Rex Krueger

Early Access Video: Are transitional planes any good?

Friends:

The holiday has me as busy as everyone else, so I'm taking a break from the Real Lathe and exploring an under-examined part of the hand-tool world: transitional planes. 

These planes are usually ignored by both users and collectors, and that's a shame. Transitionals have their shortcomings, but some of them are solid workers. They're also cheap and easy to set up. 

On top of that, the basic idea of the transitional is sound: combine the low friction and light wei...

Early-Access Video: Real Lathe Pt 5: Tail-stock

Friends: 

I'll be honest: I never appreciated how complex the lathe tail-stock is until I went to build one. This often-forgotten piece of the lathe has to do a LOT of jobs and building one out of (mostly) wood is a tall order. 

It was a scramble to get this done on schedule, but I got it done. 

Next time, I'll actually TURN something. 

Just imagine. 

--Rex

Early Access Video: Real Lathe Pt. 4: Tool-rest

Friends: 

I really thought I was going to bang this one out, but damn, it was just a comedy of errors from start to finish. Turns out that making a tool rest out of wood is VERY difficult. Wood is just not rigid the way that steel and cast iron are and making something like this requires a totally different approach. 

I think this video is an exercise in iterative design, which is another way of saying "I screwed up; time to re-make that thing that just broke."

But in the...

Exclusive Video: Dark Star with Narration

Friends: 

Ask and you shall receive!

The fantastic LiraNuna, a Patron who has given great feedback in the past, suggested that I narrate the Dark Star Video and make it a Patron exclusive. 

It was a great idea and I did it yesterday. 

I do have one small request: I very much want the Dark Star to be a hit on YouTube. I could use the money and the new subscribers that a big video brings. If you have the opportunity, could you please share the ORIGINAL video (not...

Early Access Video: The Dark Star

Friends: 

I took this one in a very different direction. I don't talk. There's music. I kept it short. 

I'm honestly quite anxious to hear how you like it. 

Hope everyone is well!

--Rex

Sneak Peak: The Dark Star

Friends:

You probably noticed that I didn't get a video up yesterday. The end of the day just came too fast and before I knew it, it was time to be a dad and work had to wait. The next video in the Real Lathe series is 90% done, but a little work remains. 

Anyway, I will have TWO videos for you next week. The first will be the tool rest for the Real Lathe and the second will be this: 

<...

The puzzle of the low-angle plane

I think a lot about low-angle planes. Mostly, I think about how they’re unnecessary. I’ve seen prominent woodworkers refer to them as “essential” and that’s nonsense.

Before these planes were reintroduced by companies like Lie Neilsen, low-angle models like the Stanley No. 62 were rare. They had been produced in low quantities and may have been targeted towards very specific crafts, like craftsman who flattened butcher block surfaces in kitchens and bakeries. The a...

The Real Lathe Pt. 3: Make a Countershaft

Friends: 

This week has been a blur. Working out all the technical details for a full-size lathe is a big challenge and there are SO many details to keep track of. 

Still, the work goes on and I'm delighted to bring you Part 3 in the Real Lathe project. In this video, I'll show you how to get 8 or more speeds out of a single AC motor. By building a countershaft, you can take control of both speed and torque and get the speeds you need from the motor you have. 

Best o...

Am I a hoarder?

It’s a funny question, but I’m also serious. My wife has called me a hoarder; heck, I’ve called myself one.

But is it true?

It’s not a straightforward question. For one thing, I’m broke. I have a fairly new, small business and I also handle the before and after-school child care for my daughter. My workday is short and I don’t make a ton of money. So, any time I can get materials for free, I grab them. Here’s my collection sheet goods, pulled almost entir...

The Real Lathe Pt. 2: Make your own pulleys

Friends: 

I'm a day later than usual because nothing this week went according to plan. Tools went missing, materials broke, and the best laid plans of mice and men came to nothing. 

Anyway, I made some pulleys and I made them from plywood. It ended up awesome. 

You can make your own pulleys, even for real machines like a lathe with just a power source and some bench-chisels. It's free and it isn't even that hard. 

I did a double-pulley on a motor shaft and...

T-Shirts for Sale. Exclusive Patron Discounts.

Friends: 

I now have t-shirts for sale at www.rexkrueger.com/store

I have three designs to begin with, but I hope to expand to 10 or more. I'm going to have designs that show your support for the channel, but also shirts that show off your love of woodwork and craft. 

Whatever designs I have, they will always be 100% original. I either design them myself or have the amazing @iron...

Fast Times in Hersey, Pennsylvania

Can I be honest? I don’t really care about cars. I grew up in a family that was obsessed with antique autos, but the bug never bit me. I can’t even drive stick.

So why did I drive 6 hours each way and spend three days at the Hershey Pennsylvania Antique Auto Show? Because this show is the world’s largest automotive flea market and a few years ago, I figured something out: car guys have a lot of woodworking tools. I mean, a lot.

I’m not even sure where they come from. How...

Early Access Video: Import Tool Madness #5

Friends:

My big lathe project is on hold for a few days while I attend the Hershey Antique Car Show and Flea Market in Hershey, PA. 

Am I a car guy? Not really, but this show is the largest automotive flea market in the world. You know what a lot of car guys have sitting in their garages and barns? 

Wood working tools. Lots of them. 

And most of these guys couldn't tell a spokeshave from an infill plane. So they bring "grandpa's old tools" and sell them for pea...

It's just a moment.

A few months ago, I took up blacksmithing. 

It's a lot harder than woodwork because hot iron is a plastic material. It's very malleable, so whatever you do to it has unintended effects. Hit a piece to make it flatter and you also make it wider. Make a piece thinner and you also make it longer. This isn't like wood, where you can do one operation and have the rest of the piece stay the same. Plane the surface of a wooden beam and the rest of the beam is unchanged. I never realized how conv...

Early Access Video: The Real Lathe (pt 1)

Friends: 

I've been teasing it for a while, but it's done and it's ready. 

I've built the first major components of the lathe: the bed, ways, and headstock. I ran it. It didn't kill me. It didn't self-destruct. 

Win. 

This was a lot harder than I was expecting (like every other project), but it was also incredibly rewarding. I've always felt that if you really want to understand how a tool works, you should build it. I've built a bunch of handplanes, and b...

Process Notes: Building a Lathe Headstock

So here’s the headstock from the Real Lathe:

Looks good, right? That’s what I thought, too. It’s extremely sturdy and rigid; the pyramid design gives it a very wide base while making the top as narrow and unobtrusive as possible. That’s a win, right?

I wish.

As soon as I had it assembled, I noticed a couple of significant flaws in the construction. From the begin...

Early Access Video: Woodturned Yoga Mat Rack

Friends: 

You know I've been on a real lathe kick recently. Not only am I in the process of building one from scratch (more on that soon), I'm also thinking about what we make on the lathe. 

The mighty lathe is actually the heart of the Industrial Revolution. It makes precision parts and medical instruments possible. But what do woodworkers do with it? 

We mostly make wooden bowls. 

I love bowls as much as the next turner, but how many of these things do w...

Process Notes: The Real Lathe

Friends: 

I'm hard at work on the Real Lathe. I bought a 10 foot length of black iron pipe (surprisingly affordable at $17) and cut it in half. This will give me a total machine length of 5 feet and maybe 36 inches between centers. 

Then I cut and drilled some lengths of heavy wood. I used teak and oak because I have them and what the hell. The two closer pieces will support...

Jack Plane Giveaway Drawing

Friends: 

Sorry it took me a little longer than I promised to get this up. My daughter recently started school and I have to work around her new schedule. It's making it difficult to get things done. 

Anyway, the longer wait time meant that more people were eligible for the drawing.

Hope you all enjoy the drawing. I did my best to make it fun and it contains an additional surprise for everyone. 

Happy Friday!

--Rex

Early Access Video: Vintage Saw Art

Friends:

This week, I'm collaborating with the amazing Iron Gordon. He does really slick, vintage-style art in a bunch of mediums. He's big on Instagram, but hasn't really gotten the YouTube thing happening yet. He deserves a big following, so I'm hoping to throw some attention his way. 

Together, we collaborated on this HUGE vintage crosscut saw; like the kind that lumber jocks would have used to cut up tree trunks. He painted the saw; I made an intricate segmented handle and spher...

Sneak Peak: The real lathe project

Friends: 

I've been putting out a lot more content since I went full time, but I could do more to tell you about future projects . 

I've been thinking a lot about lathes recently. The longer I use one, the more I find it an essential tool. This sounds a little weird, right? Woodworkers use lathes for chair spindles and decorative bowls.

That's true, but they can do so much more.&...

Early Access Video: Is this saw-fence worth $500?

Friends: 

My daughter didn't have school most of last week due to heat and no air-conditioning. (Am I just old, or was this unthinkable when I was a kid? We went to school when it was sweltering.) 

Anyway, I didn't get a video up last week, but I'm going to get some good content up in the weeks ahead. 

For your consideration, here's my review of the the SawStop "t-glide" fence system and how it compares to the stock fence. 

The new fence was a lot of money...

Announcing Ask Me Anything #1

Friends: 

I get a lot of questions and I think it would be fun to answer them in a video. I've made a short clip about all the stuff you can ask me and some things from my past that you might find interesting. 

I forgot to mention that I also play 3 instruments (guitar, bass guitar, and lap steel), and I'm never, ever sick at sea. 

Go ahead and leave your questions in the comments for this post or message me directly. 

I think this will be a lot of fun.&nb...

Early Access Video: Bent Wood Guitar Stand

Friends: 

I recently got a new guitar and when I got an old guitar stand out of the closet, I realized that it was ugly and that I could make something better. 

So I did. 

This is my first experiment with bent lamination, an accessible technique that anyone can use to make springy, graceful curves with wood. 

I'm really happy with the finished product, but as always, I want to hear YOUR thoughts in the comments. 

I didn't thank my newest patrons...

Jack Plane Patron Giveaway!

Friends: 

I'm giving away the jack plane I reviewed and prepared in one of my recent videos. I know a lot of my Patrons are just getting started in woodworking and need good tools. Even if you have some tools, using this Hong Kong style plane can be a real eye-opener. 

Either way, the details are in the brief video above. 

I hope this is just the start of me thanking my patrons in more tangible ways. 

Happy Hump Day!

--Rex

Early Access Video: Work-holding on the Drill-Press

Friends: 

It's Sunday afternoon and I could be mowing the lawn or cleaning the gutters, but who wants to do that crap? Instead, the Rex Krueger content machine cranks along. 

Here's part 2 in my Drill Press Basics video series. In this one, I cover about 2 dozen ways to make your drilling safer and more accurate. 

I've included all the tricks I know, but please contribute your own tips in the comments. I love to know how other people handle the same problems. Let's g...

Early Access Video: Import Tool Madness #4

Friends: 

It's been a heck of a month around here. We've already welcomed SEVENTEEN new Patrons to the channel and it's only the 21st!

Now that I'm doing content full time, I can make more of it, so I'm ready with the next installment of Import Tool Madness. 

When I saw this plane for just $25, I had to have it. Not like I need another plane, but the idea of buying a functional jack plane for so little money? Amazing. 

This is a 14-inch, double iron plane with ...

Exclusive Video: Shop Tour

Friends: 

August has been an AMAZING month for me on Patreon (and the month is only half-over!) I've added many new members to the channel and some of my current supporters have upped their support level. I'm delighted and humbled by this show of support. 

To say thanks, I did a shop tour video that's only for Patrons. 

Big thanks to my friend and Patron, Alex Larson, who was visiting for the weekend and did the camera work for me. 

If you have questions a...

Anybody want a fancy guitar?

Friends: 

I had a blast making the guitar in my last video and the response (both here and on YouTube is encouraging. I might want to do more of this content. 

I'm thinking about all the cheap guitar kits that are out there right now. Many of them are high-quality and offer good options for customizing. Making one of these instruments from a woodworker's perspective would make a great ...

Early Access Video: Make a guitar body

And now for something completely different. 

I don't talk about this a lot, but I'm a pretty serious musician. That little guitar riff in my intro? That's me. I also play bass guitar and lap-steel and I studied classical voice for about 2 years. 

I started modifying and restoring guitars when I was in high-school and working with instruments was my entry point into woodwork. 

I've wanted to do some of that stuff on this channel for a long time, but I wasn't sure how ...