Workshop update

 I've finished the larger dovetailed boxes. This one has a slightly protruding handle cut into the front. It has a tapered chamfer on the top which adds a tactile touch.

The birds eye maple has a nice ripple running through.

This box was made from instrument grade timber but with some colour in. This costs half the price of the wood in the first box but personally I prefer it, there's more character. The top is big leaf maple.

The handle on this one is very discreet and needed some very careful fitting. The wood needs to be bone dry as any shrinkage will cause it to bind.

You may have noticed that I always have a few projects on the go at the same, this is for practical reasons (waiting for glue and finish to dry) but it's also the way I like to work. Here are the jointers I've been working on, shaped, with the first coat of oil applied.

I'm starting another batch of mini smoothers, they have sold very well. I'm using Mexican Rosewood (bocote) and kingwood as before but I'm also making 8 in Brazilian tulipwood. This is wonderful wood, very pretty and hard as stone.

Here's a shot of the end grain, I'm looking forward to seeing these finished.

In order to try and remove as little material as possible I tried using a very thin carbon steel blade on my band saw with a 1 mm kerf instead of my usual 2 mm. Unfortunately the blade was not up to the tulipwood see the ones on the left. The ones on the right were cut with my lennox tri master carbide tipped blades which required the minimum of clean up.

Here's my Holtey no 10 mitre plane making a great job of the rock hard tuplipwood. There aren't many planes that could cope with this without tearing out.