Machines.

So I've finally overcome my instinctive fear of bandsaws, when I get introduced to an even meaner, scarier machine - the open table router. Its a horrible thing which sucks up end grain and spits it out, leaving one's precious timber full of unsightly gouges if not careful. After about 5 hours on the blasted thing I'm just about able to do a run without too much of a palaver, and even then its still a pretty unpleasant experience.

Routed cabinet tops - only a million more to go without cutting my fingers off

Work on my project is plodding along. I've got various bits cut out and have run out of wood about 1/3 into the process, most of next week will be spent on the bandsaw and router but hopefully once that's finished, the most difficult bits will be done.

Bench skills this week have focused on more joints - different types of mortices and tenons, and lap joints. I'm still more than a little dissatisfied with the standard of teaching/tutoring on the course, but trying to make the most of it. I may be a total beginner, but even I can sense that spending a paltry 2 minutes teaching us how to sharpen our tools is just not going to cut it (again, thank goodness for the course I did with John Lloyd).

A relatively successful fox wedged mortice and tenon 

Apparently sawdust and glue helps mask any less successful joints made - didn't seem to work in my case

Ps - the claws are back, together with an assortment or minor scrapes and bruises. Ho hum.