Quotulatiousness

April 30, 2026

Where did Dovetails come from?

Filed under: Britain, Europe, History, Tools, Woodworking — Tags: , , , , — Nicholas @ 04:00

Rex Krueger
Published 29 Apr 2026

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April 20, 2026

How to sharpen a Thin Scraper | Paul Sellers

Filed under: Tools, Woodworking — Tags: , , — Nicholas @ 02:00

Paul Sellers
Published 12 Dec 2025

We try to cover every woodworking hand tool we can to pass along the knowledge we have to future generations.

We’ve been asked for this video a few times, so here it is. How to sharpen a thin scraper. It has many uses, and the art should not be lost.

It takes only a couple of minutes to do, and you can approach even the wildest grain with this single tool.
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April 17, 2026

This is how drawers worked before screws

Filed under: Tools, Woodworking — Tags: , , , — Nicholas @ 04:00

Rex Krueger
Published 16 Apr 2026

The book I mentioned (affiliate): https://amzn.to/4mC2TWT
All my plans: https://www.rexkrueger.com/
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March 25, 2026

QotD: Advice to beginning woodworkers

Filed under: Quotations, Woodworking — Tags: — Nicholas @ 01:00

Are you finding woodworking as easy as you thought? Or is your ardour being cooled by disappointment? If you have not encountered any serious set-back you are indeed fortunate. If you have, don’t worry; take heart — and the advice below.

One thing is certain: that, even though the craft is a lifetime’s study, the application of a few simple principles will assuredly bring success in woodworking. In the first place, never start a job until you know precisely how you are going to do it. Pass its construction step by step through your mind, so that you may hit upon the snags and mentally smooth them out. Making full-size working drawings is part of this thought-before-doing process. It compels you to think out your construction. Besides, full-size drawing is an aid (sometimes an indispensable aid) to setting out, and you need all the aids you can get.

Charles H. Hayward, “Beginner’s Trouble: Some Helpful Advice”, The Woodworker, 1936.

March 19, 2026

The Two-Handed Chisel Technique You Should Learn

Filed under: Tools, Woodworking — Tags: , , — Nicholas @ 04:00

Rex Krueger
Published 18 Mar 2026

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March 12, 2026

Deep Diving: Bit Sharpening | Paul Sellers

Filed under: Tools, Woodworking — Tags: , , — Nicholas @ 02:00

Paul Sellers
Published 14 Nov 2025

Auger bits need sharpening from time to time, and they can seem complicated when, in fact, they are not. With a small saw file, auger bits of any size can be readily sharpened with just a few file strokes.

In this short video, I explain the process and walk you through what to look for in buying secondhand and how they will work for you.
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March 5, 2026

You Use This Every Day – Why This Shape?

Filed under: History, Tools, Woodworking — Tags: , , — Nicholas @ 04:00

Rex Krueger
Published 4 Mar 2026

https://workingwoodenplanes.com/
https://www.eaia.us/
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February 19, 2026

You can build a chair (Seriously)

Filed under: Tools, Woodworking — Tags: , , — Nicholas @ 04:00

Rex Krueger and Lost Art Press
Published 18 Feb 2026

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James’ Video: • Making a Chair With Friends – Christopher …
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January 29, 2026

This is how woodworkers carried their entire shop (for centuries)

Filed under: Tools, Woodworking — Tags: , , — Nicholas @ 04:00

Rex Krueger
Published 28 Jan 2026

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January 11, 2026

Paul Sellers’ Thickness Guide | Paul Sellers

Filed under: Tools, Woodworking — Tags: , , — Nicholas @ 02:00

Paul Sellers
Published 19 Sept 2025

Often in our woodworking projects, we might need many repeat cuts that guide our planes to give stock of precise thicknesses, and I make guides just like this one to give me the precision I need.

They are quick and simple to make, and you can change the thickness of the strips to match the thicknesses you need.

To access the Thickness Guide drawing follow: https://paulsellers.com/thicknessing-guide-drawing-and-cutting-list/
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January 6, 2026

Woodworking was WORK. What happened?

Filed under: History, Tools, USA, Woodworking, WW1, WW2 — Tags: , , , , , — Nicholas @ 04:00

Rex Krueger
Published 5 Jan 2026

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December 27, 2025

Campaign Furniture by Christopher Schwarz

Filed under: Books, Britain, History, India, Woodworking — Tags: , — Nicholas @ 10:30

I try not to clutter the blog with woodworking-related posts, as I know it’s a niche interest among my readership, but every now and again I find something I just have to share. Today, it’s a post from Lost Art Press on the book Campaign Furniture written by Christopher Schwarz:

My 2014 book Campaign Furniture is now a free pdf download for everyone. You can download it via this link (a compressed version for slower connections is available here). And customers will always be able to download it from the book’s page in our store.

I’m a fan of the book … I ended up buying two copies through Lee Valley Tools (I loaned my first copy out and it got lost in the shipwreck of a friend’s messy divorce). I like Chris’s writing style and I’ve long been a fan of Campaign furniture.

Why Do I Do This?

I get asked by fellow publishers why I offer my books for free download. “Surely you use it to gather emails to market to readers.” Nope. “Are these out-of-print books that you are using to get eyeballs on your website?” Nope. “So what’s the strategy?”

I think – as much as possible – that information should be free. I think the best hope for inspiring other woodworkers is to give them whatever they need to begin in the craft.

And, I fu&%ing hate this world we’ve created where people can’t own anything. Companies come into your house and your phone and change things or take away stuff you’ve bought. Many times they take back stuff you owned then rent it back to you.

That’s why we make books. Buy a book from us, and it’s yours. Its contents can’t be changed by some ideologue a thousand miles away. All of our digital products are free of DRM (digital rights management). That means they can’t be locked or disabled. And you can copy them onto whatever device you like.

OK, the holiday rant is over.

I hope you find something of interest in Campaign Furniture. We still use three of the pieces from the book every day in our home. Other pieces are with my kids. So my family’s love of this neglected furniture style continues.

December 18, 2025

How to Carve a Star | Paul Sellers

Filed under: Tools, Woodworking — Tags: , , , — Nicholas @ 02:00

Paul Sellers
Published 25 Jul 2025

I have been asked to create this video for some time but couldn’t get to it. Here it is.

All you need is a good sharp chisel. This chisel is an Aldi, £2.50 version, so nothing special. The steps I show guarantee a positive outcome, but please be prepared to put in some practice on a scrap of wood. Avoid softwoods because they have hard and soft aspects surrounding the growth rings which are sometimes difficult to work with. I’m using cherry, but there are many choices that have consistent grain, such as poplar, oak, and walnut.

Carving this star took me a little over half an hour to do. With practice, you will get to understand the grain of the wood, direction and the chiselling techniques I used. I hope you enjoy creating your star!
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December 12, 2025

If You Want to Start Woodworking — Build This First

Filed under: Tools, Woodworking — Tags: , , — Nicholas @ 04:00

Rex Krueger
Published 10 Dec 2025

Join the Mailing List: http://eepurl.com/g3rkmv
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Follow me on Instagram: @rexkrueger

November 30, 2025

Drawers for dummies

Filed under: Tools, Woodworking — Tags: , , — Nicholas @ 02:00

Rex Krueger
Published 24 Jul 2025

Compass Rose Toolworks: https://www.compassrosetools.com/
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