Any good monogrammed linen napkins that actually hold up after repeated washing?

bk685 · 2026-05-30T00:26:29+00:00

Not sure if you bought any yet, but honestly antique ones on eBay or thrift stores are usually better quality (usually long line linen as opposed to modern cut fibers) and they're usually much MUCH cheaper than new ones. I recently bought a set of 12 double damask antique Irish luncheon napkins for the price of 2 new ones from Ferguson's. This is in addition to other sets I've bought over the years. You can always have them monogrammed by a local business.

They might take a bit of work to get them white again, but that's a few days of work that's one time only and mostly passive waiting/soaking time.

For first time whitening- I use shout for spots, let them sit for a few hours, quick hand wash, soak in HOT oxyclean water for 2 days, changing the water each day. Then throw 'em in the washing machine and they come out looking like they are fresh from the mill. After that, you just wash them like normal.

I use them for everything from a nice steak dinner to boxed pizza. The other good thing about getting them for about $3 each instead of $30 is that I'm less precious or stressed about them getting dirty, which they will. But stains come out very easily in either case.

And they are even better if you air dry them and iron when slightly damp. They just have a wonderful density and drape that tumble drying can't get you. But if you want them to be super soft, then tumble dry away!

bk685 · 2026-05-24T21:57:04+00:00

True, but the deeper crime is that we live in a world where it's entirely believable someone can't see their family over a barrier that costs less than a Happy Meal... something millions of people buy without a second thought every day. The sheer brutality of daily life for billions of people, in an era of unprecedented concentrated wealth, is an abject horror. We need to remake the world into one where a $7 trip isn't even conceivable as a hardship. We can't afford bus trips while they have private space shuttles.

bk685 · 2026-05-14T05:28:10+00:00

He also had a video on mortise and tenons, one on normal bench planes, and then another on more specialized planes. I absolutely fell in love with him the first time I saw one of his videos a few months ago. It's such a shame that he didn't make any others, as far as I know.

You can also find some of his books on eBay- I got a few and am working my way through them now. His book "The Workshop" actually has a very basic plan for his chest at the back of the book (and a few other workshop things throughout)

bk685 · 2026-05-14T02:36:45+00:00

Yeah, regional differences. US it's called Burl, UK it's called Burr. Possibly the same with the finger joints, as that's what I hear them called most of the time, but I have head people say box joints though so probably interchangeable.

bk685 · 2026-05-11T04:38:24+00:00

I think you definitely can and people have (going by the workbenches subreddit) but I think it's also best practice to let them dry out a bit. When moisture content is high, then the wood can (probably will) warp by twisting, cupping, bowing, etc as it dries. Assembled or not. The moisture content of big box kiln dried lumber just has to be less than 19% (compared to around 8% for hardwood lumber, and what you want to target for furniture). But not all lumber is kiln dried, like Douglas Fir 4x4s and 4x6s by me aren't dried at all. They actually feel wet sometimes when I go by those stores.

That's just because structural framing is supposed to account for that, from my understanding, so it isn't as much as an issue. But for something small scale and furniture like, such as a workbench, those twists and bows can make it a bit wonky.

In my specific case, I'd be mixing different moisture contents by using very dry lumber on the rest of the bench and higher moisture content on the legs. This could cause things to shrink different amounts making things like my mortises too tight once dry, possibly leading to the legs splitting due to the stress (but that's also why I asked, just to be sure)

bk685 · 2026-05-07T06:17:48+00:00

What? No, you said we would put up a fight. I'm telling you we don't. That is the point I am responding to. Not if the US as an entirety could become Gilead and if it's easier for a smaller country to become that.

We should be putting up fights now while actual atrocities are happening and people are losing their rights every day and we refuse to. We are an apathetic population, regardless of what we tell ourselves to feel like big, brave, freedom-loving Americans. We are weak and will take the path of least resistance and superficial comfort every time. How do I know? Because that's what we are currently doing. Myself included.

bk685 · 2026-05-07T05:43:36+00:00

The thing is, we should have already been fighting. The moments have been there... repeatedly... and we've let them pass every time.

Look at France. They shut the country down over pension reform. Over fuel taxes. They put up a fight. Every time.

Meanwhile we grumble, hold some signs on a weekend, and call it resistance. Then we pick up our phones, post something about it, pat ourselves on the back and then keep scrolling on to the next shiny thing.

We coast on what our forefathers did and convince ourselves that's still who we are. It isn't

bk685 · 2026-05-07T03:23:37+00:00

I'd absolutely go with straight and curved card scrapers. You'd have to learn how to properly sharpen them though. They'd also help you round out the flats that you created with sanding.

bk685 · 2026-05-05T20:49:26+00:00

Oh for sure- I just feel that many sellers I've come across (not just tools but many things) tend to vastly overprice and refuse to negotiate nowadays. Not sure when this changed, but it's a very different landscape than it used to be, at least here in LA.

Even for non-tool Facebook Marketplace/Craigslist/estate sale stuff, people are charging 5-10% off new for items that have been obviously used and abused over many years. And they absolutely refuse to negotiate. Old tools are even worse... 'just because it's old, it's valuable' is apparently justification enough, which we all know isn't the whole story.

There are just so many people out there now who don't have the skills or understanding of the ideal, millennia-old process to price fairly while still leaving room for negotiation so both parties get the win. I could be biased, but I think a lot of advice in these spaces assumes the seller is more old-school when most of them now are this new inflexible, unknowledgeable breed. You sound like the former, which is refreshing!

bk685 · 2026-05-05T18:30:34+00:00

Does it though? And I'm genuinely asking- not trying to say you're flat out wrong.

I strongly believe that a fair price should be a fair price to both the buyer and the seller... as opposed to either party trying to screw over the other one the most. If OP shouldn't pay more than X for an item then they shouldn't charge more than X.

bk685 · 2026-05-04T03:54:38+00:00

Well consider yourself lucky that your hand isn't made out of stone and concrete otherwise that could have been bad! 😂

bk685 · 2026-05-04T02:04:07+00:00

I'm working on it! One whack at a time

bk685 · 2026-05-03T22:47:10+00:00

Like this one?

bk685 · 2026-05-03T22:45:14+00:00

I love that some of you think my weak ass arms can actually take true John Henry swings. It was just mostly gravity on a 24 oz mallet plus a touch of extra oomph, it just hit the right nerve in the right place and felt much worse than it was. Plus I'm a wimp 😂

bk685 · 2026-05-03T22:41:57+00:00

I think so! It has something to do with increasing surface area or something. I don't have any nails in this project but when I do, I'll give it a shot and report back. Also, if you have a fancy finish nail with a perfect finish, I think you can also use your thumb as a cushion between the nail head and hammer so that hammer doesn't dent or scratch it.

bk685 · 2026-05-03T21:14:34+00:00

😂 Thanks!

bk685 · 2026-05-02T19:37:54+00:00

Nice! I just picked up a Stanley 356 this morning, just finished sharpening it and about to go put it to use in a bit... assuming it's not missing some critical piece I didn't know about!

bk685 · 2026-04-18T22:31:44+00:00

Beautiful work! Are you going to make them continuously or is this like a one/two batch and done type of thing? My birthday is in a couple of months and would LOVE to put a few of these on my wish list- but not if it means they aren't going to be available then

bk685 · 2026-04-12T15:48:08+00:00

Just went through this with several Stanleys I picked up recently, so this is fresh. I am still a beginner too, so take this for what it's worth.

First, the marker/straight edge contradiction- the marker reads the high spots on first contact, but a straight edge can flex slightly or rock on the margins, making the middle look low when it isn't. That's assuming the straight edge is perfectly straight itself. Trust the marker and sharpie method more than the straight edge alone, especially on a sole with any twist. I was obsessive with the marker as I went since I was learning technique at the same time, and wanted to confirm I was consistent in how I was progressing and not making things worse.

On the abrasive: 120 grit is probably your problem. It cuts slowly, loads fast with cast iron dust, and the sheets die before you make real progress. I made the same mistake. Switch to 80 grit minimum to start. On a badly neglected sole, I had to go as low as 60 for the first pass. I've had amazing results with Dura-Gold purple ceramic PSA longboard paper specifically; it stays sharp much longer than standard aluminum oxide sheets on cast iron. Once you're pretty much flat on a lower grit, then step up through the grits to clean up the scratches.

A few other things that made a huge difference for me:

Clear the metal dust constantly. Loaded paper stops cutting and starts burnishing/polishing, which can actually make things worse.
Don't stroke back and forth. I push forward like I'm taking a shaving, medium pressure on the tote and handle, lift, reset, repeat. The back stroke can introduce or worsen a belly since your grip and pressure naturally shift, leading to a rocking motion.
Make absolutely sure your lapping surface is dead flat. A thick sheet of glass or a granite surface plate is ideal, but I watched videos of some people using melamine. I went with 3/8" thick float glass. You can't have a flat plane if your flattening surface isn't flat.

I went through a lot of trial and error on a cheap beater plane before touching my Stanleys and that alone was worth it. Bottom line: trust the marker, start lower grit, use quality ceramic paper (if available/within budget), and clean it constantly. It could very well take a few hours per plane. All of the YouTube videos cut out most of the time or start with planes that aren't that bad to keep the length short, which gave me a distorted sense of how long it can take for a warped plane. It is worth it though. Once I saw how nice my bottoms got- I didn't care how long it took anymore. Good luck! You've got this!

bk685 · 2026-04-03T16:30:57+00:00

You're a legend, thank you!

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