Classic Hand Tools Blog | All things Woodworking…

London International Woodworking Festival

Posted on 3rd October 2019 by Blog CHT

The London International Woodworking Festival looms large on the horizon.

The brainchild of Derek Jones, latterly editor of Furniture & Cabinetmaking Magazine. this new event enjoys an urban location in East London with quite a stellar first line up for the discerning woodworker.

Courses are running before and after the 26th & 27th October weekend festival (more info on courses here ) as well as a seminar programme during the festival. The seminars are included in the entrance fee to the show. Tickets can be bought in advance here.

Classic Hand Tools have been invited to attend the Tool Bazaar which runs only on the Saturday and Sunday. We will bring along a selection of fine hand tools and will have Roger Benton from Lie-Nielsen Toolworks with us on our stand plus the extremely knowledgeable Richard Arnold who is representing Mortise & Tenon Magazine.

Chris Schwarz will be popping by to sign copies of Lost Art Press Books from time to time when not delivering his seminars. We will have a selection of Bad Axe Saws for sale and many other sundry high quality hand tools. If you have any special requests then please let us know well in advance as we simply can’t bring everything! We are also offering to ship tools bought at the show to your address so you don’t have to lug tools across London if using public transport.

We are not the organisers of the festival, just glad to be invited. The festival website has most if not all of the answers to questions you may have.

We hope to see you there for what we hope will be the first of many London International Woodworking Festivals.

Posted in Classic Hand Tools Shop, General, Shows | Tagged chris schwarz, derek jones, lie-nielsen toolworks, london, london international woodworking Festival, lost art press, mortise and tenon magazine, richard arnold, roger benton | 1 Comment

New Tools from Fine Furniture Maker

Posted on 25th September 2019 by Blog CHT

Classic Hand Tools has a long established relationship with Rowden Farm Workshop.

We are pleased to announce we are now exclusive stockists of the fantastic range of handmade tools made at Rowden Atelier. Their range includes Dovetail Marking Gauges, Marking Gauge with Outside Bevel, Winding Sticks, Straight Edges, Small and Large Squares and Large French Curves.

Marking Gauge with Outside Bevel in Rosewood and Maple
Winding Sticks Mahogany
Straight Edge in Rosewood and Mahogany
Large Square Mahogany and Rosewood
Small Square Rosewood and Mahogany
Large French Curves
Dovetail Marking Gauge 1:8 Rosewood and Maple

Fine Furniture Maker offer a range of high quality heritage hand tools. A large number of them are inspired by David Savage himself. For example the French Curves are copies of those borrowed by David Savage from Mr Chandler which David considered to be an essential part of his furniture building studio.

The squares, straight edges, dovetail marking gauges and winding sticks are all classic tools and are used daily in the Rowden woodworking workshop.

We will have these tools with us at forthcoming shows London International Woodworking Festival and the North of England Woodworking Show in Harrogate.

Posted in Classic Hand Tools Shop, General, Woodcarving, Woodturning | Tagged david savage, dovetail marking gauge, fine furniture maker, handmade tools, large french curves, large square, rowden atelier, small square, straight edge, winding sticks | Leave a comment

Classic Hand Tools Develop Their Skills With Local Course Providers

Posted on 6th August 2019 by Blog CHT

Mike, Mary and Fraser recently completed a 5 day course making a chair with Cretingham Crafts

Stewart taught them all aspects of making a chair without using glue or wedges. The magic of green woodworking. They learnt how to use various hand tools including drawknives, froes and spokeshaves to develop skills including cleaving, shaving, tenoning, steam bending and weaving the seats. You do not need any previous experience and all the tools are provided for you.

Fantastic chairs made by all of them and a course to be recommended, described as relaxing by some….

Creating back legs
Sanding front legs
Scraping the back legs
Hard at work
4 rails
Fraser’s completed back
The backs are completed.
Steam bending the back legs
Frame is nearly there
Applying finishing oil
Just the seat to go
Chair frames completed
Busy creating his pattern
Who will finish first?
How much longer…..
Fraser’s seat is complete
Mike & Mary’s completed chairs
Sidney, Mary, Stewart & Mike with their completed chairs.

Last week Joy and Mary spent a couple of days on the Sudbourne Printmakers workshop developing their woodcut printing skills. A wonderful location to do a course, including a trip to the local pub at lunchtime – can’t be bad! The workshops run with 4 people creating woodblock prints and 4 people etching – 2 tutors with each group. As well as creating their prints using different methods Joy and Mary learnt about how to use the tools including sharpening them (something lots of people are wary of doing).

Marking up the Lino before cutting with the Pfeil lino tools
Creating the block with Pfeil tools
Crating rainbow backgrounds
Using the press to create the print
1 block on a background
Creating the print
Using the block more than once
1 block on a background
Using the smaller press
First test print
1 block on background
2 blocks on background

Posted in Classic Hand Tools Shop, General | Tagged block printmaking, chairmaking, courses, cretingham crafts, learning new skills, sudbourne printmakers | Leave a comment

Makers Central – NEC Birmingham – 11 & 12 May

Posted on 30th April 2019 by Blog CHT

Come and see us at Makers Central again this year on stands A1, A2, P7, P8 and P9. We are being joined again this year by Tormek and for the first time we will have demonstrators from Lie-Nielsen Toolworks and Arbortech.

Lie-Nielsen Toolworks (P7) – we will have Roger Benton demonstrating Lie-Nielsen tools for us. Roger owns and operates RE-CO BKLYN, a custom design/build furniture shop and urban lumber harvesting operation specializing in harvesting storm damaged trees for lumber in the New York City area. His shop specializes in large, live edge slab tables and desks, as well as solid wood stand-alone furniture. Since it was an interest in classic hand tools and techniques that drew him to furniture making, Roger’s classes always involved choosing, tuning, and getting the most out of planes, handsaws, and chisels.

Roger Benton - Lie-Nielsen Toolworks — Roger Benton – Lie-Nielsen Toolworks

Arbortech (A2) – Simon Clements will be demonstrating the Arbortech tools. Simon describes himself as a woodcarver, sculptor and educator. Therefore, visitors may know of Simon through his courses at the Sylva Wood Centre where he has a workshop. Simon will show just how easy power carving can be using Arbortech.

Tormek (A1) – Pontus Gyllby from Tormek, Sweden is demonstrating the Tormek sharpening system. Pontus has been with Tormek for over 20 years and has played a big part of the company’s growth and success in recent times. With his experience and knowledge in edge tool sharpening, he will demonstrate the sharpening of woodturning, woodworking and other edge tools. Learn how Tormek is the best way to make sharpening easy.

Event opening times are 10am till 6pm on the Saturday and 10am till 4pm on the Sunday.

Posted in Classic Hand Tools Shop, Shows, Woodcarving, Woodturning | Tagged arbortech, lee stoffer covert craft, lie-nielsen toolworks, makers central, nec birmingham, pontus gylby, roger benton, ryan saunders, simon clements, tormek | Leave a comment

Midlands Woodworking Show

Posted on 19th March 2019 by Blog CHT

Friday 22 & Saturday 23 March 10am-4pm
Newark Showground, Newark, Nottinghamshire NG24 2NY

We are doing things a little different at this years Midlands Woodworking Show. We are being joined by a number of other demonstrators some of whom you will remember from the European Woodworking Shows.

Brian Walsh

Brian Walsh is a versatile craftsman who makes his living from his woodworking skills.

Covert Craft – Lee Stoffer

Lee Stoffer is a green woodworker with a passion for spoon carving, carving bowls and other functional and beautifully hand carved treen as well.

Curtis Turner – Lie-Nielsen Toolworks

Curtis traces his interest in woodworking to his early childhood and still has the first toolbox he made from scraps at the age of 10. Curtis was a customer before joining the Lie-Nielsen team in 2007. His first Lie-Nielsen plane was a No. 4½ bench plane and remains a favourite tool.

Fiona Kingdon

Fiona Kingdon makes unique scrollwork suggested by the wood she finds, the landscapes she loves, their inhabitants, and their stories.

International Boatbuilding Training College (IBTC)

The International Boatbuilding Training College provides the widest range of boatbuilding training in the world and is internationally recognized for the quality of its graduates.

MAC Timbers

MAC Timbers will be bringing their wide selection of British Hardwood blanks and boards.

Over The Wireless – Kieran Binnie

Kieran Binnie is a luthier, writer, and regular contributor to Furniture & Cabinetmaking magazine. R

Oliver Sparks

Oliver Sparks is a planemaker working from a rural Northamptonshire workshop. He likes to work high end, and blends traditional craftsmanship and contemporary design.

Skelton Saws

Skelton Saws are first class tools and true pieces of fine handmade English craftsmanship. Handcrafted from the finest quality timber, the handle of a Skelton Saw is produced from beautifully figured rosewood.

The Rocking Horse Shop

Every horse is a handcrafted individual; ready-to-ride horses are available from stock, or you can commission a ‘Special’, made to your own preferred size and style.

Posted in Classic Hand Tools Shop, General, Shows, Woodcarving | Tagged brian walsh, classic hand tools, curtis turner, fiona kingdon, international boatbuilding training college, lee stoffer covert craft, lie-nielsen toolworks, mac timbers, midlands woodworking show, over the wireless kieran binnie, skelton saws, the rocking horse shop, woodworking shows | 1 Comment

The Windsor Workshop Travishers

Posted on 22nd January 2019 by Blog CHT

James Mursell of The Windsor Workshop has recently updated his range of travishers, we now offer all three:

Deluxe Travisher – the first of the new models is made of the engineering polymer Delrin with a solid brass toe insert in front of the blade.

Wood Travisher – this is the original Windsor Workshop travisher that has been in production for over ten years, made from Hard Maple.

Black Travisher – the second of the new models is completely made from Delrin, having similar if not better wearing properties than the wood travisher and is almost indestructible, totally waterproof and crack proof.

Posted in Classic Hand Tools Shop, General | Tagged chairmaking tools, the windsor workshop, travisher, travisher deluxe, woodworking tools | Leave a comment

Who Forged Your Gransfors Bruk Axe?

Posted on 15th January 2019 by Blog CHT

Gransfors Bruk from Sweden are famous for their axes and edge tools. They have been hand forging tools for over 100 years and have a deserved reputation for their quality and product range.

Each axe is individually made so you can identify which blacksmith created your axe. The blacksmiths complete their work by stamping the Gränsfors Bruk logo and their own initials into the axe head, as a declaration that the axe has been well made and approved by the blacksmith.

Gransfors Bruk Axes
Gransfors Bruk Blacksmith ES – Erik Sjöström
Gransfors Bruk Blacksmith EW – Eseyas Brhane

Blacksmiths currently forging at Gränsfors Bruk

AS – Anders Strömstedt
BK – Kahsai Beyene
CS – Christian Sjölund
EB – Erik Blixt
EE – Emil Bohjort Engberg
ES – Erik Sjöström
EW – Eseyas Brhane
JB – Jonas Berglund
LH – Linus Hejmer
MB – Mattias Blixt
MF – Martin Forslund
MS – Mikael Sundberg
TT – Tobias Thelin

Blacksmiths who have forged at Gränsfors Bruk

AM – Anders Magnusson
CK – Claudia Kowalek
CM – Christoffer Malm
DF – David Faxby
DG – Daniel Gräntz
DP – Domingo Gas Pallarés
HD – Henrik Danielsson
HF – Håkan Frank
JE – Joakim Eriksson
JH – John Hårdsten
JMH – Jessica Mona Hassel
KB – Kyle Benkwitz
LP – Lennart Pettersson
MH – Marcus Hulin
MM – Mattias Mattsson
KS – Kjell-Åke Sjölund
LE – Lars Enander
PJA – Paul James Alford
PH – Patrik Hansson
RA – Rune Andersson
UN – Ulrik Nilsson
US – Ulrika Stridsberg

The Gransfors Bruk story

Posted in Classic Hand Tools Shop, General, Woodcarving | Tagged axes, blacksmith, Gransfors Bruk, hand made axes, initials on your axe, sweden | Leave a comment

Up Your Game

Posted on 10th January 2019 by Blog CHT

Learn to carve with Master Woodcarver, Chris Pye

Just click here, no strings attached – available for a limited time only.

Learn to carve with Master Woodcarver, Chris Pye

Posted in General, Woodcarving | Tagged chris pye, free trial, learn to carve, learning new skills, master woodcarver | Leave a comment

Albert Goes Mobile

Posted on 18th October 2018 by Blog CHT

Albert Goes Mobile

The Classic Hand Tools team, led magnificently by tech guru Albert, have been beavering away quietly for months in order to update our website (www.classichandtools.com) to ensure it is mobile friendly.

We have now launched so please refresh your browser and see what our updated website looks like. Our aim was to keep the feel of the original website whilst making improvements – evolution rather than revolution. We think we have achieved this but we are a little too close to it. So we, especially Albert who has had sleepless nights about this launch, would love your feedback. Please let us know what you think.