There are some really lovely videos over on Jimi Hendricks’ Youtube channel from Richard Arnold’s charity sale day this year. The videos feature, amongst others, Richard Arnold showing us some plough plane technique, Shane Skelton with his new panel plane (being checked out by Richard Maguire of ‘The English Woodworker‘ fame). There’s also another video where the excellent platemaker Bill Carter shows his favourite plane and one of his most-used tools. Newcomer Ollie Sparks pops up in one of the videos also, definitely a very talented maker to watch for now and the future. A great set of videos showing lots of British tool talent!
This beautiful sash dowelling box was given to Richard and resides in his tradition tool collection. He remarked on the excellent construction and the fact it seemed almost too professionally-made to be a user-made tool. After handling it, I would agree.
The glazing bar dowel joint quickly became superseded by the mitred joint. However, the joint itself (and the use of a sash dowelling box to make it) is of some interest to me. It’s actually very simple, as Richard Arnold showed me. This beautiful sash dowelling box was given to Richard and resides in his tradition tool collection. He remarked on the excellent construction and the fact it seemed almost too professionally-made to be a user-made tool. After handling it, I would agree. The screw underneath raises and lowers the end piece of the box, adjusting where the drill hole will be positioned on the butt end of the glazing bar.Insert your glazing bar, push it to the end and clamp down the screw on the top to hold it in position. Makes sure it’s fully seated or your hole will be in the wrong place. Clamp the box endways in the vice and locate your bit into the drilling hole. The end box should already be raised to get the right height. Then just drill away. There you have it. Your glazing bar is now ready for a dowel joint.
A few more passes and you just have to make sure things look symmetrical. Easy for me to say, I was just snapping photos.
When I have a bit of downtime, I sometimes log into my ‘webstats’, so see which posts (if any!) are considered to be popular on my blog.
Always in the top of the league was a rather ‘cobbled-together’ post about making sash and using ‘templets’ for coping the joints of your glazing bars.
Whilst at Richard Arnold’s open day the other day, I had the pleasure of seeing Richard use these sash templates and their associated planes and I will soon post a few pictures about the technique, because I think people are obviously a little confused as to how they are used.
In the meantime, however, I’d like to show a series of pics of Richard sticking glazing bars before he starts considering the joints, because there are two quite surprising things I learned from his technique. I hope you will also find them interesting.
Any idea what this is? No? it’s the tip of a simple cutlery knife. Richard has cut it off and ground the edge to make it sharp. he uses it as a ‘bench knife’. Now, I always thought a bench knife was a simple knife that might have been left lying around on a bench, something that might have been used for simple tasks.But no, Richard explained. Once your stock for your glazing bar is captive at the front end of the sticking board, you need a moveable element that will hold the other end. Bearing in mind your stock will be different lengths, it needs to be simple. Bring forth the ‘bench knife’. Here, Richard slots the sharp edge into the end of the stock.A few quick taps and that little blade is biting the stock and securing it to the sticking board. Note it is also small enough not to impede the use of your planes.The glazing rebate is taken out with a sash fillister. Working from the outer face (which will in fact be on the inside of the window), the upper glazing rebate is worked.Cutting until the sash fillister bottoms out. You would work out the thickness you require for the glazing bead, then the rebate needs to be half the depth that is left once that thickness is taken away from the thickness of the stock.Richard flips it over and works the other side to the same depth.Now look. The glazing bead is slotted into a rebate on the sticking board to hold it securely. That also has a screw to hold it, but transversely. Interesting. I think Richard just tapped the bench knife back in again after this.Out come the sexy sash-ovolo planes with dovetailed boxing. Ooh, matron! Do you know why these often came in pairs, which looked almost identical? it’s not the reason you’re thinking. You’ll have to ask Richard.Off he goes, shaping first side. The planes are sprung, but you still need to keep your eye very much on holding the correct profile.Nearly there!Again, the bead is held by the rebate for working the other side.A few more passes and you just have to make sure things look symmetrical. Easy for me to say, I was just snapping photos.All that remains is to take of any sliver that might be clinging to the meeting of the top bead. This can be done with an appropriately-sized hollow plane.
Richard's workshop. You can tell he holds traditional technique in high esteem, with many hand tools displayed on the walls.
Yesterday I had the privilege of visiting the workshop of Richard Arnold. I’ve long been a fan of Richard’s work as a joiner working in the traditional technique, especially as I knew he had a love of vintage hand tools. The open day was a chance to purchase some tools brought along by others, and some put up for sale by Richard himself. All proceeds went to the Macmillan Cancer Trust. Many thanks for all involved, the day was a complete delight.
Richard’s workshop. You can tell he holds traditional technique in high esteem, with many hand tools displayed on the walls. Richard and visitors had donated tools for sale, so plenty of vintage items were on offer. All proceeds went to the Macmillan Cancer Trust. I took some bits along and left with a DeWalt router. For a paid-up fanatic of the hand -tool movement, not my usual sort of purchase, but I need one for a big domestic job. Richard’s shelves of most-used moulding planes. And the crowning glory, his superb Norris. I had the pleasure of having a go with this, it’s a wonderful plane to use. Feathery shavings come as standard of course, but you couldn’t fail be impressed when Richard showed it takes the same shavings by dragging it with the front bun, one-handed! Richard having a go with an infill scraper plane brought along by one of the visitors. What a wonderful feeling to be chatting to such lovely folks, surrounded by these beautiful tools. You might remember it was Richard who found the original booklets that were later published by Chris Schwarz at Lost Art Press as ‘Doormaking and Windowmaking’. One of the planes on Richard’s bench was this beautiful little plane by Bill Carter. It had a mouth so fine it was almost unbelievable that any wood could pass through! Another view of that little beauty. And the man himself, planemaker Bill Carter. When Bill talks about planes, people listen. It was such a delight to finally meet Bill having seen his planes on so many websites. Handling them for real you can see why they command such high prices. They are truly superb. Three from the Carter stable.My favourite planes of the day. A pair of small, solid boxwood skewed planes. I didn’t think to ask if they were for sale. If memory serves, these were from Bill’s collection, perhaps not for sale, and made by another maker. The soles of the planes. God, these were so beautiful. I will never be able to do work that justifies owning these. To the right you can see the curvaceous undulations of another Carter plane. A little group of miniature moulders. Richard Maguire was in attendance with his wife, Helen. If you haven’t see Richard’s blog, please take some time to check out The English Woodworker. Richard and Helen have an international business making and selling top-quality English workbenches. Here you can see some great wooden screw vises Richard brought along for sale. He turns the threads with a huge tap and die, often making the (heavy) workbenches move with the strain. A close-up of those great wooden threads. Lots of other tools on show. There were a few collectors showing their tools. For me, it’s hard to switch off from the idea of buying and selling, nice to see people just showing their collections for the hell of it. An odd little plane from one of those collections. And the reverse. Another collection, this time mainly chisels. Perhaps my second favourite plane of the day. One from Richard’s personal collection, a stunning bridle plough. Richard explained the bridle design means there is no reason for the stems to project to the right of the plane. With that in mind, you have nothing to grasp in use with your right hand, necessitating the handle. The reverse of the same bridle plough. Two gorgeous mitre planes. I think these were brought along to show by a visitor. Another great plane from Richard’s collection, a really elegant panel-raiser. Underside of the panel raiser. A delightful sash pocket chisel used for cutting the pockets in the sides of sash boxes. Hard to find these now. The sash pocket chisels are thin, to cut away the minimum when chiselling out for a pocket. Everywhere you looked, gatherings of beautiful tools. What a great day. Many thanks to Richard for organising the day, I hope very much we get the chance to visit again.
