Getting The Edge

Recently I have been working with air dried American White Oak - its great quality and great to work with, however it dulls the edge of my chisels and plane irons more regular than softwoods.

So to keep my tools as sharp as possible  I use a good quality diamond stone  and lapping fluid, my stone has two grits 300 and 1000  the 300 grit is great for re-facing a damaged edge then flip the stone over using the 1000 face to hone the edge and the back of the chisel or iron.

Once the correct bevel is achieved, depending on your own preference this is usually 25 degree primary bevel and 30 degree secondary bevel or somewhere in the middle for freehand sharpening - I then move to my leather strop.

I managed to get a good piece of hide from a cobblers shop, but you could use a good quality old leather belt for this.

The purpose of the strop is to remove the fine burs from your cutting edge and by using a good quality cutting compound continue to create a razor sharp cutting edge.

This process should only take a few minutes per chisel or plane iron, but would take longer if the edge of the tools are damaged, this will require more time to re-grind

Rust Removal Without Nasty Chemicals

Rust Removal Without Nasty Chemicals

I am always reluctant to use nasty chemicals for rust removal , this was a while ago and i cant remember where I had read that surface rust can be removed using White Vinegar.

So with a little reservation I decided to give it a go - what harm could it do, i set up a little plastic container half filled and put in some screwdriver bits that had been water damaged.

The rust was surface to the metal and quite abrasive, so I put them in for a couple of hours to begin with and sure enough the rust had started to detach itself from the metal, so i took one of the piece's out ant rubbed it dry with a soft cloth.

And although the metal was marked/ pitted  the rust had come away, so i am leaving them in soak overnight for maximum effect.

If in doubt try this experiment with a test piece to be sure that it will work for you - using white vinegar is cheap and safe and does not give off any nasty fumes during the process, give it a try you may be pleasantly surprised.

Welcome All - Here You Will Find Some Usefull DIY Information, Hints and Tips

Sticking Curtain Tracks

An easy fix for sticking plastic curtain tracks and runners is a spray with a wax based furniture polish like Mr Sheen, simply spray the plastic track, wipe off and thats it the polish helps reduce friction between the track and clips and works a treat.

 Removing Car Oil Stains from Concrete with WD40

I have an old VW camper and it insists on depositing drips of oil on my driveway, i have tried lots of cleaners but found that they have not worked correctly.

One day i decided to use WD 40 - I sprayed the oil stain waited a few minutes and washed the area with warm soapy water, it probably shifted around 80 percent of the oil and after a few weeks the staining disappeared.

Try it on a small area to start my paving is concrete and is not coloured so i cant say for sure if it is OK on coloured paving stones.

Hand Saws - Cutting with Ease

Using Hand Tools is a great passion of mine and the easier they are to use the better, when using a hand saw whether it be a rip cut, tenon or dovetail saw  it is very important to keep the tool as sharp and as free moving as possible.

With this in mind my next tip relates to the easing of a saw blade in timber, when cutting along the grain, occasionally the hand saw may snag and slow during the cutting process.

I prefer to help my saw along by using a small amount of candle wax rubbed along the steel of the saw on both sides, by doing this reduces the friction between the saw plate steel and the timber.

This is type of friction is not so noticeable when cutting across the grain, but  it will be of benefit when cutting with the grain or cutting sheet materials whether they are seasoned or green materials.  Give it a try you may be quite suprised.

Free and Safe Insecticide

Here is a great tip i picked up a couple of years ago from a retired Parks and Gardens worker who was spraying his plants at the front of his home, we got talking he asked me what i was doing and so on,  then after a short time he started telling me about his old job and what he did.

I asked him what he was spraying it smelled perfumed, he went on to explain that i should not waste my money on chemicals to control greenfly or aphids - but use a small amount of washing up liquid in a spray/misting bottle to the mist the tree (I'm my case an apple tree)he said that the bugs hate it and it deters insect bites to the fruit.

I thought i would give this a go and tried it last year on my apple tree that i planted 8 years or so ago, after all most years the tree has fruited but yielded a poor crop due to insect attacks, and guess what it actually works the bugs stayed away and there where fewer attacks on the fruit and it didn't harm the tree and i had lots of apples, It worked for me i will use it again this year i think its a great tip. Once again as with all my tips and hints if you are unsure you should follow this tip with caution and get advice regarding your own plants and trees from a specialist at your local garden centre.

Removing Limescale: 

It is a little known secret that limescale can be removed from chrome bathroom fittings without using expensive chemicals.

I Have used this method in the past to help loosen limescale from a tap body in order to replace tap washers.

Soak effected area with white vinegar, perform at regular intervals and allow vinegar to soak into the affected area for an hour or so.

Using a soft cloth and an old toothbrush soaked in just warm water rub the affected area, washing any loose particles of limescale from your cloth and brush before continuing to clean until the lime scaling is removed - note: this process may need to be undertaken a couple of times to get the best results, performing this task on a regular basis can reduce the build up of limescale on taps and fitting

Limescale stained shower heads can also benefit -  by soaking the removable tip of the head, and not the whole shower head  it in a small container of white vinegar for an hour or so, then clean with an old toothbrush and soft cloth in clean warm water as above.

Sticking Wooden Draws

A Easy fix for sticking draws does not always involve the use of a block or rebate plane to ease the problem.

In many cases the problem could be fixed using a Tea light!!.

Carefully remove the tea light from its aluminium casing (if it has one) The pull the wick from the base - we use Ikea Tea lights and they are easy to dismantle.

Take the small block of candle wax and rub it along the draw runners and the meeting sections of the draw base or sides.

Needless to say this only works on wooden draws and wooden draw runners and not mechanical metal ones.:o)

Push the empty draw back into the unit easing back and forth until loose, repeat if necessary until it has eased sufficiently.

New Year and New Award

Hi all who visit 

Some great news Jeanette and I have won an award at a ceremony held by Wirral Trading Standards last night.

We have won an award for "Excellence in Customer Service" this is our sixth award in four years and we are very pleased with our achievements.

Sorry for slow updates to the blog, still kickstarting the new year work - should post some additional bits this weekend.

cheers

Carl

New Year New Challenges

Hello to all who arrive at my little blog, firstly Happy new Year to you all i hope you had a great time.

2012 i am hoping will be a prosperous year for us and i am looking forward to some of the projects i have in the pipeline.

I Have launched a seperate page on my website called Wooden Window & Door Care Services, based on you guest it !,  a service offered to all types of windows, doors and frames.

The emphasis is on repair and refurbishment of sash and historic windows and doors, have a look here: .Wooden Window & Door Care Services

Merry Christmas to all

Hello to all and a very merry christmas and a prosperous new year, will see you all in 2012 with new posts hints and tips.

Have a good one
Carl

Second Hand Shop Finds

Hi All
Today i came across two bargain buys in a second hand shop a friend of mine owns, I picked up two Stanley bailey planes a No4 and a 4 1/2 both in good condition with only small surface rust to the irons - a bargain at £12.00 for the pair :)  yes the pair.

Hiding in the Workshop from the Weather

More rubbish windy weather has made me retreat to my workshop, luckily i have a job for a customer that requires hand making. The item in question is a wooden roof lite for a 40 year old large cedar greenhouse.Not much of a job i hear you say - but try finding a wood yard that stocks Red Cedar!!!!! or for that matter any hardwoods in fact its near impossible. I like using Cedar and Douglas Fir timber externally because their resilience to rot and disease for softwoods they are great .

 I have remade the item using Western Red Cedar with mortice and tenon joints and an integral glazing rail to match the existing ones, i was hand planing the timber and forgot how great Cedar smells - so i gathered up the wafer thin shavings and put them in a bowl as a kind of pot puri they smell brill.

My workshop looks a mess but it smells amazing  : )
Below is a photo of the Cedar framed roof lite installed and glazed with a new top weather cap.

Hand Tools - More Rewarding

Recently I am finding myself wanting to create my projects in wood using hand tools, although more labour intensive i feel it is more rewarding.

I purchased a number of usable classic hand tools, these tools i feel can be used on a daily basis one of them was an excellent but scruffy No4 Plane by Woden a british tool maker from the 1950s made in sheffiled using the cruicible steel forging technique .

The Plane cost me £4.00 in a second hand shop- a bargain and although a little rusty and pitted it came up lovely with a small amount of work. 

I then spent some time on the planes iron, i decided to use Trends Diamond Stone, i initially used the course face to create a new cutting edge.

I did this freehand to an angle between 25 and 30 Degrees- i can hear the purists gasps gathering pace and chanting where are  primary and second bevels.

Personally i have decided that before this type of science arrived craftmen everywhere created a cutting edge without having to create a primary and secondary bevel and the tools of course where more than adequate.

Anyway i then used the other side of the stone which has a medium surface and created my burr and honed the back of the iron, then finished with a leather stropp with a cutting paste applied to it.

The result was a lovely chrome like cutting edge to my iron which created wafer thin shavings even  from oak, it is now one of my most used tools in my workshop.

                                                            Woden No4 Hand Plane

Wooden Hand Planes

Hi Everybody

Another busy weekend

Saturday i visited The North of England Woodworking Show - a very busy event, i picked up a couple of classic hand tools and had some very good deals.

Spoke with Nick Gibbs Editor of the excellent Living Woods Magazine, he was showcasing some wooden hand planes that  where made by school children they where very good indeed.

On the subject of wooden planes i personally have an extensive collection of wooden smoothing and moulding planes and try to care and restore them for use in my workshop, and as a small tip i find that when i set my wooden hand planes up after sharpening and honing the iron, I rub a little candle wax on the sole of the plane helps reduce wear on the base and also reduces friction.

Review of Makita LF 1000 Flipsaw

Thought i would add a youtube video review of th excellent Makita LF1000 Flipsaw, I own one of these machines and as a site saw i cant recommend them enough.

It provides an accurate cut and a rise and fall function which is very handy, also replacement blades by makita are very reasonably priced.

Sharing Experiences and Information

Please Feel Free to post your DIY Tips and advice,and any pictures you wish to share of projects that you are undertaking.

Below is a great video from George Berry who shows an unusual technique of cutting a circle on a table saw.

Welcome All

Welcome all to our little blogsite, please feel free to view our website www.themobilehandyman.co.uk through the links section

Thanks

Carl