A sad update, Jim Kingshott has died.
The details below were from German tool maker Dick GmbH's site:
He passed away on February 25, 2002, at the age 70, after a courageous fight with cancer.
They have since removed the page this was from.
I had a single email correpondence with Mr. Kingshott.
He knew of this site and of my appreciation of his work.
I'd like to think he's with his son now and that his work lives on here
and through his books and videos.
(The dediction to Making and Modification says simply To my son John whose
untimely death brought this book into being)
Important update:
Some time ago some of Jim Kingshott's grandson's tools
have been stolen. Details here Sadly, the tools are probably long...
This
page is intended to point out irregularities in Jim Kingshott's
book
Making and Modifying Woodworking Tools;
Guild of Master Craftsman Publications, Ltd.;
ISBN 0-946819-32-7
Also listed here are his other books and videos
and where they can be found.
While generally very useful,
there are several mistakes/omissions in Jim Kingshott's book
Hopefully people who find this page won't have to discover
these problems the hard way:
Other things to check out:
Pattern Making
by Russ Allen
- Update April 16, 2002
-
I have made the mitre gauge pattern and core box as promised below.
The full story and more importantly the pictures can be found
here.
Chapter 7 is devoted to pattern making - a full four pages with pictures.
I was greatly confused by the pattern and core box as shown on page 63.
I have read quite a few pattern making books and still it took me a
long time to figure out what was going on. I'm thinking of
making the pattern and core box. If I do, I'll take some photographs
to illustrate what I'll try to explain here: The pattern and core
box don't work together directly. If the core box was not painted
with the picture of the pattern (and/or casting) I would have been
less confused. Here's what happens at the foundry: the pattern would be
rammed in moulding sand. It would be withdrawn leaving a void that looks
exactly like the pattern. The core box would be rammed with sand forming a
prism shape. This would be withdrawn from the core box and placed in the
void left when the pattern was withdrawn. Now when molten metal is feed
into the sand, it flows into the remaining void. When the metal cools, the
result is the casting shown in Fig 7.3 (right) at the top of page 63.
Pretty simple/standard pattern making practice that is not explained in
the text. The text also does not give any dimensions. I've been looking for
a Preston mitre gage to base my pattern and core box on.
Shooting Board Plane
by Russ Allen
I built the pattern for his shooting board plane- similar to a
Stanley #51. I noticed the following:
- The drawing on pages 122 and 123 does not include the hold down. (The
text mentions three patterns, the drawing only shows two.) The hold down
can be seen in the picture on page 121.
- Similarily, the disassembled plane picture does not include the hold
down (shown on the fourth color page past page 112).
- The plane is pictured on page 64 and on the first color page
past page 112. The negative is reversed in the color photo- or
else this is a shooting board plane for left handed woodworkers.
(In one picture the tote is on the left hand side, in the other it is on
the right hand side.)
The plane is pictured on the following pages: 64, 121, 124, 126 and the
first and fourth color page (past page 121).
This plane and its pattern make a brief appearence in Mr. Kingshott's
Special Planes video!
Infill Plane
by Mike Lindgren
I don't think that the Kingshott book is all that great.
I bought it when I was first thinking about making an infill, and
reading the dovetailed steel chapter carefully really gave me heartburn.
It does have nice pictures, and some good tips, so if you don't have
access to the real thing it helps to see what they look like. I got email
from a fellow in australia who has made several, and his (approximate) remark
was "I am sure glad I made some before I bought kingshotts book"
This list is one I have compliled while making a panel plane, then added
to as I learned more. It is possible I missed some things in his book(that
I complain about), or maybe they are obvious to someone brighter than
me. If so, my apologies.
My list of errors/ommisions, etc.:
- I couldn't figure out the second side profile chart, and there is at
least one typo in it that is confusing. The first profile chart is
correct but it looks like nothing he has in his book, it would be nice
if he mentioned that. The third is fine.
- All the drawings that show the mouth placement have it wrong, or
at least they disagree totally with the text. He says place the mouth
to it doesn't cut the sole in half, which is reasonable, but then
every diagram shows the sole cut in half. I don't think I was looking
at it wrong, and I think he has it that way for just about all the
diagrams in the book.
- In a book that purports to tell you how to make a dovetailed infill
plane, would it be too much to ask for the author to casually mention
what the dovetail angle should be? He does mention that it differs
from those used in wood.
- I think his dovetailing procedure could be improved for the
neophyte(me, and I assume most of his audience) by telling us to
cut the dovetails in side and sole BOTH a bit proud. It makes more
filing, but you can peen both a bit and really tighten up the
joint appearance, which for the first plane will probably be
useful. If you end up with pins a bit to proud it is a lot easier to
file them down than to lap the whole side when one is a tad short!
Also his description of the procedure and the pictures really
need some editing to make the steps understandable.
- His method of putting a support plate behind the mouth stinks. The
process of riveting through the sole with the sides on is excruciating,
as you watch the side dovetails loosen, and lapping the sole of your
precision flat ground stock flat again after it deforms from putting the
rivets in is no fun either. Another way, which he does not mention,
but which would have worked better for me(the solitary hammerer) is to
take the support plate, clamp it in place behind the mouth, and drill
through it into the sole, without going all the way through.
Then just pin it with drill rod and epoxy the thing in place. You
then have a support plate that is going nowhere, and you have saved
about 10 hours of hard manual labor.(and you don't have rivets on the
bottom of your plane) Two folks and good equipment would not have
my problems, so maybe I shouldn't complain about this.
- On the subject of mouths again, he doesn't give any numbers on the
range of mouth widths(the gap between the front and the iron). Since
every thing I have read or heard since points me in the direction that
the mouth width is crucial to high performance, it would be helpful to
at least give a range of them.
- he doesn't tell you the lever cap width should be the same as the
distance between the steel sides(-.002 or so). Chumps like me who
haven't seen the real thing, and are used to the stanley lever caps
end up making them too narrow.
In the end, a book like Whelans on wooden planes just seemed
much better done from a standpoint of actually building a plane using
several different methods, appropriate to different skill levels.
Shoulder Plane
by Eric Keller
I have to agree that the Kingshott book isn't perfect, but is there a
substitute? The one thing I have to say is that one should make a
scale/full size drawing of any such project. I made a shoulder plane
using kingshotts methods, and I have to admit that its faults are mostly
due to my inability to file a perfect dovetail. As my peening has
improved his methods aren't as scary. I find point number 4 from
Mike Lindgren's comments to be a little misleading.
The dovetails on both the sole and the sides _must_ be proud because
both are compound dovetails, to be peened over. If only you could cover
up your inadequate dovetail work in wood as easily!
I disagree w/ Mikes point #7, there are drawings of lever caps in the
book. Otherwise, I agree with Mike 100%. Particularly, I think the
section on peening the dovetails could have used a few more pictures.
Finally, my advice to anyone who has the book, and hasn't made any
planes, is go get some metal and make a plane that you don't mind throwing
away if you goof up. Do a little engineering on your own, and figure out
what you have to have and what you don't. For example, adjusters can
be added later.
Thanks,
Eric
Mike Lindgren's rebuttal
Shooting Board Parts
by Rob Kempinski
I noticed on your home page, you asked for people to contribute problems
they notice with the Kingshott's book. Well his drawing for the 52 steel
board doesn't match the photographs of it. The drawing shows a rectangular
plate. The photos show the corner by the quadrant rounded more like the
original shooting board. BTW Kingshott has another book out called the
Work Shop. It has a couple of photos of his 51/52.
His quadrant drawing has a slight error in it . The intersection of the
two arc-ed pieces (one arc piece is where he engraved his name and the
other has the engraved numbers) shows up as a line in the plan view. By
studying the photographs and the other drawings there appears to be no
change in height at the spot so the line at that intersection should not be
there.
Rebuttal
by Richard Singer
I think some of the comments made by Mike Lindgren about Jim
Kingshott's book are a little unfair, particularly about the lever caps.
The diagrams & photos clearly show the method of fitting which
requires the lever cap to be full width. Having never made dovetails
in metal I can't comment on the merits of peening both tails and
pins, but I thought Mr Kingshott's description of the method was
clear enough, albeit lacking some of the quantitative information the
critics require. In his defence Kingshott does urge the reader to
make a test dovetail before attempting a plane. This seems
sensible. I would not attempt constructing a dining room suite until
I'd mastered the basic hand tool techniques.
I had the opportunity to handle Kingshott's planes at the London
International Woodwork show a year or two back. They are
flawless. The dovetails & riveting are invisible, the wooden infill is
fitted and polished to perfection and the 30in jointer plane is awe
inspiring - and damned heavy! This man really does know his stuff.
Maybe a second edition of the book could iron out some of the
issues you & your contributers highlight.
Finally, Kingshott's email address can be found in any recent
edition of Traditional Woodworking Magazine - I'm sure he'd be
willing to discuss the issues raised on your website.
Other Books by Jim Kingshott
- The Workshop: Designing- Building- Equipping -
ISBN 0-946819-42-4.
- Sharpening : The Complete Guide Sterling Publications;
ISBN: 0946819483
- Sharpening Pocket Reference Book : Techniques & Equipment -
Sterling Publications, ISBN: 1861080077
- A Woodworkers Guide to Joints : Over 35 Joints for Woodworking
The Lyons Press; ISBN: 1558217770
Mr. Kingshott's videos:
- Bench Planes
- Special Planes
- Mortise and Tenon Made Simple
- Dovetails Made Simple
- Sharpening the Professional Way
- Sharpening Turning & Carving Tools
Sources: (I am not affilated with any of the
following businesses except as noted.
)
It looks like this list below needs to be updated?
New! (November 2007)
Fox Chapel Publishing
has the first four titles as DVD's!!! They also have videos 3 and 4 though they cost
more than the dvd versions.
Making and Modifying Woodworking Tools appears to be
getting scarce again. Amazon.com also lists
Sharpening : The Complete Guide as "Limited
Availablitly"
Update: My Winter 2002 Highland Hardware catalog arrived today
(11/26/01)- it still shows Making and Modifying Woodworking Tools
and the six videos as does their web site!
Update: September 30, 2002- a search at Highland Harware turned
up no Kingshott items.
Update: March 21, 2003- a search at Highland Harware turned
up all six videos!
- Alldirect.com has
A Woodworkers Guide to Joints : Over 35 Joints for Woodworking
- Astrigal Press
has videos 1-4 as well as the sharpening pocket reference
- Cambium Books has
videos 1-4,
The Workshop:
Designing- Building- Equipping,
Making and Modifying Woodworking Tools, and
A Woodworkers Guide to Joints : Over 35 Joints for Woodworking
. You can get package
deals on videos 1 & 2 for $42, and/or the joinery book and two joinery
videos (3 & 4) for $65.
- Craft Supplies USA has
video 6
Guild of Master Craftsman Publications, Ltd.
http://www.gmcmags.com/
166 High Street, Lewes, East Sussex, BN7 1XU
Telephone + 44 1273 488005 Fax + 44 1273 478606
1-800-225-9262 in the US
Publishes and sells both
Making and Modifying Woodworking Tools; and
The Workshop: Designing- Building- Equipping .
They will happily ship to the US!
- Highland Hardware has
all six videos (1999 early fall catalog - only two
show up on their web site) and
Making and Modifying Woodworking Tools
- Linden Publishing has
videos 1-4 and
A Woodworkers Guide to Joints : Over 35 Joints for Woodworking
- Manny's Woodworkers Place
has videos 1-2,5-6
- Martin J. Donnelly Antique Tools has
videos 1 - 4 and
A Woodworkers Guide to Joints : Over 35 Joints for Woodworking
Note: I have done some programming work for
Martin but I don't receive anything in exchange for this listing.
- The Museum
of Woodworking Tools carries videos 1-4,
A Woodworkers Guide to Joints and
Sharpening Pocket Reference Book : Techniques & Equipment
- Tapes 1-4 are availalbe in PAL format from:
Traditional Woodworking Reader Services
The Well House
High Street
Burton-on-Trent
Staffs DE14 1JQ
UK
Tel. 01283 742970
Fax. 01283 742966
Other things to check out:
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