearing half the wall down.  We turned this thing on and in about 30 seconds, the job was done.  Be careful, though because there are many lower-quality imitators out there, ranging from the $29.95 version at the tool discount store to somewhat more expensive models from some of the major manufacturers.  The real thing may seem a little pricey, but it is worth every penny.  Also do some research on the blades, because there is a very wide range of quality available in blades and they can be a costly error if you get the wrong ones.  The Fein Multimaster model I would like is the FMM 250Q Select Plus kit, which until recently sold for $329, but is available at Highland right now for $299.  It should do almost all I need right now, and I can always buy accessories for it as I need them.

6.  Auriou Chairmaker’s Rasp Set — If you have never used one of these things and all you have ever tried is one of those five dollar rasps from the local hardware, then you are in for a revelation.  I had never used one of these things until I worked on a sculptured chair.  Who knew that the single biggest issue with one of these beautiful tools is you have to be careful to not remove too much wood.

Auriou Chairmaker's Rasp Set

How many hand tools do you use where taking off too much wood is the main problem?  Most of the time, I have trouble just getting tools to cut in the first place.  Well, you say, I sure as heck ain’t paying that much money for a stupid rasp.  Well, nay, I say, nay!  First of all, these rasps will last the rest of your life and your children will bless you for them.  Second, once you try them you will wonder how you missed them your whole woodworking life.  Just try one and you will agree with me.  (By the way, Jon, I like the set of three for $349.99.)

There you go.  Slide this list under the door for somebody, or leave it open on the computer.  Or print it out and leave it under the breakfast cereal.  If you don’t score any of these things this year, try being gooder next year.  I’ll let you know how it worked out for me.

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 it encompasses both the holding of stones as well as the stops for four or five angles most used in our sharpening. Occasionally, I’m using a stone that’s too large to work with this guide, so that is when I usually start looking.

I was out doing a bit of shopping with the family this last weekend, and it just so happened I found something that looked to be the answer (and ultimately worked great, after giving it a try). It is a cooking mat made from silicone. I was picking up something else, when I accidentally touched the mat. My eyes opened wide and I immediately knew it was going to follow me home for some trials. This mat is 8 1/4” x 11 3/4”, which they call 1/4 sheet in the cooking world and if needed, they had another twice this size. This one felt as if nothing could possibly slip on it.

I don’t know yet how long the “tack” will stay, but the mat was reasonable at $12.99, and a 10% coupon made it even sweeter. I’m expecting this material to last at least a year or two, and if it does, I’ll be a happy sharpener. Cleans up extremely easy, no matter how much swarf and stone material has gotten onto it, with just a splash of water and a paper towel.

I hope to see some of you at our upcoming events, listed on the Lie-Nielsen website.

Feel free to contact me at lee@lie-nielsen.com if you have any questions, or if you have suggestions for future articles you would like to see.

Click to see Highland Woodworking’s entire selection of Lie-Nielsen hand tools.