Hand Tool Enjoyment

[Birdhunter]

I’ve been woodworking for about 40 years and own some very nice power tools and have gotten proficient in doing highly precise work.

I’ve gotten totally engrossed in doing hand joinery. I bought a bunch of LN and Bridge City planes a long time ago, but seldom used them. A few have never encountered wood.

I just finished a Moxon vise, bought a collection of LN and Blue Spruce chisels, acquired a Bad Axe saw, experimented with router planes, and planning a shooting board.

I’m getting better with dove tails and planning some hand joinery projects.

This stuff is totally addictive.

 

[RustE]

I just bought a Pax 1776 dovetail saw on that big auction site.  It’s nice to hold quality tools that fit the hand well.

 

[ear3]

[thumbs up]

 

[WillAdams]

Yeah, I far prefer hand tools to noisy power tools --- latest indulgence is a Blue Spruce Toolworks coping saw (I'm finally at a point where I pretty much have all the hand tools I need, so have begun replacing them w/ nicer once)

--- next up is a matched set of Korean chisels which I hope will be a good value, and at least as nice as the Harlequin set I'm using now.

 

[RKA]

Ooooh, tell us more about that coping saw!  I was eyeing that when Dave was prototyping it.  Already have a Knew Concepts, but I'm still curious about this one. 

 

[Runhard]

The Blue Spruce coping saw is nice. Here’s mine:

 

[WillAdams]

Can't compare it to a Knew Concepts saw, since I haven't used one (really regretted not buying the original 1/8" sheet titanium version), but the Blue Spruce saw is amazing --- wonderful mechanism, locks up tight with a twist, and cuts wonderfully, tracking very true, but turning quite nicely, and is incredibly lightweight..

 

[PreferrablyWood]

I just looked at my outlay for handtools since June2018 and I have to ask my self what I'm doing!

3 Japanese chisels

Veritas nr. 4 smoothing plane

Veritas Combination plane

Veritas router plane

Various Richard Kell measuring devices and Honing guide.

Weirdly none of it has arrived yet so it's like all floating around in the ether, They will arrive soon but the the wait is a bit of a challenge.

Hand tools are just so nice and direct, designed for utility and egronomics things of understated beauty. The creat less dust and noise than electric power tools are very positive things that have a strong influence on the workers health. I enjoy l the feeling improving skills and judgningment of accuracy through improving observational skills. Additionally handtools seem efficient enough compared to powertools and are less dangerous to use when working on smaller dimesioned pieces.

 

[Birdhunter]

I bought the Knew Concepts coping saw. If I relax and let it do the work, it’s great.

My LN shooting plane arrived and I’m planning the shooting board.

I’d like info on getting the iron exactly square to the sole and just the right amount extended. Any tips?

 

[CirclDigital]

When the shavings on both sides are the same thickness your blade is set ;-). There is no magical depth setting, just try to see what you can get away with for the wood you are using. You will get a feel for it only by using the plane.

But without a shooting board you will need to use a flat surface to run your plane on. And that will be difficult with end grain clamping your board to avoid movement.

 

[Birdhunter]

I ordered the Vogt shooting board that’s compatible with the LN shooting lane. I’m also building a simple shooting board. The Vogt board looks better for miters than anything I could build.

I was wondering if putting the plane on my table saw top, placing a thin metal ruler under the nose of the plane and then dropping the iron to the table saw surface would result in a square blade at a good extension.

 

[Corwin]

The plane iron needs to be square with the surface of your shooting board, not necessarily with the sole of the plane -- while they 'should' be the same, it is the resulting cut that is important. So, once you have your shooting board, just check the cut for square and adjust as needed.

For long grain, I sometimes place some hardboard on my bench, place the workpiece on top of that so it overhangs the hardboard, clamp in place and shoot. The hardboard lifts the material above the dead area and into the cutting area of the shooting plane. Works just fine.

 

[HarveyWildes]

Today I was in a Japanese plane competition.  I enjoyed getting together with other woodworkers who are experts at what they do and learning from them.

The best part of the experience over the day was listening to how the judges evaluated the shavings.  We started with people informally trying out their planes on pine and red cedar.  There was a lot of plane adjusting going on as people watched others and realized that they could do better than they were doing.  This phase included coaching on the planes that people brought, with suggestions on how to improve performance that day as well as longer term tuning opportunities.  The competition started with a first round, after which experts looked at shavings and critiqued them.  It also gave people a chance to compare what they were doing against the competition.  One of the critiques of my first shaving was that one side was thicker than the other.  So after I took a closer look at my shaving to see what the deal was, I went back and adjusted the blade for side-to-side, and the had to reset the depth again.  Second round was much better, so I learned something about what I was capable of if I stretched myself.

The was something satisfying about the process as well.  Pulling the plane over the wood and getting a long, thin, continuous, and relatively consistent shaving - well there is just something sensory about that that is satisfying.  I had a relatively narrow plane, and ended up competing with pine.  Folks with wider (e.g. more difficult setup) planes competed on Port Orford cedar, so the room got to smelling very good after a bit.

Overall I had a great time, and reinforced for me just how enjoyable using a good hand tool can be.

 

[PreferrablyWood]

Today I was in a Japanese plane competition.  I enjoyed getting together with other woodworkers who are experts at what they do and learning from them.

Great opportunity, wish I could have been there..

The was something satisfying about the process as well.  Pulling the plane over the wood and getting a long, thin, continuous, and relatively consistent shaving - well there is just something sensory about that that is satisfying.  I had a relatively narrow plane, and ended up competing with pine.  Folks with wider (e.g. more difficult setup) planes competed on Port Orford cedar, so the room got to smelling very good after a bit.

I'd be interested in trying a Japanese handplane at some point, especielly as I'm really enjoying using the Saws and Chisels.

 

[CirclDigital]

I ordered the Vogt shooting board that’s compatible with the LN shooting lane. I’m also building a simple shooting board. The Vogt board looks better for miters than anything I could build.

In my opinion you need to stop buying and you need to start building..... the only way to gain experience with a plane is by using it. Building a shooting board, even a mitered one, is something anybody can do. It might not look as pretty but it will work. And if doesn’t you will learn what is important in a shooting board.

And please don’t set a plane blade by using metal.... it’s build for wood, metal can chip your blade. Start by eying how the blade protrudes and get it as straight as you can. Then take a small piece of wood and, while letting the blade protrude just a bit, run that over the sole at both ends of the blade. Adjust the blade untill you get a minute shaving from both ends of the blade and you are good to go. Then use it in the shooting board and see if you get a square result, some minor adjustments might be required.

A shooting plane is no different than a regular plane. Look at the shavings and your resulting surface and you know what you need to do with the plane (or even more likely with your technique).

That’s the thing with handplanes. Buying a good one (and you bought great ones) is only the first step. Properly sharpening the blades and using them are way more important.

 

[Birdhunter]

Great advice.

I’ve gotten pretty fair with the waterstones I bought from Lie Nielsen. It’s surprising how often the stones need to be flattened, but I’ve been sharpening chisels. Plane irons are next.

My Moxon vise build came out well and my dovetails are getting better.

I think I’m ready to take on a “real” project.

 

[derekcohen]

I agree with CD: build something, anything. Make your bench accessories (shooting board). Make a bench. Get busy with the tools. That is how you master them. Great tools are wonderful to use, but you have to master the technique to make them work, unlike a machine. Make love to them every day! Enjoy.

Working with handtools requires a different mind set to power. 40 years of power tools is not helpful now.  If you plan to watch videos, then watch The Woodwrights Shop with Roy Underhill (on PBS, and DVDs available of the Popular Woodworking store). This will help in that regard. 

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[upscale]

Yeah, I far prefer hand tools to noisy power tools ---

I tended to feel that way too ~ UNTIL I attended a Felder display show. Their power tools are quiet, cut to EXACT dimensions (usually 1/10 of a millimeter) and easy to use. Of course, to own any of them, you need thousands of $$$ to buy one, but that's not what we're discussing here.  [tongue]

 

[Birdhunter]

As enthusiastic as I am about finding new pleasures in hand woodworking, I intend to continue using my power tools. The hand tools just add a new dimension to the enjoyment.

I enjoy making small boxes using exotic woods. The next ones will feature hand cut dovetails and sides trimmed with the shooting plane.

 

[PreferrablyWood]

I've recieved my Veritas Combination Plane, Router Plane and nr. 4 smooth plane. some blades, a Lapping plate for the growing selection og Shapton whetstones 200,1000,2000 and 12000, got a few extra ibaldes for the Combination Plane and the Router Plane. Will be using these tools in the coming week to make the mini stairway, 14 stopped dados, antislip grooves on the stairs, a grip groove on the rails. So I'm confident all learn alot, waste some wood and use an inordinate amount of time to achieve the final product. The neighbours will benefit from the low noise nature of the work though.

I think handtools are a natural compliment to powertools and a life saver if the site requires a low level of noise.