A smoothing plane is one that makes nice fine smooth surfaces on wood.  They usually have a reasonably wide profile, so that side to side, they are quite stable on the surface being planed.  They also usually have a slight curve upward at the edges of the plane so that they leave a gentle edge [...]

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I was looking through a few old pictures and decided to share.
Here is the Loisiana Iris, Ann Chowning,

Here is a great photo of an Iris.  What makes it special is the range of emotion on the brother and sisters faces.  One suspects, the other is ready to persuade.  Such contrast is poetic.

Bob

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This is a 1-2-3 block on a kanaban.

A 1-2-3 block is a very stable tool used by machinists to make sure things are square and precise and all sorts of other things.  It measures 1″ by 2″ by 3″ and is great for testing, setup and even measuring.
The Kanaban is a nice thick slab of [...]

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The Myth about Hand Tools is,
Hand tools are slower, more primitive, clumsy tools that only mad skilled woodworkers who prefer to dress in renaissance festival clothing can master.
This tool, more, I think, than any other, created this myth.

The Low-Angle, Bevel-Up, Block Plane.
Here is the common, yet before this, untold story behind this myth.
One day [...]

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An outdoor workbench is more likely to swell and shrink.  As a result careful construction is required.

The outside bolts holding the table to the legs, is normal.
The inside hole for the bolt is a little different so the wood can shift.

Note that the outside hole has the bolt in it already, and the hole is [...]

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