Early Access: Five Short Videos
Added 2021-03-27 11:01:01 +0000 UTCFriends:
After many delays, my new book Everyday Woodworking will be released on June 15.
I need to promote this book and I also want to develop my Woodwork for Humans content. So, I’m creating the new website woodworkforhumans.com. It’s under development now and is about 80% finished. The site will have links to tools, articles, and several exclusive videos specially aimed toward the beginner.
This week, Nate and I produced the first five of these videos. They’re on basic topics like sharpening a knife and buying a cordless drill. For many of you, these videos might cover familiar ground, but we have a lot of new woodworkers here and they might get some good information.
These videos will be exclusive to the new site, so when I say things like “click on the tools tab”, I’m referring to a site that does not exist yet. The site should be live in the next month or two and Patrons will get access before anyone else.
If you would like to comment on any of these videos, I’m always happy to get feedback. Please leave your comments on this page, not on the individual videos on YouTube. There are five different videos here, and I can’t keep track of comments on all of them, but I will read every single comment on this page.
Next week, we will return to regular videos.
Happy Saturday!
--Rex
Comments
Not from the UK but im from Germany and im disabled since i was born . Im glued to a wheelchair and have a lot of other problems but i love woodworking . Right now im establishing my workshop
Daniel (1st Nato S.O.F Rekrut)
2021-04-18 22:39:43 +0000 UTCDon't by one on ebay unless the seller gives you a breakdown picture by of every part of the brace. I brought one on ebay thinking it looked in great condition. When I got it in the mail I discovered the jaws were missing. I scoured the internet to see if I could find jaws, but no such luck. Apparently it takes the type G jaws which stanley stopped making 8 years ago and used jaws are impossible to find. So I ended up buying a brand new Garrett and Wade versatile bit brace and giving the ebay one to my mom for a rustic decor piece for her sunroom.
Ellen Sloan
2021-04-18 03:31:05 +0000 UTCHello is there any disabled people out there in the United kingdom
Carl Moore
2021-04-16 02:49:13 +0000 UTCI preordered the first time you mentioned the book in your videos - can't wait!
Bayard
2021-04-01 15:31:11 +0000 UTCHow open are you to video suggestions? It's just I'm thinking of making a cat wheel for my pet cat and would be interested to see how you'd approach such a project.
Jim
2021-03-31 10:39:24 +0000 UTCPre-ordered.
Brian Suker
2021-03-31 09:30:02 +0000 UTCI made that video!
Rex Krueger
2021-03-30 14:04:58 +0000 UTCJUNE 15th!
Rex Krueger
2021-03-30 14:04:29 +0000 UTCI think a lot of people learn to use these tools on the job. For the rest of us, there actually isn’t enough good education about how they work. Manufacturers just assume the buyer will know how to use the tool and they do a lousy job of educating people.
Rex Krueger
2021-03-30 14:04:05 +0000 UTCSolid tips!
Rex Krueger
2021-03-30 14:01:59 +0000 UTCI didn’t know until my dad showed me, and that didn’t happen until I had already been using a cordless drill for years. I should note that at the time, my only drill was a Ryobi and either it didn’t lock or it didn’t need to, because I never locked it. My current Dewalt has a built in break that stops the chuck pretty abruptly when you let go of the trigger. I think that’s why it needs to lock. Bits occasionally just fall out of the dewalt if I forgot to lock it. That never happened with the cheaper drill.
Rex Krueger
2021-03-30 14:01:36 +0000 UTCThey can be pretty darn wobbly and still work. Many of them can be tightened.
Rex Krueger
2021-03-30 13:58:50 +0000 UTCI can just explain it. The goal is to have the vice and the bench apron roughly parallel. Your experience is very instructive. Having the vice the jaw just a bit closer to the bench than the bottom of the vice does indeed yield better clamping. And you’re also right that the wedge allows you to open the vice wider. I rarely work on big pieces in the vice, but I do occasionally and it’s handy to be able to get a five or 6 inch capacity.
Rex Krueger
2021-03-30 13:58:05 +0000 UTCYou know, I remember grinding some of the metal away, but I cannot remember why!
Rex Krueger
2021-03-30 13:54:57 +0000 UTCJust bought an antique hatchet, perfect timing! Wood love a video on making a new handle. Maybe with a draw knife, file and spoke shave.
Pete seddon
2021-03-30 02:56:53 +0000 UTCThank you! I have been looking for one of these when I am out at estate sales. So far I haven't been fortunate enough to find one.
Coby Holland
2021-03-30 00:53:14 +0000 UTCThese are great basic info videos. Looking forward to your new channel.
Richard Young
2021-03-29 22:52:25 +0000 UTCThe drill video is very informative and helpful. Would agree that mentioning the trigger is variable would be good. Also, your index/thumb for which direction to go doesn't work for us left-handers :p
Braden Mabry
2021-03-29 14:38:26 +0000 UTCGreat to see the book will be for sale in a week or so! I'm very much looking forward to it: among other things, I'm eager to see how you re-designed the low bench.
Joel Hollingsworth
2021-03-29 04:19:58 +0000 UTCKnife sharpening was very detailed. I've seen a lot about sharpening chisels and plane irons, but the knife was a good addition!
Braden Mabry
2021-03-28 18:56:18 +0000 UTCExcellent video on the square! I don't think most people realize you can use it for angles too!
Braden Mabry
2021-03-28 18:46:34 +0000 UTCWorking my way through! The brace video was excellent. I've seen you use them, but never really understood them. I'd feel pretty confident going out and buying a used one now.
Braden Mabry
2021-03-28 13:53:36 +0000 UTCThis is very cool. I’ve had a power drill the majority of my life and didn’t really understand the reason I’d occasionally strip screws.
Jeanine Hoffman
2021-03-28 04:13:40 +0000 UTCIgaging make great ones for a reasonable price
Matthew Leigh
2021-03-28 03:34:57 +0000 UTCNice set of straight information videos Rex. These are helpful as good reminders for those of us who have used these tools before and have forgotten why we started using them. The knife and axe sharpening videos are going to be really helpful to beginners. i expect you will also have videos on sharpening all of the other tools also. Thank you for your hard work.
Matt Evans-Koch
2021-03-28 01:55:43 +0000 UTCThis summer I'll be on the lookout for a 6" double square. Like a combination square, but the double square has two 90s instead of a 45 and a 90.
Colin Hartz
2021-03-27 22:31:12 +0000 UTCGreat series of videos! Because these videos are aimed at beginners I think it's worth while to the warn them about trying to change drill bits while still in the drill setting of the chuck. A mistake I've made more times than I care to admit XD
Henry Amador
2021-03-27 20:47:08 +0000 UTC@colby #1053 may be my favorite thing ever posted to the internet.
Nic Beurskens
2021-03-27 19:09:17 +0000 UTCNot at all, in fact, I'm always learning some little trick I didn't know before. I used to sharpen my chisels on a beltsander and was satisfied with the sharpness,
Thomas Danaher
2021-03-27 17:56:53 +0000 UTCI've been learning from youtube and books for many years and I learned some tips from each of these videos. I didn't know you could lock a bit in a cordless drill and I've been using one for decades. DUH!! I'm assuming you can use diamond stones for sharpening knives also. I have some with a lapping fluid. Thanks Rex for the hard work you do.
John Hiemstra
2021-03-27 17:50:47 +0000 UTCTwo tips I'd add to the brace video: Make sure the middle handle hasn't shrunk too much, it'll pinch your hand and it's tricky to replace Get a hex impact extension with a 2" or longer shaft. All my braces hold long hex bits a LOT better, they don't slip down in the chuck.
Eric Boyd
2021-03-27 17:30:03 +0000 UTCAm I the only person who didn't know that a keyless chucks could lock? My Ryobi doesn't appear to have a lock, or at least it doesn't click when I tried it.
Steven Soulen
2021-03-27 17:24:42 +0000 UTCFor drill chuck if you are not in a blazing hurry they can also be open/closed by hand. Also my first electric drill didn't have a trigger lock so I just pulled the battery, and put them in the bag with no worries about running down the batteries while it sits in the bag.
Stuart
2021-03-27 17:11:50 +0000 UTCI like to think about it like this webcomic highlights. Every day, there are more people that learn something for the first time. So no shame in producing beginner content! https://xkcd.com/1053/
Colby Allred
2021-03-27 17:10:00 +0000 UTCThe one on braces is especially useful. I have trouble finding information about that But there is still one bit information that I never found : How wobbly is the top handle supposed to be, and is it important ?
Remi Picot
2021-03-27 16:05:59 +0000 UTCAfter 40 years in construction, I first thought "seriously" when I saw the titles of the videos. But then I thought back to my beginnings in construction and realized these are amazingly informative for the beginner. So all you beginners can benefit from this information and remember tool safety. They are tools and they will hurt you if you lose concentration when using them.
Thomas Danaher
2021-03-27 14:04:56 +0000 UTCGreat videos, easy to follow. I have pre-ordered the book in UK 👍👍👍
The Deaf Maker
2021-03-27 13:24:06 +0000 UTCI like these and would like a video on how to adjust the wedge on the bottom of the leg vise. I'm not sure what the goal is. Is the intent that the bottom of the leg vise and the top are plum when the vise is tightened? I seem to have better luck if the bottom is out of plum away from the bench (so the top is closer to the bench then the bottom) when working with small pieces, so either I've screwed up my skirt (which is a distinct possibility) or the position of the wedge depends on the type of work being done (which is my suspicion). I know that this is a quick and dirty thing, so I imagine it would be a quick 5 minute video. I also haven't had occasion to work on a piece wider than my wedge, but I imagine that if I were to do so, I would need a large piece on the bottom of the leg vise.
William Fishburne
2021-03-27 13:04:07 +0000 UTCPre-ordered the book about a week ago. Thanks for these videos. I was actually really stuck for how to properly sharpen a hatched without using a bench grinder, and I think I'm going to practice my knife-sharpening technique now that I have seen it done properly and explained in detail.
Martin Hartley
2021-03-27 13:01:23 +0000 UTCExcellent work! Clear. Concise. Brian Taylor hit everything I'd have said and more I didn't consider.
Bill Smithem
2021-03-27 13:00:28 +0000 UTCWell Done. Wish I'd had these available years ago. Looking forward to the book for some of my family. Thanks.
Kevin S Thomas
2021-03-27 12:53:04 +0000 UTCSooo..what was that modification you did to your speed square, down at the pivot point?
Steve Jones
2021-03-27 12:42:20 +0000 UTCAs a separate video, you might consider discussing the importance of *sharp* tools like hatchets, knives, chisels, plane irons, saws, files, and drills. Beginners rarely understand this (I didn't) and become frustrated.
Brian Taylor
2021-03-27 12:28:37 +0000 UTCThis is awesome. Reminds me when I first started woodworking and I watched Steve Ramsey from woodworking for mere mortals to learn how to use power tools and build projects. Really excellent stuff.
James Crandall
2021-03-27 12:14:31 +0000 UTCI echo Gary's comment - great content. In the spirit of constructive criticism, I offer the following comments: 1. The knife sharpening video will likely draw the ire of many. Your technique is fine for some knife grinds but most have a secondary (steeper) bevel that actually does the cutting. It would take a lot of work on the primary bevel to work it down to the cutting edge and could lead to frustration for a beginner. Also it would be helpful to show the Sharpie trick on the knife edge. 2. Your hatchet sharpening looks good for a touch-up, but for well-used or garage sale hatchet, it's like to need prep with a file to establish the appropriate bevel angle. It can be worked down with a stone, but that's a loooong process. If you do cover this aspect, it might be worthwhile to caution against using a grinder to do this because it's way too easy to burn the edge. 3. For the cordless drill, it would be worthwhile mentioning that regular round shank twist drills (which is what 99% of home owners are going to have at hand) can be used. The only caveats are that the chuck be tightened sufficiently, and to be careful not to cock a round shank between 2 of the 3 jaws. These videos will be very helpful to the beginner, and I know you're trying to keep it simple and not get too far into the weeds.
Brian Taylor
2021-03-27 12:00:12 +0000 UTCGreat video Rex, the explainers are good, Looking forward to the book and the website, Much appreciated
Scott Johnston
2021-03-27 11:59:20 +0000 UTCGreat content as always Rex! You have happily become my version of Saturday morning cartoons. One thing I wanted to mention that an engineers square is not actually a combination square. I don't know if this will matter too much for the target audience of these videos, but if they use the search term engineers square they will not find what you told them. Keep up the great content!
gary hubley
2021-03-27 11:48:59 +0000 UTC
