American woodworker's hand tool fundamentals: advice, techniques & projects to build your skills

162 Pages·2014·16.474 MB·English

by  Kelsey, John

WOODWORKING H
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FUNDAMENTALS
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Lay a Foundation for
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Now you can learn the hand tool skills used by the best
woodworkers to achieve handcrafted excellence in all your Advice,
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Hand Tool Fundamentals introduces you to all the key e
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tools and techniques you need to learn for sterling work, then T
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working shop. You’ll learn: i
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• What to look for when buying new precision hand tools. e
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• How to tune your tools so they perform well. &
Your Skills

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• The time-tested hand tools everyone should own.
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• How to make a smoothing plane, infi ll jointer plane and je
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dovetailing tools. t
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• 10 hand-tool projects you can build to improve your skills. t
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• More than 75 hand-tool tips and techniques. B
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• And more! il
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This book is jam-packed with trustworthy advice and o
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instruction from top editors and contributors to American r
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Woodworker, including Toshio Odate, Frank Klausz, k
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Mario Rodriguez, Andy Rae, Ellis Walentine and Tom Caspar. s
Trusted advice from the experts
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Hand Tool
Fundamentals
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Whether you are working with hand tools or
machine tools or a combination of both, accurate
layout is essential for excellent results.
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Hand Tool
Fundamentals
Advice, Techniques & Projects to Build Your Skills
POPULAR WOODWORKING BOOKS
CINCINNATI, OHIO
www.popularwoodworking.com
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001-007_T5220.indd 4 7/30/14 1:42 PM
Foreword
Woodworking with hand tools is alive and well, and in fact, despite reports to the contrary,
the muscle-powered hand-tool approach never did fall before the onslaught of the machine.
That’s because most woodworkers embrace the best of both: machines for gross removal of material,
precision, and repetitive, labor-intensive operations; hand tools for fi nesse, accuracy, and for singular
operations that don’t need to be repeated hundreds or thousands of times.
But there are more reasons to embrace working with hand tools, including these:
—it’s direct. Your hands, and the simple tools you’re holding, bear directly on the wood. There’s
no elaborate system of fences to control the workpiece and keep hands away from whirling cutters,
no mandatory hearing protection and safety goggles to impair your senses.
—it’s physical. For a terrifi c whole-body workout, try ripping planks with a hand saw and
hand-planing a stack of boards to width and thickness. You won’t need to go to the gym that day.
—it’s quiet. In fact the gentle sounds that hand tools make are vital clues to what’s happening
at the cutting edge. The roar of the machine, on the other hand, drowns out subtlety and nuance.
—it’s meditative. When it’s going well, the work fully absorbs both mind and body, time fl ies by
and crowds out distraction and turmoil. Many hand-tool afi cionados report achieving a zen-like state
of oneness with their work.
—and with just a little skill, hand work is surprisingly quick and effi cient. Adept woodworkers
often note that they can complete a task with hand tools in less time than it would take to set up a
machine, and they are mostly correct. And even when they are wrong, the other benefi ts of hand-tool
woodworking outweigh the little extra time it might take.
This volume presents a variety of hand tools and techniques, extracted from the archives of
American Woodworker magazine, that most woodworkers will fi nd useful and pertinent to their shop
projects. It includes exercises in choosing, making and modifying hand tools, as well as techniques
for using them. And it also includes a detailed section on sharpening, the essential skill that every
hand-tool woodworker must master.

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Contents
Planes and Chisels
Planes: Match the Size to the Job 10
. . . . . . . . . . .
Length, width and heft all make a diff erence
Choosing a Block Plane 14
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Adjustability enables fi ne work
Tune Up an Old Chisel 17
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Polish both back and bevel
Restoring an Old Plane 23
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Th e secret is a step-by-step procedure
Troubleshoot Your Plane 28
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Practical solutions to 6 common problems
Handles for Socket Chisels 34
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
How to turn a perfect fi t
Planes and Chisels, 8 Using a Chisel 38
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Technique builds from body and stance
Make a Smooth Plane 42
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
An antique beauty you’ll use every day
Make a Router Plane 48
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
A very useful and precise tool
Make a Tool Till 52
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Traditional drawers store small hand tools
Hand Tools and Bench Aids
Great Little Tools 58
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Time-tested and woodworker-approved
Make a Scratch Stock 60
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Th is old tool goes where routers can’t
Japanese Dozuki Saws 64
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Th in blades cut on the pull stroke
Turning an Heirloom Awl 68
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Harden and temper the steel by heat-treating
Make a Leg Vise 72
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Deep reach at the right height
Make a Tail Vise 74
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Classic vise upgrades your workbench
Precision Squares 82
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hand Tools and Bench Aids, 56 Essential setup and layout aids
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Make a Shaving Horse 85
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hybrid design makes short work of green wood
Tool Rack Holds Everything 92
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Slat construction makes it easy and versatile
Joinery Tools and Techniques
Measuring and Marking 98
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
14 tips to make layout easier
Tools for Dovetailing 102
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Choosing, modifying and using
Half-Blind Dovetails 104
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
New approach ensures a precision fi t
Compound-Angle Dovetails 112
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
An elegant layout system
Mortise and Tenon 115 Joinery, 96
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
A hand-tool workout
Breadboard Ends 116
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Th ey’ll hold a solid-wood top fl at
How to Cut a 3-way Miter 120
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Careful layout, sawing and paring
Hand-Planed Moldings 126
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Create custom profi les with pairs of planes
Sharpening Hand Tools
Sharpening Shortcuts 132
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
It helps to know why as well as how
Make a Grinding Rig 139
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Shop-made tool rests are more accurate
Choosing and Using Waterstones 142
. . . . . . . . . .
Fast cutting and easy maintenance
Water-Cooled Sharpening Machines 146
. . . . . .
Th ere’s no risk of burning the steel
Sharpening Scrapers 149
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
New method is foolproof
Stropping on Leather 154
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Th is technique creates the ultimate sharp edge
Sharpening Station 156
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Everything you need is right at hand Sharpening, 130
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Planecraft is the heart of handtool woodworking.
Planing wood smooth is a delight with tools you
have made yourself.
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Planes and Chisels
9
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