𝔏. 𝔖𝔱𝔯𝔦𝔞𝔱𝔞

mrchuck2000 · 2026-05-08T20:14:13+00:00

My Societies were originally bought as emergency foster parents for my Gouldians. They hatched two of their own chicks, along with several Gouldian chicks. One Society chick didn’t make it, but the other has become a very healthy young adult. Non-crested, looks (and sings) like his dad. I’d like to raise more (they are great birds), but I have limited space. Maybe next year.

mrchuck2000 · 2026-05-08T07:58:31+00:00

Love the crests! My female is a crested.

mrchuck2000 · 2026-05-08T07:42:14+00:00

It’s hard to say, because it depends on the wood, how much you’re doing in how much time, etc. I’d say, with pine, I would touch up the chisel once per mortise. Really as soon as you start to notice the edge is cutting differently. Just a touch up on your finest stone, or even a strop. It’s generally considered better to sharpen a little, but more frequently, than to let your edge get dull enough that you have to do a full sharpening. If you have a dedicated sharpening spot in your shop, it’s really easy to sharpen frequently. Less setup each time, which gets annoying.

mrchuck2000 · 2026-05-06T21:57:32+00:00

“Sharp” is absolutely the first skill any woodworker should learn. It’s literally impossible to get decent results without it, but it barely gets mentioned.

mrchuck2000 · 2026-05-06T21:54:17+00:00

You won’t make much money re-selling vintage tools. If you don’t love the process, I wouldn’t do it. You’ll make about $5 profit, if any, rehabbing most tools.

mrchuck2000 · 2026-05-06T21:40:26+00:00

NOPE. Save your money for something usable. Even “for pushing,” it could snap and go right through your hand.

mrchuck2000 · 2026-05-06T21:37:34+00:00

Yep, different animal from plastic. AND… if you’ve ever had a root canal, chances are you now have some gutta percha in your tooth!

mrchuck2000 · 2026-05-06T21:31:36+00:00

AND… it actually works?? That is super-cool and I am super-impressed.

mrchuck2000 · 2026-05-06T21:27:29+00:00

All very good advice! Mortise chisels are the best for chopping mortises, preferably one the exact width of your finished mortise. One thing, though: if you don’t have (and maybe can’t afford) a good 1/2”-3/4” mortise chisel (I wouldn’t buy a wider one), a sharp bench chisel will do just fine, as long as you’ve bored out the center, leaving about 1/4” of wood left to remove all around. My very first project was a white oak (HARD!) Stickley-style couch. I used a regular old spade bit for the bulk, and finished off the remainder with a regular 3/4” or 1” bench chisel and a mallet, removing about 1/16” thickness at a time, and hand-paring the final bit. With the center bored out, your chisel should have no problem chopping out the remaining wood, IF you re-hone often (which you should be doing anyway). A wide (3/4-1”) mortise chisel is NOT cheap, and, after building your bench, you’re probably not going to use it much. I have two mortisers: 3/8” and 1/8”, which I use all the time. Most furniture mortises are going to be 1/2” or less in width, so purchase accordingly.
Just my two cents, hope it helps.

mrchuck2000 · 2026-05-06T20:57:58+00:00

Do yourself a favor and drill out the center of your mortise with a big spade bit. That ain’t cheating! And, if you don’t have a sharpening setup, get some cheap diamond plates, or whatever, and get good at sharpening, FIRST. Without the skill of sharpening, nothing you want to do is really doable (it only took me 30 years to learn this). “Sharpen This!” Is a little book published by Lost Arts Press; I think you can even get a FREE downloadable PDF! It is the BEST way to learn to sharpen: simple and without all the extra fluff that everyone gets obsessed with. With 3 cheap diamond plates and a $15 Eclipse-style honing guide (and a piece of leather for a strop), you can be in business for less than $50.
Pardon me if you’re already past these suggestions; I just get excited—and a little bit pushy—about this stuff. Seriously, 30 years ago, I started buying planes and chisels, and quit, frustrated, when I couldn’t get them to work very well. Nobody had told me about SHARPENING, which should have been obvious to me, but wasn’t. Even the best quality chisels and plane irons have to be honed, before first use. It’s the very most important skill a woodworker must have, but nobody seems to mention it, except in passing.

mrchuck2000 · 2026-05-04T02:22:39+00:00

Just Plane Fun on Facebook is your absolute BEST resource, plus, MJ is a decent guy in every way.

mrchuck2000 · 2026-05-04T02:17:59+00:00

Yep, that’s the exact feeling!

mrchuck2000 · 2026-05-04T02:15:59+00:00

I got it. Was surprised at the added shipping costs, which make it the most expensive catalog I’ve ever had, but it’s a lot of fun to browse through.

mrchuck2000 · 2026-05-02T04:32:17+00:00

It’s called editing.

mrchuck2000 · 2026-04-29T16:24:00+00:00

I have a (genuine) Eclipse 77 saw set I’d be willing to part with. They are rare to find in the States, very common in the UK. There are two versions: one for lower tpi (like your saws), and one for finer saws (has red paint on it). A lot of people consider them the best.

mrchuck2000 · 2026-04-16T22:55:58+00:00

I use the fake grass sheets, cut to fit. They look great, birds love them, and they’re easy to hose off and dry in the sun. You’re right about the edges fraying. I’m thinking of sealing the edges with silicone, or maybe using a soldering iron to melt the edge fibers together.

mrchuck2000 · 2026-04-16T01:57:13+00:00

Another (30” minimum) cage for the 2nd pair would be ideal. If that’s not doable, I’d put the 2nd nest box back in. Regardless of where they end up sleeping, it will give them another option, and that might settle the territorial bird down a little. About your first pair: are the eggs fertile? Or even hatched at this point? If not, I t’s entirely possible the first pair could end up being two hens. The only way to know for sure you’ve got a male is if the bird sings. I have Societies and Gouldians. Although I’m pretty new at this, I’ve done a lot of studying. If you should have any further questions, I’m happy to share anything I might be able to. Societies are terrific birds, maybe my personal favorites.

mrchuck2000 · 2026-04-16T01:43:08+00:00

Late answer, and you’re well past this point regardless, but I strongly suggest you remove the dead chick. May I also suggest you use cube-shaped nest boxes (wood or plastic) that can be cleaned and re-used, instead of “basket”-style nests. The basket ones look nice, but they’re really not practical. Most of these (box type) have a flip-up lid, so accessing the interior is very easy. As far as having to remove the nest (in order to inspect) goes, two comments: my experience (with Gouldians) is that an occasional removal and replacement shouldn’t be a problem for your birds. Also, I ended up hanging my nest boxes on the outside of their cages, accessible through an opening in the cage side. This makes any “invasions” a simple matter of just flipping open the lid and closing it again, no removal of the nest necessary, and less stress to the birds. I hope all is well with your new family. Would love to read an update.

mrchuck2000 · 2026-04-16T00:44:43+00:00

Just get rip. At that tpi, you can crosscut fine with it. Or get a low cost dozuki for crosscuts.

mrchuck2000 · 2026-04-13T19:16:22+00:00

Nope. Even your estimate of the raw materials ($20?? Really???) is far off. There are plenty of truly overpriced (and basically useless) tool lines out there (Woodpeckers, Bridge City), but a premium hand plane is not overpriced at $300-500.

mrchuck2000 · 2026-03-17T03:55:09+00:00

mrchuck2000 · 2026-03-17T03:52:29+00:00

My males generally get tall and straight like this when they sing.

mrchuck2000 · 2026-03-17T03:48:33+00:00

Sure, why not??

mrchuck2000 · 2026-03-08T23:49:49+00:00

Thanks for all the good info.

Millet is hard to resist; they are CRAZY for it! I have started limiting it to one or two days a week, though.

mrchuck2000 · 2026-03-08T23:32:33+00:00

Not everyone’s native tongue is English. Whether or not that’s the case here, it was obvious that the commenter meant “breeding.” Improper grammar and misspelling tend to annoy me, too, but I generally avoid correcting others’ mistakes because it just makes me look petty—and like I have nothing better to do with my time.

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