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Hifi Stereo Cabinet With Turntable Lid

I recently decided to go on a trip down memory lane and rebuild the hi-fi system that really helped to kickstart my love for audio. It was my first ‘new’ separates system – a major upgrade on the boomboxes and midi systems I’d had up until that point, and a departure from the vintage hi-fi……

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Cherry Box

Finally found a use for the small leftovers from Project Cherry. I gifted a commemorative CD set to a friend and wanted to make a box for them.

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Categorised as Projects

Oak Bowl

This blank was a lot bigger than I started, but a few incidents meant I had to turn it a few times to get the resultant project which is more of a snack dish than a bowl. I don’t particularly enjoy turning oak as I haven’t yet found a way to successfully turn it without……

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Tulip bowl version 2

The very first bowl I turned was in Tulipwood. When I started out I was hesitant to try a thin rim at risk of ruining the project.

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Categorised as Turning

African Walnut Bowl

African Walnut (Lovoa trichilioides) grows in West Tropical Africa from a relatively small tree, standing on average 30-46 m tall with a trunk diameter of 0.6-1.

Lime Wood Bowl

The Lime (Latin Tilia) tree, also known as Linden and (most commonly in the United States) Basswood, can reach a height of 40 metres and has a typical trunk diameter between one and two metres. The Lime wood species is unrelated to the citrus fruit.

Record Power DML24 Lathe Restoration

This is the original incarnation of the DML24 from Record Power. It’s a three-speed wood turning lathe made around 1997 and is about as basic as a lathe gets.

Idigbo Bowl

This bowl was turned from an Idigbo blank. I’d never heard of Idigbo (Terminalia ivorensis) which hails from west Africa and is commonly used in joinery due to its durability and stability, and limited moisture movement.

Rutlands Precision 1/4 Inch Router Review

When Makita popularised the small trim-router, I wonder if they could have ever imagined how many manufacturers would jump on the bandwagon and produce copies, even literal clones of their product. I’ve used a Makita RT0700C trim router for years and it’s one of my favourite tools, but I’ve never been able to justify the……

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Rutlands Premium Router Table, R15 Lift & Motor Review

Rutlands’ premium router tables comprise 27 mm phenolic laminated table tops, solid fences and t tracks for jigs, feather boards and mitre gauges. Combined with their lifts and motors they promise an accurate, safe and highly versatile routing solution.

Axminster AC216TS AW216TS Table Saw 6 Month Review

Recently rebranded as the Axminster Workshop AW216TS, the AC216TS is an 8-inch table saw with an induction motor, cast iron table and a lot of versatility. Despite being the smallest model in Axminster’s ‘craft’ (now ‘Workshop’) range, it is rather like a professional trade-rated saw, only smaller.

Axminster Workshop AW300DS Disc Sander Review

The AW300DS from Axminster Tools Is a 300 mm disc sander with a 750W induction motor, cast-iron table and clever dual-face mitre fence. I was recently manufacturing a big batch of very small wooden parts and needed to sand the faces and edges to accurate squares and bevels.

My First Turned Bowl (Tulipwood)

Described as “the greenish yellowish wood yielded from the Tulip tree found on the eastern side of North America and also in some parts of China”. (Reference Wikipedia).

Accurately Centre a Wood Lathe Faceplate

I recently began wood turning having acquired and restored a ‘90s vintage Record DML-24 lathe. One of my first projects was, rather ambitiously, a tulip bowl which presented my first real challenge.

Roasted Poplar guitars

I had a request to build a guitar for gigging that wouldn’t be as maintenance-free as possible. While guitars are reliable instruments, they do need a certain amount of upkeep and this is especially so on the road.

Cool Tools Episode 5: Digital Edition

Technology has brought improvements to every area of life, and tools are no exception. Even traditional tools like the humble tape measure haven’t escaped the digital era.

Kreg KMA3200 5 mm Shelf Pin JIg

The KMA3220 shelf pin jig from Kreg Tools is a quick and easy way to drill accurate holes for cabinet shelves at a standard distance of 32 mm centre to centre. I needed to fit adjustable shelving to a recent cabinet project.

Axminster AC220RD Bench-Top Radial Pillar Drill Reviewed

The AC220RD from Axminster Tools is a five-speed radial pillar drill complete with a 16 mm keyless chuck and sturdy cast table assembly. A radial drill has the advantage of increased throat depth over a standard pillar drill; here a massive 420 mm between the centre of the chuck and front face of the column.

Clarke Contractor CR4 2000W Plunge Router Reviewed

The Clarke Contractor CR4 is a large variable speed plunge router with a 2000-watt motor. I needed a plunge router that could be kept for freehand use, negating the need to remove the Dewalt from its semi-permanent home in the router table.

Sealey PDM155B Pillar Drill / Drill Press Reviewed

The Sealey PDM155B is a model in their Premier range of tools and the largest bench-top model they offer. It stands 1050 mm tall and has 16 speeds, a 600W induction motor, and a fully adjustable 290 mm square cast table and precise quill assembly for accurate drilling.

Triton TSPS450 Oscillating Spindle Sander Reviewed

The TSPS450 from Triton Tools is an oscillating spindle sander with a large 370 x 295 mm cast-iron table and a powerful 450-watt motor. Spindle sanders, sometimes known as bobbin sanders due to their cylindrical sanding drums are great for sanding curved surfaces.

Axminster Craft / Workshop AC1400B / AW1400B Bandsaw Reviewed

The AC1400B is the smallest bandsaw offered by Axminster Tools. Part of the Axminster Craft range, it is a bench-top model intended for small craft projects in the home workshop.

Woodworking Blind Part 3: Sawing

This instalment of the Woodworking Blind series will cover tips and techniques for the safe and successful operation of saws. This is not a definitive guide to the use of every saw, as there are plenty of general tutorials freely available governing the use of every type of saw imaginable.

Dewalt DWS774-GB Sliding Mitre Saw Reviewed

Dewalts self-proclaimed “classic” saw design has been around for years, with minor model updates elevating performance and Flex-Volt cordless options completing the range. I wanted a saw that would offer repeatability and accuracy in the construction of projects from reclaimed pallet wood, and accurate mitres in small furniture, instrument components, turntable plinths and other similar……

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Cool Tools Episode 4: Saws, Hammers & Bars

Everyone loves a power tool, but there are some instances where the best source of power comes from within. Many woodworkers use the same tools their fathers used before them.

Woodworking Blind Part 2: Measuring & Marking

In the second instalment in the Woodworking Blind series, we will discuss measurement and marking. The age-old adage “measure twice, cut once” is especially applicable when you have no sight, and I would vehemently encourage you take this to heart from the get-go.

Cool Tools Episode 3: Pliers, Cutters & Strippers

I do a great deal of work with electronics and I wire a lot of guitars, so a good set of pliers, cutters and wire strippers is important. Up until recently I’d been using the same set of combination pliers, long-nose pliers and side cutters that I received as a Birthday gift when I was……

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