Project Patience

• What are you going to build?
  
• Do you have the tools you need?
  
• Can you dedicate the time it will take to complete?
  

Hand Drills

• The Heavy Duty Hand Drill with Chest Plate features a 1/2" chuck. The gear mechanism is totally enclosed in a heavy duty metal casing to keep dirt away. The drill features two speeds: one full revolution of the hand crank on the faster speed generates 5-1/2 full chuck turns. On the slower speed, one full revolution generates 2-1/4 full chuck turns. You change the speed simply by moving the crank to the other side. It’s a lot of drill for the money - this drill will cost you approximately $100. Now all you need is a big right arm to run it.
• The Hand Drill is more "everyday". These drill's also have three jaws for high tension and precision. The gears are smooth running and the butt handle is made from Beech. The price isn'€™t bad either, normal costing around $25.00. A hand drill is an asset to a tool box for the hard to get into places.
• The Bit Brace drill comes with an excellent 4-jaw chuck and features a closed ratchet mechanism, and allows the brace to work in confined spaces with ease. It has a ball bearing mounted head and this drill goes for approximately $80.00.

Turning Your Hobby Into A Business

• Your skills as a woodworker must be up to the task. Doing second rate work will only earn you the reputation of being an amateur.
  
• As the old saying goes “If you’re being paid for it, you’re considered a professional”.
  
• If you feel there are any areas in which your skills are lacking, practice or participate in a local workshop to better well-round your abilities.

A Sharp Tool Is A Safe Tool

If you took a shop class in school you are probably familiar with this motto: "A sharp tool is a safe tool."

The good news is that the means of sharpening tools hasn't changed all that much over the centuries. Hand tools, such as wood chisels ,can be done on sharpening stones. But there are a number of different kinds of sharpening tools for different jobs.

Sharpening a tool on a special stone is called "honing an edge." At the very edge of the blade there is a bevel. This is where the front and the back of the blade meet. A tool becomes dull when this edge, or point, moves away from each other. Or if the tool edge is damaged by a nail or a really hard imperfection in the wood. Lastly, if a tool is just not handled properly it can be dull quicker and you will constantly need to sharpen it.

Over the years there have been some cool innovations in tool sharpening methods, including the chisel and planner jig. This device fits over a sharpening stone that is about 2” by 8”, and the blade fits inside of it, allowing it to be placed at the correct angle needed for sharpening. By hand sharpening, we run the risk of changing the blade bevel angle. Of course, there are machines that a hobbyist may buy to sharpen his or her own drill bits. This works on the same basic principle as the stone.

Maximizing Tool Space