The English Woodworker

Which Saws Are Best For Ripping Thick Stuff? [Video]

Richard Maguire — Wed, 14 Dec 2022 13:52:00 +0000

There’s a lot of choice when it comes to rip saws. And unfortunately options usually just make things more complicated.So hopefully the video above will help clear up some of the confusion around which saw to reach for or at least give you something to think about when you’ve got a lot of ripping to […]

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How do I Sharpen a Router Plane? [Q & A Video]

Richard Maguire — Mon, 21 Nov 2022 15:24:41 +0000

If you’ve seen a fair bit of my work then you’ll probably know that despite my love of keeping the tool kit minimal I’m a huge fan of the router plane.And this brings up a common question that I’ve decided to answer today – How do you keep your router plane sharp? The video above […]

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Bench Top Edge Jointing [with Video]

Richard Maguire — Thu, 13 Oct 2022 14:28:19 +0000

Stuggling With Larger Edge Joints? Watch the full step-by-step video to learn the edge jointing process for tackling large boards by hand. A perfect reference for gluing up a table top. Find it for FREE in our Member Area: Login here. Or Sign Up For Free HERE Edge Jointing by Hand Leaves Us With Lots […]

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My Posh Fillister Plane is Just a Roughing Tool

Richard Maguire — Fri, 02 Sep 2022 14:53:29 +0000

Every now and then I feel like I see something with new eyes. I’m often blow away at the beauty of say the sea, or the sky with a pretty sunrise. It’s as though my brain has had a system reset and deleted its memory so I get to see it again like it’s for […]

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Quick Homemade Clamps – Small & Large [with video]

Richard Maguire — Fri, 26 Aug 2022 18:06:47 +0000

In this post I share my favourite design for homemade clamps. They can be made really large or really small to suit your needs. Further down we also include a short video segment from our latest series where I explain further how the clamps work. I’ve just been sitting staring into the bottom of an […]

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Simple Work Holding For Ploughing Grooves [Without a Tail Vice]

Richard Maguire — Fri, 29 Jul 2022 14:57:47 +0000

Sometimes the biggest challenge of a project can just be getting the wood to stay put while we try to work on it. I suppose it’s why it’s so easy for us to get lost in the hunt for a perfect workbench design. And drawn in towards all kinds of vice bling and fancy work […]

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Prototyping – Part 1 Now Live!

Richard Maguire — Mon, 20 Jun 2022 15:17:34 +0000

‘The Nest of Tables’ series is now complete!Find full details & watch the intro HERE. This nest of tables is based on a design where they’ll each come together with a lovely sliding fit, so it was certainly the kind of build that benefited from working through a prototype before jumping in. The series starts […]

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The Nest of Tables – New Series!

Richard Maguire — Wed, 08 Jun 2022 14:02:45 +0000

This Build is an Exercise in Precision! [A total of over 8 hours of video broken into 11 chapters, which take you step-by-step through the build, including how to build the ‘hand plane thicknesser’ jig. ]Watch the intro above. The series is now complete and full details can be found HERE. These are not your […]

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Gluing Up A Workbench Leg [VIDEO]

Richard Maguire — Sat, 04 Jun 2022 14:02:05 +0000

Right then, I finally got round to starting some of these question and answers. This is a bit of an odd ball, but it’s something that’s asked a lot. I also see this issue happening a lot… sadly. The problem is delamination. An issue where a big face to face glue line starts to fail […]

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How to Make A Shooting Board [VIDEO]

Richard Maguire — Mon, 07 Feb 2022 16:03:25 +0000

CLICK HERE to download the drawing & build your own shooting board! I needed to knock up a new shooting board so we turned it into a video! There’s loads of designs and approaches to building a shooting board, but as you might expect from us this one is super simple. The finished thing is […]

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Perfect Mortice Walls – With A Router Plane

Richard Maguire — Fri, 28 Jan 2022 14:06:32 +0000

[Video Post] The router plane is one of those rare tools that seems to always be in my hand despite not really being an essential in my minimal tool kit.In doesn’t quite have the versatility of a chisel which can pretty much come in for anything. But when it does suit a job it offers […]

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Build A Danish Stool – New Series

Richard Maguire — Thu, 09 Sep 2021 11:49:19 +0000

Make Use Of Your Offcuts & Learn to Weave… all While Building This Delightful Danish Stool! [Update:]This series has now completed. The videos take you step-by-step through the build, including how to weave the seat (Watch the intro above). The series can be purchased by Clicking HereIf you’re already a Member then you may need […]

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Build A Trestle Table – New Video Series!

Richard Maguire — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 15:45:52 +0000

We're Building A Great Big Dining Table, Entirely by Hand… In a Tiny Space!
In our latest series, we're returning to tradition.
Not only in the design of the table, but also in the approach.

We're building in a very restricted workspace this time, so it seemed about right to build the biggest piece of furniture we've done to date!
That's not just because I like to struggle, it's to make the point that when you're working solely with hand tools, just how little space you actually need.
We bring the tools to the work. There's no need to allow for feeding things in and out.

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Vision, Design, Build

Helen — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 18:11:31 +0000

(By Helen)Ending up with a nice piece of furniture that you’ve made yourself is pretty satisfactory.But there’s more to worry about than just cutting the joints or polishing up the finish. Sometimes the hardest part is choosing what to build. And often it’s easier to come up with something from scratch than trawl through plans […]

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The Industrial Desk – New Video Series!

Richard Maguire — Thu, 27 Aug 2020 13:51:38 +0000

We’re About to Get Started With A New Project. In our latest video build we’re working step-by-step and building a desk in solid oak. (Watch the intro above). The series can be purchased by Clicking HereIf you’re already a Member then you may need to Login first The Desk Design The inspiration for this desk […]

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Hand Tools Make Machines Cheap

Richard Maguire — Thu, 19 Mar 2020 17:33:49 +0000

As you know, to become fast with hand tools you have to understand that perfection isn’t a thing. You need to learn where the inaccuracy can be hidden, and deliberately place it there. A good example of this, were those table legs in the hall table build. Getting them perfectly square would have been a […]

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Completed Project – The Sideboard Build

Richard Maguire — Tue, 11 Feb 2020 19:46:47 +0000

Our Retro Sideboard build is now complete. If you’re interested in this build then have a look at the full details here. Or you can Click Here to Buy Now This is an involved build, but it’s broken down step-by-step. With Over 4 Hours of Footage, The Online Series Includes 8 Videos + PDF plans […]

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Slightly Over The Top… Top

Richard Maguire — Fri, 31 Jan 2020 17:47:09 +0000

I was having a good old rummage through the timber store the other day and found an old off cut from a workbench top. It’s from one that I made when I was building them for a living. I used to keep these off cuts and put them to the test. Sun exposure, damp, all […]

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All Running & Happy Christmas!

Helen — Mon, 23 Dec 2019 17:05:48 +0000

I want to ask how on Earth it’s Christmas already? But I recon you’ve probably heard that at least three times this week. I’m not ready yet, never am. But I kind of like it that way. Uncertainty seems to keep more of that child-like magic than having everything all in hand. (or I just […]

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Build A Retro Sideboard – New Video Series!

Richard Maguire — Thu, 12 Dec 2019 17:04:23 +0000

Follow Step-by-Step with our New Video Build Our latest series is ready to go, and this time we’re building a sideboard with a bit of a retro feel. The series can be purchased by Clicking Here If you’re already a Member then you may need to Login first The Sideboard Design This piece has been […]

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New Project On The Way

Richard Maguire — Mon, 25 Nov 2019 19:23:40 +0000

It’s felt a bit back to roots of late as we’ve been talking a lot about workbenches, but for those already set and ready to build you might be relieved to hear that we’re now well on with a new furniture build. After giving thought to everyone’s requests and looking to come up with something […]

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The Most Stable Workbench Top

Richard Maguire — Fri, 15 Nov 2019 16:32:57 +0000

This surprised me. After tarting up some benches recently I had to check and flatten the tops. They all needed just a little skim, which is what I’d expected. What I didn’t expect though, was just how stable my 12ft English bench top was. This is a big bench, and the thing has been stored […]

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Selling My Workbench

Richard Maguire — Wed, 25 Sep 2019 11:42:21 +0000

Finally… after taking a bit of a handful on, I’ve now got my old workbench ready for sale. Most of you will know this bench well. It’s been used in most of the videos and has also been the bench that I built 99% of Maguire Workbenches on. It’s the bench that built benches. I […]

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Workbenches For Sale!

Richard Maguire — Wed, 10 Jul 2019 17:53:30 +0000

The workshop stinks of nuts at the moment. I’m also tripping over big wooden vice screws and having to breath in to squeeze by the massive slabs of ash that are sitting there on my trestles. This all feels familiar. It’s because I’ve just finished tarting up some workbenches ready to sell. I have a […]

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Another Workbench Build Completed!

Richard Maguire — Fri, 28 Jun 2019 18:15:30 +0000

Our French workbench build is now complete. If you’re interested in this build then have a look at the full details here. Or you can Click Here to Buy Now Your workbench can be a tricky thing to get right. Not so much because the build needs to be complicated, but because it’s functional and […]

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Squaring Up Drilled Out Mortices

Richard Maguire — Fri, 14 Jun 2019 15:49:33 +0000

Morticing has never been my favourite job. Depending on the size of joint I have various techniques that I use, and for hefty mortices like in our French workbench build, I prefer to drill out the waste rather than go at the whole thing with a chisel. But then I hate squaring up drilled out […]

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Matching Drill Bits & Dowel Plates

Richard Maguire — Thu, 09 May 2019 17:23:35 +0000

Getting a nice looking pegged joint is all about compression. You basically want the peg to be a bit too tight for the hole so it cleans up without any gaps. But, that’s not to say you can just whack a fat bit of dowel through a hole that’s too small and expect a […]

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Build A French Workbench – New Video Series!

Richard Maguire — Thu, 02 May 2019 15:04:49 +0000

Follow Step-by-Step with our French Workbench Video Build This Series Is Now Complete! The series can be purchased by Clicking Here If you’re already a Member then you may need to Login first The Bench Design The French workbench is simple and strong – just how a bench should be. This build is based […]

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How To Sharpen Thick O1 Irons On Oil Stones

Richard Maguire — Fri, 26 Apr 2019 18:09:05 +0000

You can sharpen owt on the humble old oil stone, but that doesn’t mean that you’d want to. In our sharpening trilogy, I go on quite a bit about how your choice of tool will tell you what kind of sharpening method and set up you’ll need. I’m very firm on how effective oil […]

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Giving Birth To Rough Sawn Wood

Richard Maguire — Thu, 18 Apr 2019 17:44:07 +0000

When owt gets born there’s blood, sweat and faecal matter. That’s just a fact. Giving birth to a workbench is the same. It’s been a while since I’ve built a bench and I have to say I’ve been twitching for quite some time to do one. Building this hasn’t scratched that itch, actually this has […]

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