"Knife wall"

[Derek Cohen]

Deep knife and gauge lines are incredibly useful, for getting a crisp result. I was shown the chisel used as a knife technique about 46 years ago, by a restorer in Kendal.

I have been teaching this for many years.

Seems to me that the worst thing about Paul is his obsession with the No. 4 Plane.

The concept of trying to build a flat bench with one of these, seems like madness. As does morticing with the work held in the vice.

He has much sound advice and some that is dreadful.

best wishes,
David Charlesworth

David, I agree about this "obsession with the #4", and that Paul "has much sound advice and some that is dreadful".

One must keep in mind that everyone has preferred ways of doing this, be they sharpening, joinery or jointing. It is the openness to this that, in my opinion, differentiates a great teacher from a good one. I am mindful of a professor of mine, Dreyer Kruger, when I was in psychology graduate school in the late 70's: A lady in her late 60s arrived for an appointment with him to discuss the possibility of researching a Master's degree. When she told him that the topic was levitation, he leaned back in his chair to reflect for a while. Finally he said to her, "Well Isaac Newton has been around 300 years. It's time for a change". And she received permission to go ahead. I loved his sense of humour and flexible attitude to life.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Tony Zaffuto]

Tony; seriously, why would Paul Sellars want to associate himself with SMC.

Stewie;

With this present thread, he would not, but I suspect he would be able to "understand" us and probably teach us a thing or three.

[Jim Koepke]

I think this group is hostile to anything about Paul Sellers. I attended classes at Homestead Heritage in Waco Texas when he was there.
He is a christian gentleman and the best woodworker I have ever seen.

I don't read it that way at all Lowell, though there may be some poking at his idiosyncracies (which we all have). I would love to see Paul post here.

Previous expressions of my thoughts toward Paul Sellers may be among those Lowell has found to be underwhelming.

He is an accomplished woodworker who has taught others.

He just isn't my flavor of tea.

Has anyone tried his convex bevel sharpening method on water stones?

jtk

[Tony Zaffuto]

Previous expressions of my thoughts toward Paul Sellers may be among those Lowell has found to be underwhelming.

He is an accomplished woodworker who has taught others.

He just isn't my flavor of tea.

Has anyone tried his convex bevel sharpening method on water stones?

jtk

Let's see, maybe 1980 or 81, I tried convex sharpening. I did it on a worn out 120 grit electric stationary belt sander, finished honed on a carborundum fine stone. It got them sharp (at least to what I thought was sharp at the time), and pretty much was my method through my "electricity" era, of about twenty years. Around 2000, I moved to hand tools, and with rhat move came an imported Eclipse jig and waterstones. I had begun to learn what was sharp. Through my electric era, I had a #5 Bailey and a 60-1/2 block plane. With handtools, I learned the joys of acquiring many dozens (albeit not using them all) of planes, saws, chisels, braces and so forth!

[Chris Parks]

Just speculating here but his "obsession" with a No.4 plane might have something to do with old habits. I would speculate that he had to make do with a limited amount of tools due to not being wealthy and apprentices wages have never been very much so he had a 4 and maybe one or two others until he got further into his training and made do with that for stuff we today would pick up another plane to do.

[JimA Thornton]

Just speculating here but his "obsession" with a No.4 plane might have something to do with old habits. I would speculate that he had to make do with a limited amount of tools due to not being wealthy and apprentices wages have never been very much so he had a 4 and maybe one or two others until he got further into his training and made do with that for stuff we today would pick up another plane to do.

I think that's definitely the basis for his thinking, as well as teaching. His mission is getting new folks into hand tool woodworking with minimal tools. Someone mentioned that planing a workbench top with a No. 4 is "madness". Well it certainly isn't if you're just starting out and only have a No. 4! A lot of folks seem to have forgotten what it was like just starting out.

Jim

[Edwin Santos]

I'm not an ardent follower of Paul Sellers, but I think calling him a narcissist is a bit petty, or at least uncalled for. He seems to be a genuine and sincere enough person.
If someone doesn't like him or doesn't like the methods he teaches, then just don't watch.
If you don't have anything nice to say.......

[Gary Focht]

As a hand tool newbie, I will say this. Paul Sellers has the most clear, detailed, easily understandable, and free content for learning out there that I found. I have no idea yet what I am missing in the paid content/DVD world, but what Paul has made available free on the internet when it comes to instruction is unmatched as far as I have found.

[Bruce Haugen]

With this present thread, he would not, but I suspect he would be able to "understand" us and probably teach us a thing or three.

This whole thread reminds me of an old higher education joke:

Q. Why are academic arguments so vicious?

A. Because there's so little at stake.

[david charlesworth]

Derek,

Levitation is clearly the way to go !!

David

[Tony Zaffuto]

Soon this thread will devolve more into a variation of "The Teachings of Don Juan", by Carlos Castenada.