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Following my Bliss(ters)
Ever heard of Joseph Campbell? Me neither. But I bet you've heard his words. And I bet you were either inspired or annoyed by them....
MarkBuildsIt
Sep 4, 20211 min read
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Another Tough Choice...
It was not an easy decision. But, with an unvaccinated youngster at home, and the Delta Variant raging through Missouri and Texas, I'm...
MarkBuildsIt
Sep 2, 20211 min read
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Make a Clean Exit at the Drill Press
I used to have the hardest time getting a clean exit hole when I was drilling through wood. A good set of lipped brad points, or the Wood...
MarkBuildsIt
Jun 21, 20212 min read
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Time to Try Something Different
By the beginning of this year, my most often used chisel, an A2 Steel, 1/2 inch Lie-Nielsen Bevel Edge Socket Chisel, had reached the end...
MarkBuildsIt
Jun 12, 20213 min read
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Visit The Texas Woodworking Festival
It's a strange thing for me to say, but I've missed woodworking shows. Mostly because... I get exhausted. I'm an introvert. I come home...
MarkBuildsIt
Jun 11, 20211 min read
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Shave Horse Kit Updates
I'm nearing completion of the most recent batch of shave horses. Since the plans and parts are all fresh in my head (and I'm nearly out...
MarkBuildsIt
Jun 10, 20212 min read
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(A Very Few) Shave Horse Kits in Stock
I was cleaning up the shop a little while back and found a half dozen packing tubes with Shave Horse plans already inside them. Now that...
MarkBuildsIt
Jun 8, 20212 min read
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Make a Woodworker Out of A Pallet Builder
Yesterday I actually groaned out loud as I clicked the title of the newsletter I received from Lee Valley... "Make a Backyard Bar Using...
MarkBuildsIt
May 11, 20212 min read
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Flatten Your Workbench
I've made a handful of videos for the students of my Workbench Class (at Home) students that I consider to be Core Skills. So, after some...
MarkBuildsIt
May 8, 20211 min read
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Brand New Workbench Seeking A Good Home
UPDATE: This workbench has sold - I don't usually build workbenches on spec, but I needed to build one for my Workbench Class (at Home)...
MarkBuildsIt
Apr 23, 20211 min read
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Jointer Video Mis-Fire
I'm sorry about locking you all out of the Sharpening Video this morning. Apparently you can't have a video that is both "Unlisted" and...
MarkBuildsIt
Apr 14, 20211 min read
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How To Sharpen a Jointer Plane
Nearly all of my plane irons are ground to a custom shape. My jointer is no exception. It’s not flat, but it’s not cambered either. In...
MarkBuildsIt
Apr 14, 20211 min read
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Select Your Draw Bore Pins Carefully
Reading the grain, and carefully choosing the stock that gets driven into the joint, should always be a part of your process.
MarkBuildsIt
Mar 27, 20211 min read
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Sharpen a Shoulder Plane
If it's a bevel up plane and it's in my shop, it's going to get sharpened to 40 degrees and the back of the blade is going to get the...
MarkBuildsIt
Mar 20, 20211 min read
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Use Floss to Fix a Crack
Last week I filmed the process of cleaning up the shoulder of a mortise and tenon joint for my Workbench Class (at Home) students. My...
MarkBuildsIt
Mar 16, 20211 min read
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French Triangles and French Workbenches
It's modified version of the original system, but it seems like the kind of thing that any workbench builder might benefit from knowing.
MarkBuildsIt
Mar 12, 20211 min read
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Adding Camber to a Bevel Up Plane Blade
The geometry of bevel up planes requires an adjustment to how you think about camber.
MarkBuildsIt
Mar 11, 20211 min read
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Just Because It's New, Doesn't Mean It's Good
There are some very old companies who used to make sweet tools. But I wouldn't get your heart set on owning any of their new stuff.
MarkBuildsIt
Mar 10, 20211 min read
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Set Up a New Bench Chisel
Continuing on with my Core Skills video series, I've got a new one that shows how I set up a brand new bench chisel. It features a 1/2...
MarkBuildsIt
Feb 26, 20211 min read
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Working Odd Shaped Stock with a Toothed Planing Stop
Your planing stop is better with teeth! Here's another reason why...
MarkBuildsIt
Jan 17, 20211 min read
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