goodguy

I too have found that my spouse feels more "engaged" in the process when I consult with her first, and that the outcome is more pleasing to her sensibilities. There are numerous other salubrious results too!

My father was a violin maker, so I can attest that most of this video is correct, even if it is “short and slick.” There was a great deal of information that was left out, by necessity for time. That’s a shame. The hand-tools and skills that are most admired in furniture making are similar to those most admired in other Fine Woodworking. I’m sure many FW readers would be interested to learn more.

One important mistake in this video: Rosin is not put on he bow’s horsehair to “keep it from slipping off the strings.” Rosin provides friction which makes the strings vibrate. That’s what make the violin and other bowed instruments work.

It’s curious how I could grow up my whole life in a violin shop and never really appreciate how much my dad taught me. Thanks for posting this video. It brings back fond memories and a great respect for my father’s heritage.

I searched "Tool chest contest rules" and this legal stuff was all I found.

Where is the other crucial information: Who are the judges? What criteria will be judged? Craftsmanship alone, or is functional design a weighted criterion? If so, is the originality of the design as important as the execution? ..or is an accurate copy more suited to the judge's esoteric tastes? How many judges will there be and what are their backgrounds or qualifications?

Is that crowded Studley chest the sole benchmark, or can other more practical designs stand a chance? Is ornamentation more important than function? Is complexity even a virtue? Wouldn't practicality and use-ability be more important to your readers? Is the contest biased toward hand-tool chests or hand-tool methods? That would seem strange given the power-tool manufacturer offering the prize, however it might make sense for hand-tool Luddites.

Are there different divisions or secondary and tertiary prizes? That would make sense given your readership. Are the winners to be picked solely from photographs, or is there some provision for inspecting the works closely, in person? Further, can a single individual enter more than once? Without any design or judging criteria, it's hard to guess which work a person might want to enter. Some of us might have several different designs for different purposes, but without any clear guidelines, the "contest" sounds more like a popularity contest than a "craftsmanship tour-de-force."

Nowhere on this site can I find any information about these important considerations.

Love it! You get the practicality award!

I can see this design concept being modified for countless special uses, so you deserve a "versatile inspiration" award too.

Maybe we should have new categories to help us open our minds:
"Functional funk"
"Yeah it's cheap, but now I have more money for tools!"
"I spend my time making fine furniture, not showy tool chests!"

You also might get the anti-snob award too! ;-)

Very neat, functional and practical design. Haughty xylophiles sometimes ignore practical pine as splendid material and paint as a durable fine finish. Using renewable domestic resources is not "cheap" in the bad sense, but it is sensible, both for the builder / user and the environment too. This is not ostentatious, but very nice!

I like the straightforward design. The size seems right too.

Although many rave about the complex intricacy of the Studley, the open spacious size of this style cabinet seems much more friendly, more useable. The size is plenty big enough to house a full complement of choice woodworking classic-tools, capable of tackling almost any job. (As witnessed by the excellent choice of tools inside!) Yet there is room for a hand to remove and replace everything easily.

Visually, I feel that also makes it easier to notice when something is not put away at the end of the day. And the cabinet is small enough to move whenever necessary, but too large too steal easily.

I made the mistake of making a beautiful rolling tool case which was the envy of many co-workers. Unfortunately, that envy and the easy-rolling feature made it all too easy to roll away too. As it stands now, when ever I manage to get everything replaced, (an expensive and time-consuming process) I will gravitate towards a design like this one. Beautiful, simple, practical, secure.

I see you have a generous portion of space left. I wonder... are you leaving room for future acquisitions? Given the wise choice and assortment of tools already there, I would be curious to know what's left on your wish list!

To Tkarlman... I agree, a real review should include the information you asked for: squareness, type of steel both in the blade and in the body, and of course, how well the plane performs.

A friend bought three of them and asked me to check them out and sharpen them. Here's what I found out...

The blade is advertised as "high-carbon tool steel, RC 60-64" Don't believe it. First of all, the variance from RC 60 to 64 is too wide. Hardened and tempered steel is expected to have a variance of 2 points because of the method of testing and heat-treatment variables. But when they tout a four-point spread in an ad, be wary... it's probably hype. If a seller advertises a four-point hardness spread, that means he is full of BS or the manufacturing tolerances are too wide. So, I took a blade to another friend's machine-shop and tested it on a durometer in three places. The #5 blade was slightly harder near the edge (RC 60) and barely made it RC 59 at the middle and top. My machinist buddy said the slight extra-hardness near the blade could be from work-hardening during grinding and honing the bevel.

Squareness... The planes we looked at were fairly square, within a few thou per six inches... not quite up to LN or Veritas standards

Soles... nicely flat, but improved with some tuning. A few minutes with the old-granite block and some abrasives did the trick.

Sharpness... Not great, but not nearly as awful as the big-box store's planes. Here again, a few minutes on the honing stones brought it into good working condition.

I cannot tell whether the body is ductile ( stress-relieved) without breaking it, so I don't know about that.

Performance...
New??? Just so-so... After tuning and sharpening... very good.
The adjustment mechanism has more "lash-back" and play than LN or Veritas or E.C. Emmerich Primus planes. That didn't bother me much because I am used to old Stanleys anyway. But the cut-quality (for at least a few minutes worth of testing) was as good as any well-adjusted plane of this type.

Just for fun, I stuck one of my Academy Saw Works HSS blades in the number 5. That made it purr like a kitten.

So... bottom line... Woodcraft is trying to sell a look-alike LN plane at half the price. LN had the dignity to say they copied Stanely, and made improvements. WR is copying the copies. Professionals can immediately feel the difference, and we know that without a great blade, the plane will not stay sharp very long. You can upgrade with an LN blade, or Hock Tools blade or make your own blade from Hitachi HSS. After you consider the time tuning, truing, adjusting, and the expense of retro-fitting a quality blade, the savings evaporate.

I'll let others make their decisions based on their needs, proclivities and budget. These are just the facts I know so far.

My feeling is that I would not buy them for personal use. (The three planes we tested belong to a friend.) If I need a less-expensive plane for field work, I carry the Swiss Rali planes with replaceable blades. I keep the LN, Veritas, ECE and other high-end stuff at home, locked in the shop with RFID and GPS devices. Screw the dog, beware of the owner! I've had my fancy tools stolen before and don't want that hassle again.

Some people will buy these planes though because of price. With some tune-up and sharpening, they will get 80 percent of the high-priced spread for half the dough. It is unlikely that a part time user would notice much difference unless he used it everyday and had a great plane to compare it to. I doubt that many pros will embrace them, especially if they hail from Maine.

I like your practical design. I think the combination of using store bought plastic containers is a simple, economical way to enhance a basic cabinet without creating a complex Studley. The combination front / support board is a neat idea too.

Like you, I built a rolling tool cabinet that housed almost all my tools. It was a very convenient thing, and admired by many fellow carpenters. Unfortunately, one of them admired it enough to roll it away. My rolling tool cabinet made it convenient to steal too.

If you work on-site, as I used to, I hope you have the presence of mind to include some anti-theft features. Nowadays, you can get GPS trackers, RFID tags and invisible identification very cheaply.

I really believe the customized rolling tool-chest is the best way-to-go, so long as you can protect your investment. It is NOT just the money... it is the hassle of replacing tools that took years to accumulate, some of which may be family heirlooms. The heart-break and cruel injustice of a craftsman losing his tools to theft is devastating. I sincerely hope you never go through that.

Very nice design, and superbly finished!

You too can work for the glorious future of ze faztherland!

Achtung baby!

This is how they used to hypnotize thinking people; ...Offer them jobs.
After all, we do have to work, don't we? Or do we?

Reality check...

The Great Evil Machine has inculcated obedience since the industrial age.

Hey! Here's a bad idea! Let's outsource the education (indoctrination) of our children to the government, which is owned by private international bankers.

TRUST THE BIG MACHINE! It will teach our children to find gainful employment and security. All they have to do is go to school, work hard, make babies, and never, ever think for themselves or read. That way, we can have a glorious New World Order for the benefit of its owners.

In retrospect, this propaganda film shows us what THE POWER has been doing to us for over a century; molding us like soft clay. The methods, technology and production-value have improved, but the motive is the same... OBEY!

Money is fiction.
People are real.
Art is truth.

peace

Clear, concise, informative. Great vid!

Thank you for proving what my father taught me fifty years ago. I wish more people would just think for themselves and practice. My friends and I appreciate your straight-talking, no-BS, no-sales-pitch demonstration.

Awesome!
That is so gorgeous!
Happy Happy Joy Joy!
Keep Rockin'!!!

It relates to woodworking because woodworkers think for themselves and solve big complex problems with simple concepts.

It is ingenious, and shows the profound power of an individual who works for his own edification. It is art, manifest through simple Newtonian physics from the intuitive mind of an experienced tradesman.

It has everything to do with woodworking, all craft, art, science and the peculiarly inspiring spirit of fellow humans.

It is beautiful.

He does it because he can.

Thank you for posting this.

Now, if we can just get everyone else to think and act this self reliantly...

Wandel is a high-functioning polymath. I'd sure like to talk with him someday.
You really should check out his website, including his rants. Pictures of his boyhood home, his dad's shop, the lumber mill, the ice-skating / ice-driving...
joyous, lively, empowered... everything humans want to be. A wooden pipe-organ... Silly marble machines, gears, games... Entertaining... Inspiring!

Hear, hear!
FW and especially Tim Rousseau SHOULD win awards for this type and quality of content! I have watched all the "workshop" episodes. They are all good, but Tim's small cabinet workshop is certainly one of the most comprehensive and informative woodworking videos ever produced. He is relaxed, efficient and thorough as a teacher. His speaking voice and persona are easy-to-take too. There are very few grammatical mistakes, and that is commendable because we can tell he is not reading most of the time. To be able to explain clearly and work at the same time is an unusual talent that makes Tim Rousseau especially adept at video tutoring. It is obvious that Tim is a clear thinker, a great teacher and an inspiring craftsman. The editing is top-notch too. The workshop is fast-paced, but doesn't gloss over important details. This video with Rousseau really puts the "Fine" in Fine Woodworking.

As long as FW can keep producing this quality of content, I will definitely maintain my online subscription! Congratulations! Well deserved!

Splendid original design, well executed and clever photos too. You obviously had some time to consider the meaning of the work as you created it. Even without the philosophical explanation, this piece exhibits "feeling." The title could have other inferences, given the psychedelic curvilinear design, but your words ring true. The impacting-object making ripples on the surface, combined with stressed yet stable form and the mirror, gives the viewer a sense of immediate self-awareness. But it is not a "show-off" riff. It speaks but does not shout. The technical challenges are subordinate to the artistic intent. This piece is fine craft, high art and poetry, all in one. Kudos!

Very nice design. Original? If so, Bravo!

Hmmm...
It's amazing how people are attracted to gimmicks. A shop full of expensive machines and router-jig-cut dovetails do not a craftsman make. Feh.