Pushing a 10 lb plane is not for the faint hearted. I got a deal on it, which is why it is in my collection—ironically, it probably cost about the same as my second hand 15” Grizzly G0453 220V planer. The good news is that the No. 7 Bailey is a fine plane, easier to use, and you can still find them in decent condition…

The No. 7 and No. 8 are the jointer planes in typical bench plane numbering, which has been around a couple hundred years. For reference, my L-N No. 8 is about 24” long, 2 5/8” wide and weighs 10 lbs. My Stanley Bailey No.7 is 22” long, 2 3/8” wide, and clocks in at just over 8 lbs. They will make things flat.

That’s a pretty classic format for a handtool bench. While I have the utmost respect for people who choose to leave electrons undisturbed, there are alternatives for power tool users that may be more efficient. I saw this one this morning, for example:

You aren’t going to find many planers that will accommodate that width. Since this style of bench is a handtool bench, the typical finishing touch is hand planing the top with something like a No. 7 or No. 8 bench plane (I’d recommend the No. 7 unless you are over 200 lbs). The other option that you see a lot is a…

Among the woodworkers I know, the HF bench is infamous. I think the consensus is that you’re better off building your own, since that bench has racking problems. But then again, if you aren’t trying to surface hardwood with a No. 8 bench plane, it might not matter.

I make “instant” pickles in a chamber vacuum sealer. Seems like pressurizing is the opposite of that. Although you might get the same effect with rapid depressurization. It is worth a go.

I swear I read about a civil war era cannon ball detonating a couple years ago. Apparently someone liked the idea of a stack of antique cannonballs next to his fireplace.

Not what I was meaning—I’m afraid I don’t interview people who are in that position. The positions I’m interviewing for are ones that pay a lot of money to secure high value candidates directly out of professional school, but the reality is that the first few years is still largely on-the-job training. If I sense…

I used to cut 1/8th mild steel with a jigsaw all the time. It isn’t fast, but it works. The option you don’t talk about is something like a TCT saw. I use an Evolution Rage, which isn’t exactly an expensive saw, and it cuts steel like butter. Much better than anything abrasive, which is hot & sparky. And those…

Any philosophy that precludes owning a large LEGO set is contrived and silly.

Hmm... From earlier today—”I’ve shifted to the philosophy that when I pick something up, it doesn’t get put down until it is where it belongs”... http://lifehacker.com/i-used-to-do-t… Perhaps I should write self help books.

As someone who interviews people not irregularly, I always ask whether there is anything I can answer for them. It is a question that seems to pretty quickly separate people who are serious about their careers—who should and usually do have questions about what the place is like to work at and prospects for training,…

I used to do this—incrementally move things closer to where they ultimately belonged when I was going from place to place in the house. If I’d used the drill upstairs, maybe take it downstairs one trip and leave it by the basement door, maybe it would then migrate to the shop door when I went down to work out, and…

Oddly, there were periods in my life where I might have been classified as a minimalist. I valued my ability to move and relocate quickly more than having, say, a couch. So I didn’t have more than I could easily pack in a VW. My bachelor days were also more minimalist, although probably because it was easier to keep…

Rephrased the way you said it, I don’t have an issue. But I sort of feel that rephrased the way you said it, it is just common sense.

I don’t I often need my roller paint tray and my circular saw together, so I prefer task oriented storage. I’ve got a plastic tub with my drywall stuff in it—keyhole saw, knives, tape, etc. I’ve got another with my painting stuff in it—brushes, masking tape, rollers, trays, drop cloths. I’ve also got specialized…

That would work. I think someone else pointed out you overcome the off center issue if you just chuck up a similar hook in the drill and hook it to the hook you are installing.

The quote you found is a false argument—”[t]he book also does a good job of explaining that minimalism isn’t about emptiness or barren living spaces”—because I’m not arguing that is what minimalism is about. I’m arguing that a pathology—whether it is collecting or cleaning—is still a pathology. You get rid of stuff…

But the notion that “the less stuff you have to worry about, the more time and energy you have to focus on other [more important] things” strikes me as being a mantra lacking content. I could argue that obsessively focus on curating your possessions is just as much a time suck that keeps you from important things. And…

The obsession with attempting to throw away your stuff seems to me just as much being ruled by your possessions as those that find some salvation in running up their credit cards with the latest this-or-that. I just don’t get the need to streamline any more than I get the whole consumer therapy thing.