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1 week ago | 
neversponsored.substack.com | Megan Fitzpatrick |Christopher Schwarz
A fair number of people have asked why we bought another bench instead of simply making one – we do, after all, know how to make one. Or 10. The short answer is: We did the math. Factoring in our time and all materials (including the vises, for which we almost always use Benchcrafted products), we could not build one for less than the price of the Benchcrafted Split-top Roubo.
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2 weeks ago | 
neversponsored.substack.com | Christopher Schwarz
Years ago I had to have surgery on my left hand to remove a walnut splinter that had lodged under a nerve. It was painful and expensive. Because of that, I have become a serious tweezer. I’ve tried everything that was legal, looked promising or was recommended to me. Today, the only thing I use (or recommend) are the pair of Tweezerman tools, which are widely available in drugstores.
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2 weeks ago | 
neversponsored.substack.com | Christopher Schwarz
After griping about the switch on our Saw Stop, several readers insisted there was a fix to the too-sensitive switch. We simply needed to call Saw Stop, report the problem and they would offer a solution. This switch problem is something I reported years ago, but perhaps things had changed since then. So Megan called them last week. Eventually they asked to talk to me about the switch and describe what the underside of the switch looks like.
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3 weeks ago | 
neversponsored.substack.com | Megan Fitzpatrick
A saddle square is one of those tools you don’t really need, but it is awfully handy to have. It allows you to quickly carry a line around a corner without having to reposition the tool (as you would with an adjustable square). I have a large Veritas saddle square at home (it’s useful for framing), and a small Veritas one in my tool chest at work; we also keep one in the machine room, in the cabinet next to the table saw.
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4 weeks ago | 
neversponsored.substack.com | Christopher Schwarz
Hands down, the paddle switch on my Saw Stop table saw is the worst switch in woodworking. In theory, it’s a good idea. You pull the paddle out to spin up the blade. Then you push it in to stop the blade. The paddle switch is huge (compared to other machinery switches) so you can turn it off easily with a bump of your leg. In practice, however, the switch is a nightmare for production work. A stiff breeze will turn the switch off in the middle of a cut.
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4 weeks ago | 
neversponsored.substack.com | Christopher Schwarz
When I find glue squeeze-out in a tight corner, I’ll try anything to get it out, from a toothbrush to a knife. Last July, my friends at Dictum introduced me to bonsai brushes, and now they are a permanent part of our glue kit. They are stiff – just stiff enough to scrape the glue but not so stiff that they dent pine. The shape of the brush is ideal – like a centurion’s helmet or a curious slug. You can get that curve into a long seam to remove a long line of glue.
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1 month ago | 
neversponsored.substack.com | Christopher Schwarz
Unlike a lot of woodworkers, I embrace the framing square and the yardstick as essential tools. For the yardstick, you don’t need anything special. Buy a vintage maple one (my favorite one cost me $1). Or – even better – pick them up off the street (that’s where I got my second-favorite yardstick). Hang it by your bench, and you’ll be amazed at how much you use it for layout and other chores. Never Sponsored is a reader-supported publication.
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1 month ago | 
neversponsored.substack.com | Christopher Schwarz
Keeping my hex keys organized and close at hand has always been a challenge. I have a few sets of keys, plus about 128 assorted hex keys that have somehow ended up in a drawer. I don’t want them in a drawer. Instead, I want them mounted to the machine that needs them. So that when I need to back off the thrust bearing on a band saw, I simply grab the key that’s always right there.
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1 month ago | 
neversponsored.substack.com | Christopher Schwarz
I’m in the midst of revising “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest” for its 15th anniversary, and I’ve tripped over a small pothole in my path. At first things were easy. It took a couple months to revise my recommendations for hand tools in the book, and I’m pleased with the end result. But there’s a short chapter on woodworking machinery in the book that has crippled my progress. The problem is that I don’t look at machinery the same way I did when I wrote the book in 2010.
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1 month ago | 
neversponsored.substack.com | Christopher Schwarz
The headline above is quite problematic. Apologies. But it is correct. What’s a “bone folder?” It’s a tool – traditionally made from polished bone – used in paper crafts. It can help you crease and score paper. I use the tool all the time when folding our printed chair patterns that we sell. It makes a crisp crease with ease. It also is an excellent and inexpensive finishing tool. Like the polissoir, a bone folder burnishes wood fibers. The burnishing makes the wood harder and shinier.