Every new woodworking project for me requires milling lumber. Starting off with my planer and jointer knives at their sharpest always sets the right tone. After the design and drawings are done, performing the sequence of steps to bring my knives back to peak sharpness is really rewarding and fun. Watching pro football in my […]

I know a lot of creative and talented people in Austin, Texas. My friend and long time Toyota mechanic and inventor, Mark Larkin, is one of them. I spend hour upon hour milling wood, sanding or brushing finish which allows my mind to wander to inventions and labor saving devices for my shop. I suspect

Q: Can I sharpen skew knives with a 30° angle? 30 Grade Skew Knife Hi Allan! I was a bit mistaken, it’s not 50, but about a 30 grade angle. This is the optimal angle of our skew knives. Take a look on this photo attached to see it. Please let me know if your

Allan Little’s Safety Glasses Review: If you do any operation long enough you will inevitably have an accident, it’s the law of probability. I just finished fabricating my new steel work table, and there were hours and hours of drilling involved. I don’t even know how many cheap drill bits I used for this project,

Q: So, what about sharpening “skew chisel” type of blades, especially with quite big skew angle? Here’s a photo I took of the General Jig. This was before I invented the Ultimate Sharpening Jig. I’m a cobbler and my knife is like your skew chisels, however its “skew” angle can be more, about 50 grade

Allan gives his old Makita machine to Adan I’ve been given many tools over the years by friends, family and other craftsmen. It makes sense when you aren’t using a tool, or you buy a new one, to pass the old one on to someone who may have a use for it. I recently purchased

Let me tell you about my VerySuperCool Table Saw Fence! Last February, when I was watching AskWoodMan’s latest series “How to Make a Biesemeyer Table Saw Fence” and saw how he used an aluminum extrusion as a fence, I knew I had to have one. I have been a woodworker and woodworking enthusiast for the past 26

SEPT 1, 2015 UPDATE: This blog post was written in 2010. Waterlox changed their formula. I no longer use and recommend this product. I’m still researching to find a great replacement. ~ Allan Little Allan Little compares finish of new sipo door next to 15 year old end table In woodworking, sanding and finishing go hand

Bubinga, wenge and pecan desk Many times in the last twenty-five years while planing or jointing, the knife became damaged and caused me to stop working. The second I feel my knives are dull or damaged I place my Makita sharpening stone in warm water. Without missing a beat, I can remove the knives, sharpen

I love laminate. It’s a low cost and extremely durable choice for work surfaces in woodworking shops. Once you learn a few basic techniques with regard to how to size, glue and trim laminate, most woodworkers will find many practical uses for it. Plastic laminate is the ideal surface for table saw extensions as well