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Blending cherry handle repair

26 March 2026 at 11:14
Hi all, I've took advice in another thread and started restoring a vintage hand saw. I've replaced a cracked section and broken horn with cherry as this looks like the closest match on the cut original wood.

I'm wanting the end result to look similar to the Lie-Nielsen cherry handles and was thinking of applying a slightly pigmented beeswax over sanding sealer. Would this give the desired look and 'blend' in the repair?

Some products I've found: Liberon Beeswax Paste - Antique...

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Hand saws - Tenon / Dovetail

9 March 2026 at 20:23
Hi all,
Looking for some wisdom on the above.

I’m looking for a western backsaw to do finer joints. I’ve tried the Veritas at the woodworking show and it was like it was fitted to my hand and cut beautifully.

But I’m my own worst enemy with this sort of stuff, and I’m bogged down with TPI, rip cut / crosscut, dovetail vs carcass saw…

And it’s because it’s expensive and if I’m to buy one and only one I want it to be right.

I’ve already got some big Japanese pullsaws in 14tpi and 16tpi...

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Toy box - seat

14 November 2025 at 09:33
I’m planning to make a toy box for my boy and came across these pics.
Seems like a neat idea, allows for an extra seat if guests visit and doubles as a toy box.

I’m aware of the risk of children falling into top lidded chests / trapped fingers so if I did do that design would fit a piston and holes in the back just in cases

Wondered if anyone had made something like this or had any pointers into the design?

Cheers
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Darkening / evening out finish on already oiled wood

16 July 2025 at 12:31
Hi, I’ve made some shelf brackets out of what’s turned out to be a mismatch of red and white oak, it wasn’t noticeable until I applied linseed oil and it’s ended up looking like a Neapolitan ice cream and the red oak is REALLY red contrasting heavily with its own sapwood and the white oak.

I’ve tried to add a bit of a pigmented danish oil (Colron I think antique pine) which has browned the paler sapwood slightly but I’m looking for something to even it out a bit and match the shelf...

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Advice on quick and easy greenhouse build

25 June 2025 at 13:12
Hi,
I'm after a greenhouse on a budget, and the cheapest way to do this seems to be making one from timber and glazing it (the metal ones with polycarbonate I've heard are flimsy, and the fabric ones I had blew apart in the wind).

I'm only looking to make a 6x4 one with the rear solid (as against a fence), similar to this: https://www.elbecgardenbuildings.co.uk/4-x-6-124m-x-201m-mercia-traditional-wooden-greenhouse/p6085.

I can get second hand 60x60cm panes of glass for Β£3 each...

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Crack in chair base

14 March 2025 at 13:16
Annoyingly the lovely chair I spent the last few months making has developed a crack in the base…

Seat base is Laminated and joined with 3/4 inch dowels

It was properly dried wood ~12-15% moisture initially measured on my probe before making the chair.

The room it’s in is ~ 50% rh and doesn’t fluctuate much no drying of clothes etc. The garage I made it in is also at ~50%rh has a dehumidifier set to this target rh all the time.

I know it’s positioned near a radiator but this radiator...

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Telescopes

1 March 2025 at 22:30
Hi all,
Completely off topic from woodworking but wondering if we have any astronomers in our midst?

I’ve been looking to get something better than the humble pair of binoculars to see the planets /moon etc for some time, but been egged on by this planetary alignment phenomenon to get something better.

There seems to be a lot of (to me anyway) complex information online about choosing a telescope and arm flexing β€˜you don’t have the Newton grande 1000? You can’t possibly see the moon...

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High chair

24 February 2025 at 13:30
So the little man is now about to become a slightly larger little man and needs somewhere to sit to eat grown up food now.

We live in a small new build with next to no storage, and looking for some kind of high chair that either folds and tucks under a work surface I put up (max height 88cm) or is rigid and slides under the head end of the dining table and lives there (65cm to apron).

We’ve looked at loads of high chairs in person ranging from Β£100-Β£500 (yes you read that right) and...

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Yet another chisel thread

29 January 2025 at 20:27
Hi,
I’m looking to get a decent set of bench chisels (I want them to last a long time and be quality) and been going round in circles!

I’m torn between the Sorby bevel edge with London pattern handles (which I find most comfortable handle compared to straight handles, but old reviews here say the steel quality isn’t great but they were 20 years ago posts and I’ve not seen more recent reviews).

Ashley isles MK II which I’ve heard fantastic things about on here recently, but have the less...

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Low noise vacuum / dust extractor

30 November 2024 at 04:39
Hi,
I’m looking for a bit of advice on dust extraction.
I have an Axminster canister dust extractor that’s incredibly loud and a screwfix titan vacuum, which is a little champion but its plastic construction is wearing out.
I’m thinking of replacing both with something better and was looking for some advice

Tools: table saw (old cheap Axminster one with pants dust extraction design), bandsaw with dust extraction port at the bottom, thickness planer, and variety of tools that accept a...

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CA glue filler vs epoxy

26 November 2024 at 16:27
Not used either of these before, got a very charactery piece of oak that I’m using for some legs for a project and considering stabilise / filling the cracks

Fairly small in size apart from one larger 5p diameter knot about 1cm deep.

I can get some black CA β€˜crack filler’ inexpensively (compared to messing about with epoxy) But never used either before so what would be best for this purpose?

https://www.axminstertools.com/o3a-cyanoacrylate-adhesive-black-109157

Thanks
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Rocking crib design

12 November 2024 at 21:23
Hi,
Turns out babies grow very quickly and the little man is already growing out of his Moses basket and he’s only 2 months old!

I’ve made a full sized crib for his nursery but need something for downstairs and I am considering making a β€˜travel size’ or β€˜spacesaver’ cot - slightly smaller mattress size.

He likes being rocked in a bouncer and I thought why not make a rocking cot.

I’ve seen a few different designs, rocking moses basket holders tend to have rockers on the long edge...

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Decorative screw ideas

6 July 2024 at 18:50
Hi,
I’m planning to attach the front and back of my crib to the sides so it can be taken down for storage.

Hopefully you can see the front / back pieces are M&T jointed to the 2x2 leg, and the sides are a complete unit that will connect onto the leg.

I was thinking of using a floating tenon glued in one piece to act to locate the joint and to resist movement in the vertical direction, and then a screw / bolt to fasten the joint tight.

But I don’t want a Philips head screw in the...

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Cherry and beech finish

1 July 2024 at 18:32
Hi, just wondering if anyone has some ideas on wood finish for the crib.

Framework - American cherry, bars - mix of cherry and English beech

Attached mid progress pic to give idea of colours. And the sanding sealer on some off cuts

I was thinking about using shellac based sanding sealer and wax topcoat. Both state they are toy safe. I don’t like high gloss finishes.

I don’t want to go too dark with the finish as I know cherry will age, but want there to be a decent contrast between the...

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Best wood filler for larger knots

26 June 2024 at 16:28
I’ve been rough sawing a load of beech for the bars of the crib I’m making, a few have these large knots: some have a semi-loose part in the middle and others that are gouged out. (Sorry for bad description)

I intend to thickness plane the bars but I don’t think it’ll be enough to remove the depth of some of these knots.

What would you recommend as the best way to fill / stabilise these knots?

Black epoxy? Standard brown wood filler?

I want it to look nice and leave options open for...

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Chair leg reinforcement + rocker base

15 June 2024 at 07:43
Hi all,

I bought a B&Q armchair years ago for a big discount as it was missing a base and at the time bought some metal angled attachment brackets and screwed in some repurposed staircase spindles.

It’s lived in a corner since then and held up to plenty of abuse.

I would like to add some bracing and if possible a rocker bottom to it as my wife wants to use it as a nursing chair.

I’ve done bracing on a stool I’ve made but that was fairly easy as I drilled it all on the pillar drill and...

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Ideas to fix pilar drill

14 June 2024 at 21:19
Hi,

Sadly the depth stop on my Clark drill press has broken off!

It appears that only a thin bit of plastic was holding the threaded rod onto the housing.

Wondering if anyone has some bright ideas on how to fix it, hopefully an idea that would last not just a quick fix

I could reuse the threaded rod and put a bolt above and below the red housing, but I’d loose a lot of rod height, alternatively I could make a new part somehow maybe from a section of 10mm threaded rod and cut down one...

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Slot mortiser / poor man’s Festool domino

31 May 2024 at 22:38
Thought I’d share my finished machine, to give others ideas and to receive feedback / improvements etc.

I’m making a lot of bars for a crib and needed a good way to attach them strongly to the stringers but don’t want to spend hours and hours manually drilling dowels or cutting M&T:

Video 1
Video 2

Just made from scrap materials around my workshop.


In an ideal world I’d have a better raise / lower mechanism, it’s a sliding joint stopped by a bolt at the back, but it does...

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