Graham Laird:
Woodworking Tips

Whilst interviewing Graham about his work, I took the opportunity to ask him for a few general tips to improve my woodworking skills.

Perhaps the first thing to say is that a craftsman is only as good as his tools - or the degree to which his tools have been 'tuned' for the job. Many tools off-the-shelf are not at all well set up or finished. I can clearly remember seeing Graham demonstrate how to set up a new plane at a show a couple of years ago - he trued up the sole and sides, checked the frog, widened and squared the mouth, and reground and honed the blade! At the end of all this, however, an inexpensive medium-quality tool had been transformed into one capable of taking the finest and most precise cuts, and had become a real pleasure to use. In fact, Graham takes this subject of tool tuning so seriously that he spends a considerable amount of time teaching it on his cabinet-making course at West Dean College.

Still on the subject of planing, Graham showed me an oil pad that he keeps next to his planes and uses to lubricate them - it contains only a tiny drop of oil, but one quick wipe on the sole is sufficient to make all the difference.  It's just to the left of the shavings in the photo below.

As Graham demonstrated the fine shavings he could take, the wood acquired a beautifully smooth finish. So smooth, in fact, that it could have caused problems gluing as the surface is not sufficiently absorbent - something Graham admitted to learning the hard way. We tested this by roughening part of the surface with sandpaper, and then putting a few drops of water in different places. The water on the roughened area gradually soaked in, whilst on the planed area it just sat there. Glue would have done the same, and made a weak joint.

We were working with oak, and one of the common problems that can occur is discoloration of the timber due to the presence of iron particles. Here again Graham had a simple and strikingly effective solution. He took a cloth and dipped it in oxalic acid (this available from the chemist, but be careful as it is poisonous). Wiping the cloth on the wood, the discoloration immediately vanished (see photo below); it was quite extraordinary to watch. But you can also put this problem to good use - Graham commented that wire wool dissolved in vinegar actually makes an effective wood stain for oak....

Looking at Graham's planes and chisels, I noticed that the backs of the blades were polished almost like mirrors, so I asked his views on sharpening. He was absolutely definite about what to use - Japanese water stones. He has two, one for the main sharpening, and a second finer one to hone the blade to a razor edge. He uses a wooden block cut to the correct angles as a visual guide, but actually sharpens freehand for speed. And to prove it worked, the plane iron was sharp enough to take hair off the back of his hand!

I asked Graham for his view on Japanese tools. He told me that he has tried a number of Japanese saws, but never really got on with them. Instead, he passed on a tip given him by Robert Ingham, his 'mentor', for modifying a dovetail saw to make very fine cuts. Starting with a conventional dovetail saw, file away all the teeth. Then tape a standard hacksaw blade along the edge of the dovetail saw, to act as a guide. Gently file new teeth to match, then remove the hacksaw blade, and file the new teeth deeper. There is no need to set them; the kerf from the filing will be sufficient.

His workshop is immaculate with not a shaving sight - and he keeps it that way all the time, he assured me. From the silhouette board on the wall (see photo below), ensuring that every tool is in its place and can be quickly found, to the array of different dust extractors and brooms - everything is ordered and tidy. Even the power tools have had their cables cut short to avoid clutter; just one extension lead appears at each bench for them to connect to. And here's the cunning bit: attached to the extension cable is an extractor hose, and when the power tool is switched on, the extractor starts automatically.