A hydrid approach to woorkworking – Part 4

The addition of Japanese style saws to my tool collection marked a turning point in my approach to woodworking.  After I became comfortable with the dovetail saw, I added a ryoba saw (double sided saw) and then a cut off saw (kugihiki) and finally a kataba saw for hardwoods.   It was  like eating a potato chips, you can never have just one. Each saw was designed for a specific type of cut and each one did it quite well.   I found myself reaching for those saws more and more frequently.  If I failed to mention it earlier, these Japanese saws are sharp.  They hold an edge beautifully.  I think it is due to the way the teeth are shaped and sharpened.   I have had the original dovetail saw for over 25 years and it is as good today as when it first came home from the store.

Now, as I mentioned during one of the early parts, I never saw my father sharpen his tools. So that was one one critical skill that I lacked.  I had chisels and some hand planes, but they were barely usable.  After a bit of research, I purchased a three stone system.  It had three stones mounted to a wooden block.  It was awful.  It wobbled, the stones were narrow and the oil made a mess everywhere.  Needless to say,  it soon was gathering dust in a dark corner of the shop.  I was no further along in learning how to sharpen.

When inexpensive waterstones appeared on the market, I gave them a try.   I purchased a pair of Norton combination stones and set about learning how to sharpen my chisels.   The results were amazing.  The learning curve was relatively short, and soon, I had the mirror finish on the edges that I had read about.  Like so many other woodworkers, I proudly wore the shaved patch on my arm from testing the chisel sharpness.  Oh yes, I had arrived in the sharp chisel club. I was so encouraged by the results, that I added a really nice set of Robert Sorby chisels to my collection.  Other specialty chisels would follow over the years: butt chisels, skew chisels, crank neck chisels, mortising chisels….you get the picture.

Sharpening plane irons soon followed.  I was able to put a respectable edge on the plane iron.  I soon came to realize that the planes I had were, for the most part, barely adequate. My collection consisted of a modern Stanly #4, a Buck Brother #5 and a standard angle Stanley block plane.  I still heavily relied on my jointer and thickness planer for preparing stock for glue up and joinery.  With time, I began to add other planes: shoulder planes, low angle block planes, rabbet planes, chisel planes, edge forming planes.  The collection grew and grew.  I could keep that sharp and ready for use.

Over the years,  I have tried other sharpening methods.  Scary Sharp utilized various grits of sandpaper on a flat piece of plate glass.  The results were ok, but I found myself going back to the waterstones.  A few years ago, I purchased a Worksharp 3000.  It did a very nice job keeping my chisels and plane irons sharp.  Today, it is my go to method for day to day sharpening.  A few seconds at each grit and the blade is ready to go.  For severely damaged edges, I find that the waterstones are the best method for re-establishing a good edge.  Sharpening is a critical skill for any woodworker.  It took time, but today, I think I have got a reasonable skill level at sharpening and maintaining my edged tools..

One day, a chance find in a thrift store set my tool collecting in an entirely new direction.  While looking through the dusty shelves, I found an odd looking plane.  It had a wooden body and a metal top frame.  The lever cap had the impression of the Liberty Bell.  It turned out to be a Stanley 122 Liberty Bell transitional plane.  At $5, how could I pass this oddity by?

to be continued…..

 

 

 

 

A hybrid approach to woodworking – Part 2

If you could time travel back to 1975 and look at my father’s toolbox, what would you see?  It would be an old wooden tool chest with chipped paint and an assortment of dents and dings.  Inside the box, there would be a typical assortment of saws (rip, crosscut, coping, etc.), a set of worn chisels with nicks on the blades, assorted screwdrivers, files and hammers.  Under the top tray, you would see some old hand planes.  A number 4 smoothing plane, a number 5 jack plane and an old block plane.  The thing that all of those tools shared in common was a worn, rusty look of neglect.  When my father stopped using those tools as a way to make a living, they were relegated to the damp, dark basement never to see the light of day.  I cannot recall a single time that my father attempted to sharpen and set the saws.  The chisels and plane irons were dull and nicked.  The plane bodies were covered with a fine layer of rust.  Using those tools was a chore and recipe for frustration.  Anyone that has ever tried to slice a tomato with a dull knife knows what that is like.  A dull knife can’t even cut something as thin as the skin of a tomato. Whenever you cut a piece of wood, especially pine,  it leaves a residue of tar and pitch.  Over time, that residue can build up and make the saw blade drag and bind.  Those were the tools that I used in my youth.

Now, fast forward twenty years and look into my toolbox.  The first thing you notice is that it is made of blue plastic.  Inside, there is an upper tray loaded with a set of Stanley Handyman chisels.  They are not nicked, but they are dull.  You would also see a coping saw for cutting curves, a back saw , a dovetail saw and a single toolbox sized handsaw. They are all western style saws that cut on the push stroke.  You would also find a number 4 smoothing plane and a block plane and a jack plane.  They are not rusted like my father’s, but they are not sharp.  The frustration carried forward to a new generation.  I never learned how to properly care for or tune a hand tool.  In woodworking, a sharp well tuned tool can be a joy to use.

In contrast, my power tools always seemed to be sharp and ready to use.  Carbide tipped saw blades and router bits stayed sharp much longer than regular tool steel. Compared to hand tools,  power tools are fast and easy to use.  Anybody can pick up a power tool and, with a bit of caution and care,  cut or shape a piece of wood.   I was drawn to that ease of use.  I could build furniture, but the pieces had those telltale features that said “built using a machine”.  The rounded edges were too perfect.  There was the uniform ripple from the planer on the edges of boards.  Table tops had the uniform scratch pattern caused by power sanders.  I was building furniture, but the results did not say “hand crafted”.

A hydrid approach to woodworking – Part 1

My father and his father before him were both trained as carpenters.  My grandfather made his living with his tools.  He built his own home and it still stands today.  My father was trained as a finish carpenter.  He never enjoyed it and ultimately gave up the profession.  When I was growing up, if anything needed to be built, it was done with hand tools.  The only “power tool” was an old Montgomery Ward drill and that was a rather late addition to my father’s toolbox.  Sadly, none of those old tools made their way into my possession.  When I started building, naturally, it was done with hand tools.  The first piece of “furniture” that I built was a platform bed.  It was crudely done using half lap joints and metal corner brackets.  It served the purpose.

In the mid 80’s, I found myself the owner of a house with the usual assortment of improvement projects.  I needed to add storage to the bathroom and embarked on building a vanity.  Naturally, I started with hand tools making slow progress.  After a particularly unproductive session, I said to myself “…this would be so much easier if I had an electric saber saw.”  Off I went and purchase a Black and Decker saber saw and a table that mounted the saw so you could cut stock on the flat.  Soon, a router (also B&D) was added to my arsenal.  Before I knew it,  I had become a power tool junkie.  My collection of corded tools grew: routers, sanders, table saws, drills, even an electric screwdriver.  My hand tools were pushed to the back of the garage to collect dust and rust.  The gleaming metal machines became my focus and go to method of work.  It stayed that way for the next fifteen years.