Rex Krueger

Early Access Video: The Rali Hand Plane

Friends: 

I've had many requests to review the Rali line of handplanes. Rali is a Swiss company known for their space-age hand tool designs and use of novel materials. So far, they have mostly produced tools in a European style, but they recently introduced the 260 Handplane with British/American styling. I had to test it.

This plane is packed with innovative features so there's a lot to say. I had it in the shop for several weeks and gave it a thorough test. The results migh...

Patron Version Video: Tools for Chair-Making

Friends: 

This week's video is unusual for several reasons. 

First it's extra-long for Patrons. My friend Rob came to the shop and we got a little closer to making a chair. We used drawknives, my shave-horse, and my froe and talked about wood grain. We made plans for the next phase of chair-making. Your video includes an extra section on chair styles and history. That's just for Patrons.  

Second, this video is a little rougher than usual. We ...

Patron Version Video: The Humble Half-Lap

Friends:

On Monday morning, I had a simple plan: come back from COVID with a brief, useful video on an under-used joint. I was going to do 10 minutes on the humble half-lap joint, be done by Tuesday night, and start on the next thing.

Well, that didn’t work out.

As I cut the joints and shot the video, more ideas just kept coming up. I eventually thought of 4 variations of the joint and all of them were worth mentioning. There were a lot of little tips for cutting and fitti...

Maker Spotlight: Frank's Workbench

Friends: 

I'm recovering from Covid....slowly. It's been 2 weeks and I'm just starting to feel normal. People talk about "Covid fatigue" and they're not kidding. I haven't had symptoms for a week, but I've still been glued to the couch. Needless to say, I didn't make a video this week. 

Instead, I would like to highlight a young woodworker who deserves more attention. Frank from the channel Frank's Workbench is a talented craftsman with a precise approach to the craft. H...

Early Access Video: 500 Pounds of Oak

Friends: 

Just last week, I had a MASSIVE oak log delivered to my shop on the coldest, iciest day of the winder. Getting it out of the truck and into the shop was an adventure and I was lucky enough to capture it all on video! 

Of course, I got the log for greenwood chair making and I'll be pursuing that with my friend Rob, who is featured in this video. We're hoping to bring you a series of chair-making videos as we process this log and make it into real furniture. I'm ...

Early Access Video: Get Started Blacksmithing!

Friends: 

Welcome back for the start of 2024! We hope everyone had a nice holiday. We did and we used our break time to set up some BIG things for the coming year. 

Let's get 2024 started right with an introduction to blacksmithing. Woodwork and iron work go together like chocolate and peanut butter. If you can do some metal work, you can make your own tools or forge the hardware for your furniture. The possibilities are endless. 

The best way to start smithin...

Early Access Video: The History of Stanley Planes

Friends: 

Well, it's taken a bit longer than expected, but we're finally done with the last video of the year!

Our final video is a complete history of Stanley handplanes (in about 15 minutes). Many people go to eBay to look for planes and get discouraged when they see vintage planes for $200 or more!!

Of course, these super-expensive planes are highly collectible antiques (or overpriced trash from ignorant sellers). Either way, great deals are still ou...

More medical drama (and a slight delay).

Friends: 

I regret to say that my wife's mother took a bit of a fall and cracked a vertebrae in her neck. It's not as bad as it sounds...but it's not good. My wife is right now flying to be with her family and help get her mother settled in the rehab facility. 

As you can imagine, the situation has delayed video production. Our final video of the year will be coming out Wednesday or Thursday. Sorry about that. 

On the other hand, it's a good video. We're doing...

Our Newest Tool! The No-Mod Planing Stop

Friends: 

It's new tool day!  No, we didn't buy a new tool; we invented one. The Compass Rose No-Mod Planing Stop is a drop-in addition to your existing workbench. Just pop it in your vise, tighten, and you're ready to go. 

We know lots of people who want a planing stop, but don't want to make changes to their workbench. Now there's a stop that you c...

Exclusive Video: The Scholarship Winners!!!

Friends: 

It's been a long road, but we've finished our first ever Patron Scholarship!  In today's exclusive video, I award the grants to eight dedicated students of the craft. 

Please join me in congratulating the recipients. Everyone who applies was very deserving and my only regret is that we didn't have any more money to give. 

Thanks to everyone who participated in any way. You are all appreciated. 

--Rex

PS: We have...

Early Access Video: Affordable Woodworking Gifts

Friends: 

Yes, all us creators do a Gift Buying Guide at the holidays. I get so many questions about affordable tools, that it made sense to do a video. I also focused on gifts that your friends and family can buy YOU. So find a subtle way to play this video while someone else is in the room. Put it up on the big TV. "Misplace" your headphones and turn the volume up a little. You can figure it out. 

Here are the links to all the gifts: (Please note I used my Amazon Affil...

Early Access Video: Get Better in 10 Minutes

Friends:

I often make videos about woodworking on a budget, but there’s another scarce resource: time. Many of us don’t have the time we need to practice key skills, finish projects, and keep our workspace tidy. You might think I have tons of time to make stuff, but I don't. Running this business keep me very busy and I’m often squeezing my woodworking into stolen moments between meetings.

It’s stressful.

But my experience with limited time has been valuable and I’...

Exclusive Video: A Chapter From My Restoration Course

Friends: 

We're hard at work on our next course: Restoring the Vintage Plane in Real Time. 

Just like the title says, it's a full restoration of a Stanley No 5 in real time, with nothing left out and very few edits. The course is super-detailed and will be several hours long. I'm really excited about it. 

Today, we're sharing Chapter 3: Cleaning and De-Rusting. It's the longest chapter we've made so far and it's full of tips and trick...

Early Access Video: Will 2x4s RUIN your workbench?

Friends: 

There's always a lot of workbench talk around the internet. People have ideas...or they just repeat stuff other people have said. Recently, I've seen videos claiming that you can't build a good workbench out of 2x4s (tell that to Paul Sellers). 

Many of the naysayers make valid points: 2x4s are made from younger trees, they're wetter, and they're more likely to contain the pith. Because of these defects, a workbench made from 2x4s is more likely to twist and th...

Patron Version Video: The Reed Chamfer Sled

Friends:

I'm a well-known anti-gadget guy. I hate specialty tools and I hate seeing people waste their money on dumb stuff. So I wasn't sure what to think about the new Reed Planes Chamfer Kit . Was this a useless gizmo or a valuable addition to the shop?

There's only one way to find out, and I really went for it. The video has many delightful screw-ups and a solid finished produc...

Patron Version Video: Build TWO Sawbenches

Friends: 

Last week, we learned to use a traditional sawbench for all those big, awkward cuts. But you can't use a sawbench until you build one. So today, we're going to build BOTH the English and the Swedish (not really Swedish) sawbenches. 

Both builds are approachable and beginner-friendly and both use common lumber. Heck, I bet many of you already own the wood. So grab your basic tools and get to it!  This video has all the details, along with EXCLUSIVE Patron T...

Scholarship Applications are Open!

Friends:

We've completed the fundraising and we're ready to start getting Scholarship applications!!! This video gives you everything you need to know about submitting an application, the timeline, and the judging.

The Application Thread on the forum is right here.

And the Google form is 2023-10-12 14:56:39 +0000 UTC View Post

Free Plans: Two Traditional Sawbenches

Friends: 

We're really happy to deliver this huge, 32-page set of plans for FREE!  It's the least we can do for our amazing audience. The build video is nearly done. It will be a long one with Patron Tips just for this community. Look for that on Saturday. 

I think the scholarship applications will open tomorrow. We're just about done with the entry form and the final fundraising numbers. Spoiler: we did really well and we're going to give a...