Recent content by Dave Budd

When I teach sharpening, I generally describe the amount of pressure needed as putting a sandwich together. If you are making a crisp sandwich, then it's probably a bit too hard. Apart from being difficult to control the angle, it's easy to ruin a stone/the blade, accidents happen and you lose...

I don't make standard patterns, instead I make to generic styles for whichever period I'm asked for. Most of the time I end up supplying just the heads, since the people wanting to use the axe SHOULD have the ability to make one ;-) The axe at 9 o'clock is a double bevelled hewing axe, 4...

There are a few of us, myself included :D As mentioned, hewing axes are quite niche, but there are a lot of folks getting into timber framed building and heritage construction these days so there is definitely a market for them! Most of mine tend to be to various Medieval patterns (T-axes...

you're not going to run a car on it, but for a small engine tool that you only use for a number of hours annually it's not horrendous. It is much nicer to use (fumes etc) and the maintenance costs of the machine are reduced even if only a little.

I buy it online, you can get a single litre or a pallet load from most garden machinery places online or in person,. Even Ebay! There are other versions around now too such as Stihl's Motomix, anywhere that sells a chainsaw or strimmer will likely stock one or the other.

As this thread has been resurrected, I thought I would share my latest discovery with the Aspen I use. Just before Christmas I filled and used a pedestrian tractor I have, but very rarely use. It's been sat unused for maybe 3 years and the tank was empty (any fuel in there had evaporated). I...

i suspect it was largely a case of wealth, fidgety gadgetry. Most of the earliest (surviving) folding knives are quite ornamental and fiddly in the handles, being intricate castings more like votive offerings or charms. I'm not aware of any grave finds that only have a folding knife (ie there...

If I remember rightly, kiln drying effects how the cells absorb moisture as well as the initial drying. So kiln dried wood will rehydrate to any moisture levels, but I think it's more easily dried out again than air dried wood that has rehydrated to the same level. 'Kiln dried' is taking the...

Yes, RH is shorthand for relative humidity, moisture content, or the amount of water in the material. Moisture meters used to check how wet a piece of timber is measure the % not a quantity of water, so the humidity is therefore relative to the outside Also, yes truncated means cut through.

As said above, hot water is not steaming and won't work as well. You need the whole plank to be of a uniform moisture level for it to bend uniformly. The amount of time that the wood needs to be in steam depends on species, starting RH and most of all thickness of board: the steam has to...

rather than trying to bend soaked ash, try steaming it instead. Kiln dried ash will bend in a circle if its full of hot steam ;-) heck you can tie a 30x6mm strip in a knot easily enough! there is a technique to it still, you have to exercise the wood gently rather than just bending full on in...

It was great to see a bunch of you at TORM and I'm glad you all survived the floods! I hope you all managed to get some making done beyond repairing any storm damaged kit :D

I'll not be joining people at Rough Close, but I will be trading at TORM :-) I look forward to seeing friendly faces! The makers moot is a great idea. There are so many excellent stalls at both market that will tempt and inspire people I'm sure

I've only been to their 'new' big Axminster shop once and their old highstreet shop a few times, back in the day of those fabulous 20mm thick A4 catalogues! I've got a couple of of Dick catalogues (from before they became Dictum) and they are a similar thick porn mag with such nice prices

well that's a relief :) and that the Axminster store will still be open!