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Preach it, brother! I've had a few people gripe about me not doing smithing videos, and they've pretty much talked me into it. The first "planned" video is going to be forging a marlinspike because everyone should have a marlinspike close to hand! Another good channel is First Class Amateur...

Wood sheaths are quite common around the world. A lot of the leather sheaths that we see from way back in the day are actually leather over a wooden core. I think the important thing would be to make the wood sheath solid rather than open-sided like that if the cedar is particularly soft. You...

It's sad that so much of the cultural knowledge has been lost. Stockholm tar is a fantastic preservative for wood, leather and the like. It keeps your ropes in good condition. I prefer it for my woodwork over paint, and it's orders of magnitude better than linseed oil, imo, because it doesn't...

Looks fantastic! I've always enjoyed basket weaving, but never had the chance to try proper willow. I've wanted to see about importing some, but.... well, it's one of a thousand things I'd like to get involved in.

Anyone playing with Beaver Dam Analogues to help drown out invasive species, increase biodiversity, and raise the water tables? I know beavers were only just re-introduced to the UK, to much fanfare and success, but there seems to be little discussion of using BDA's where there aren't beavers yet.

It used to be that Stockholm Tar was found everywhere. Now it seems like it's mostly been forgotten, and that's kind of sad. We've lost a ton of generational knowledge over the years, and I'm always happy to see guys like Mikko Snellman keeping some of it alive. I was first introduced to...

That's some really fantastic work. I've always enjoyed basketmaking because it's rather meditative and have wanted to try European Basket Willow to see how it does. The range of products once made in the UK is really amazing. There's almost nothing you can't make from willow. Around here, the...

As a little one, the dimensions need to account for her size, strength and comfort. I wouldn't go with anything more than an inch in diameter and a foot taller than she is. She'll grow out of it, but even as she gets bigger, it can still be used. When it's finally too small for her, it can be...

Eric Sloane was probably the best artist when it comes to cataloging old tools. His books are an absolute joy to peruse!

In America, the pit saw is still demonstrated in a few places. Oddly enough, the design also gave us the colloquialisms "top dog" and "under dog". As you can imagine, being "top dog" was far better a thing since you were in the breeze, if there was one, and didn't get covered in saw dust. I...

Not at all. I get this all the time from newbies, but I remind them that I've been around and looking for anvils for years, while they just got the bug a week ago. Stands to reason that we'd have more or better tooling than some guy that watched the first season of Forged in Fire and decided...

Very impressive bit of work! Looks better than new!!

That's a perfect anvil. Cast steel is tough stuff, and Brooks made very good anvils. A lot of Brooks anvils are still easily identified by the distinctive shade of blue they use -- called, oddly enough, Brooks Blue by anvil aficionados. If you don't want to paint the sides blue, I wouldn't...

Good work, Mac. Fisher anvils are, to my mind, the best out there. It's so nice to work on an anvil that doesn't have a ring that drills into your ears. If you do find your anvil quite noise because it's Cast Steel or the older Wrought Iron construction, you can quiet it a very good bit...

Projects for kids are always a good thing to think about. In the blacksmithing realm, I try to always have a few things that kids can make with relative quickness while also getting them involved in layout, marking, simple hand tools, etc. For out in the woods, one of the best things for kids...

That kind of consistency is mighty good. As for not having kit.... that's hogwash. You've got the kit. You've got the drive. You've got the eye. Nothing's stopping you from doing the same level of work you see in the Sutton Hoo find. Or did you imagine those guys had million-dollar...

That you were able to turn out such a nice piece with minimal kit speaks volumes. You turned a couple good curves, kept everything to reasonable thickness, have a great taper..... and no mule tracks. Overall, that's not just a win, but shows you've got a talent for the Trade. Your...

That's the kind of television I could watch for hours! I've made baskets from white oak in the past. It's a similar technique, though Quercus doesn't split along the rings like Ash does. Always wanted to try my hand at wickerwork using European willow. I read a book ages ago about the...

Got a pair of candle holders made. Next up is some stocking hooks that clip to them. While these things might look complicated, they're actually quite "easy" to make. The hard part is drilling all the holes for the central rivet.

I've been running a DeWalt for a few years and like it well enough. I've got an Evolution "chop saw" for metal, and the DeWalt is only for wood. Both brands have their good and bad about them, but they're both quality. Where most people go wrong, and end up blaming the tool, is not using the...