I’m sure that I’ve blabbed on about Mark and his awesome saws on my blog before, but I’m going to do it again. All my backsaws are made by Mark except for the old dovetail saw I inherited and he re-plated that one. He makes amazing saws and provides a truck load of free information about how to keep your work at top speed.
Mark has always been an amazing supporter of women woodworkers. For International Women’s Day he posted this video:
In 1980, I was in college and I met Peggy Sarjeant. Peggy and her family very quickly became and continue to be my second family. Matter of fact, all these year later, she lives down the street and her parents (Bill and Faye) live a couple of hours north. So on Friday, she sent me the following text – “We are cleaning out our crawl space and found a ton of antique tools that belonged to my grandfather. Do you have any interest in looking at them?” Needless to say, I appeared at her house 10 minutes later.Here’s the spread.
Original stash of tools.
So here’s a bit on Peg’s great grandfather. Ernest Sarjeant was an cabinet maker’s apprentice / indenture for Thomas and William Lock for 1892 to 1897 in Bristol. Once he came over to America, he continued his cabinet making business in Daytona, Florida making a table for the Capital Building in 1947.
Here was the first of many upcoming rehab projects that I’ll be taking on with these tools. Ernest used his tools for many years and he used them up completely. The dovetail saw is one of many examples. He sharpened this saw so many times that there is no saw plate left. Literally, his last sharpening left marks in the handle where the plate is held. I’ve purchased a new saw plate for the saw from Bad Axe Tool Works and will let you know how it all comes together.
Saw as I received it.
Dovetail saw blade with back polished.
In my next post, I hope to include information on E. Sarjeant’s apprentice / indenture papers.
This weekend I worked on making a cutting board for a friend, but I also managed to squeak in a little time in on the bed side table that I’m starting.
Using my “power” jointer to create the first edge.
Then I ripped the legs from an 8/4 piece of cherry.
Then cut 4 same sized leg blanks with a tiny bit left over from the 8′ ripped section.
I got a chance to sneak out in the shop and start laying out the tool rack. I thought put the rack in before putting in the front panel. Easier that way.