Sightline Rule Refined

I've been all over the map lately, but I am home now for a few months and am excited for all of the new stuff that I have to show. First, I'd like to share the sightline square that Steve First made for me (us) at Kelly Mehlers. It's a beautifully accurate way of creating the sightlines and discovering the drilling angles for laying out legs mortises etc...
He made to versions, a large legal version and one that fits on normal sized paper that requires a bit of cut and pasting but works just the same.
Here are the PDFs (actually JPEGS)

I've also made this video to explain the use of this tool and a bit about rake and splay.



You'll also notice, in the upper right column, that you can subscribe now via email to the blog so that you'll be notified when I post new content! Doesn't life just keep getting easier :)

A Smooth Back

For year, I resisted the urge to buy an angle grinder. It just seemed like such a crude tool. But then I looked at the mushrooming of my wedges, basically shrapnel in waiting, and decided to take the plunge. Just like with my buffer, I feel foolish for having waited so long. I keep finding great uses for this tool.



A while back, I saw these "Flap" wheels for the angle grinder at the store and thought that they might come in handy. When I was teaching at Kelly's last week, Roger Clark told me that he'd had great luck using these to sharpen his mower blades. Roger brought one in, but the mower had taken it's toll and it didn't work on the hardened steel we were working with. Always willing to take a $5 bet, I picked up a new one yesterday, and the results are fantastic.





I've been using regular grinding and cutting wheels on the angle grinder to knock down high spots on the back of drawknives while flattening, and it's proven to be faster and more controllable than I had expected. But the smooth action of the flap wheels and ease of control is far superior.

I haven't met the craftsman yet who lives for flattening the back of tools, but honestly, I'm having to control myself from wanting to grab all my knives of the rack and make them this lovely. Well done Roger!

Survivor Tool Chest

No, this isn't about a bookmatched, dovetailed toolchest with 50 compartments and inlay in the shape of a drawknife, although I dream of having one!
I have often been asked about the tools required to make a chair, and since I travel so much these days, it's become evident, and imperative that I figure out the necessities in my shop. One of the joys of chairmaking is the limited tool list, and in the cauldron of the classroom, I've refined this list and thought you might like to see it. There are a few things that are specific to my personal techniques, but in general, this list could get you sitting pretty after a shipwreck (on an island with ring porous hardwoods!)
EDIT: Obviously, this isn't a real survivor list, which would be just a few tools, but a list of the tools that come into use in my everyday shop experience, although, all of these tools do basically fit in a toolbag. Now if I could just get Hoadley to publish a version of his book that doubles as a floatation device!

Turning
Roughing Gouge
1 in gouge
Skew
Parting tool
Tenoners ½, 7/16, 3/8,5/8
Tenon jig that sits on lathe bed for sighting tenon angle
Galbert Caliper
Sizing Tool
Spindle gouge
2MT jacobs chuck and key
steady rest
cclamps
Shaving
Drawknives
Spokeshaves
marking guage
Bead Scraper
Books
Hoadley
Alexander
Sloane
Langsner
Underhill
Santori
Carving
Adze
Travisher
Inshave
Gutter carver
Tenon trimming gouges
Flush cut saws
Depth drill
Painting
Filters
Paint
Extra Bond
Brush
Anti Foaming
Scotchbrite
Steel wool
Oil
Gloves
Splitting
Maul
Froe
Wedges
Brake
Hatchet
Sledges
Chainsaw
Gas
Oil
Wrench
Spark plugs
Sharpening
Stones
Grinders
Buffer
Holders
bear tex
auger file
Nagura
Drywall screen
Plate glass
Wood Stone Holder with wedge
Strop
Small grinding bits
Green rouge
diamond hones
wheel dresser
pin jig for drawknife grinding
magnet jig for drawknife grinding
diamond paste
Planes
Scrub
#4
#5
#7
Drilling
Drill and charger
Bits
bit and brace
irwin extension bit
Measuring and Marking
Clear Rulers
Protractors
Black rules
Extension rule
Bevel boss
Spindle blocks
Aluminum straight edges
Carpenter pencils
Accuscribe
Assembly
String
Irwin quick grip clamp
Tenon chamferer (carpenter pencil sharpener)
Rubberbands
Reamers
Holding Jigs with v notches for drilling undercarraige
Mirrors
Dead Blow
Hammer
Bevel Squares
Steel plate with holes for sizing tenons
square
target for sighting mortise drilling
tenon taperer
plumber reamer
extra bends
Misc
Wax
Pencils
Cyanoacrylate
Foil
Gluepot
Measuring spoons
Chip brushes
Spring clamps
Shavehorses
Heat gun
iron
Steamer, pot, reservoir
5/8 dowels
Tape
Scraping
scraper jig
Scrapers
Burnisher
Oil
Files

I'm sure you will have a couple of questions which I can answer in the comments page, plus you can tell me which tools you can't live with out. Cheers!