Hand Tool Essentials: Refine Your Power Tool Projects with Hand Tool Techniques

225 Pages·2007·45.815 MB·English

by  Popular Woodworking Editors

Hand Tool
essentials
REFINE YOUR POWER TOOL PROJECTS
WITH HAND TOOL TECHNIQUES
FROM THE EDITORS OF
POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE
POPULAR WOODWORKING BOOKS
CINCINNATI, OHIO
www.popularwoodworking.com
ZZ00997788 FFRROONNTT MMAATTTTEERR ppgg 11--77..iinndddd 11 22//2266//0077 44::2222::1166 PPMM
Read This Important Metric Conversion Chart
Safety Notice
to convert to multiply by
To prevent accidents, keep safety in mind
Inches Centimeters 2.54
while you work. Use the safety guards in-
Centimeters Inches 0.4
stalled on power equipment; they are for
Feet Centimeters 30.5
your protection. When working on power
Centimeters Feet 0.03
equipment, keep fingers away from saw
Yards Meters 0.9
blades, wear approved eye protection to
Meters Yards 1.1
prevent injuries from flying wood chips and
sawdust, wear approved hearing protection
to protect your hearing and consider install-
ing a dust vacuum to reduce the amount of
airborne sawdust in your woodshop. Don’t
wear loose clothing, such as neckties or
shirts with loose sleeves, or jewelry, such as
rings, necklaces or bracelets, when work- HAND TOOL ESSENTIALS: REFINE YOUR POWER TOOL PROJECTS
WITH HAND TOOL TECHNIQUES. Copyright © 2007 by Popular Wood-
ing on power equipment. Tie back long hair
working Books. Manufactured in Singapore. All rights reserved. No part
to prevent it from getting caught in your of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or
mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems
equipment. People who are sensitive to cer-
without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer,
tain chemicals should check the chemical who may quote brief passages in a review. Published by Popular Wood-
content of any product before using it. The working Books, an imprint of F+W Publications, Inc., 4700 East Gal-
braith Road, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45236. First edition.
authors and editors who compiled this book
have tried to make the contents as accurate Distributed in Canada by Fraser Direct
and correct as possible. Plans, illustrations, 100 Armstrong Avenue
Georgetown, Ontario L7G 5S4
photographs and text have been carefully Canada
checked. All instructions, plans and projects
Distributed in the U.K. and Europe by David & Charles
should be carefully read, studied and under-
Brunel House
stood before beginning construction. Due to Newton Abbot
the variability of local conditions, construc- Devon TQ12 4PU
England
tion materials, skill levels, etc., neither the
Tel: [phone]
author nor Popular Woodworking Books as- Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [email protected]
sumes any responsibility for any accidents,
injuries, damages or other losses incurred Distributed in Australia by Capricorn Link
resulting from the material presented in this P.O. Box 704
Windsor, NSW 2756
book. Prices listed for supplies and equip-
Australia
ment were current at the time of publication
Visit our Web site at www.popularwoodworking.com for information on
and are subject to change.
more resources for woodworkers.
Other fine Popular Woodworking Books are available from your local
bookstore or direct from the publisher.
11 10 09 08 07 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hand tool techniques : combining power and hand techiques / edited
by David Thiel. -- 1st ed.
p. cm.
ISBN 13: 978-1-55870-815-0 (pbk. : alk. paper)
ISBN 10: 1-55870-815-4 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Woodworking tools. I. Thiel, David.
TT186.H35 2007
684’.08--dc22
2006039668
Editor: David Thiel
Designer: Brian Roeth
Photography by: Al Parrish and individual authors
Illustrations by: John Hutchinson
Production coordinator: Jennifer Wagner
ZZ00997788 FFRROONNTT MMAATTTTEERR ppgg 11--77..iinndddd 22 33//66//0077 1111::1155::4455 AAMM
about the authors
PAUL ANTHONY FRANK KLAUSZ
Paul Anthony is a woodworking author and teach- Educated in the Hungarian trade school system,
er living in Riegelsville, Pennsylvania. He is the Frank is a master cabinetmaker, author, teacher
author of Smart Workshop Solutions and edits the and owner of Frank’s Cabinet Shop in Pluckemin,
Tricks of the Trade column for Popular Woodworking New Jersey, specializing in fine furniture reproduc-
magazine. tions and architectural fixtures.
LONNIE BIRD DON MCCONNELL
Lonnie runs the Lonnie Bird School of Fine Wood- Don is a planemaker for Clark & Williams in Eu-
working in Dandridge, Tennessee; is the author of reka Springs, Arkansas, and is an avid researcher
six books, including The Complete Illustrated Guide to into the history of the woodworking trade and its
Using Handtools; and is a contributing editor to Fine tools. Before becoming a toolmaker, Don was a
Woodworking magazine. professional woodworker, specializing in ornamen-
tal carvings.
GRAHAM BLACKBURN
Graham is a furniture maker and author of 18 RICK PETERS
books on woodworking and home building, includ- Rick is a woodworker and publishing professional
ing Traditional Woodworking Handtools and Traditional and resides in Emmaus, Pennsylvania. He is the
Woodworking Techniques. He also is the publisher of author of more than a dozen woodworking and
the Woodworking in Action DVD-based magazine. home-improvement books, including Woodworker’s
Hand Tools: An Essential Guide.
DAVID CHARLESWORTH
David teaches courses in making fine furniture CHRISTOPHER SCHWARZ
from his shop in Devon, England, and is the au- Chris is editor of Popular Woodworking magazine,
thor of the three-volume set of books titled a contributing editor to The Fine Tool Journal and
Furniture-Making Techniques. He also has four DVDs teaches traditional woodworking techniques. He
produced by Lie-Nielsen Toolworks on sharpening, has two DVDs produced by Lie-Nielsen Toolworks
tuning and using traditional hand tools. on nearly forgotten hand tools and on blending
hand tools and power tools.
ADAM CHERUBINI
Adam builds reproduction furniture using the PAUL SELLERS
tools and techniques of the 18th century. He dem- Paul began his woodworking career 40 years ago
onstrates his crafts at Pennsbury Manor in Bucks as an apprentice in England. An advocate of hand
County, Pennsylvania, on Historic Trades Days tools in the modern shop, today he builds furni-
and is a contributing editor to Popular Woodworking ture and teaches in Texas at the School of Wood-
magazine. working, which he started in 1995.
SCOTT GIBSON HARRELSON STANLEY
Scott, author of The Workshop, is a writer and Harrelson is a teacher and importer of fine Japa-
woodworker in East Waterboro, Maine. He is the nese woodworking tools. He is also the host of
former editor of Fine Woodworking magazine. a number of DVDs, including one discussing his
side-sharpening technique in detail and another
ROGER HOLMES on setting up and using Japanese planes.
Roger trained as a furniture maker in England and
has been working wood professionally and for fun JIM STUARD
for 30 years. Formerly an editor at Fine Woodwork- Jim is a former editor for Popular Woodworking mag-
ing magazine, he now lives in Lincoln, Nebraska. azine and is currently enjoying his two children
and creating fly-fishing videos for the internet.
ZZ00997788 FFRROONNTT MMAATTTTEERR ppgg 11--77..iinndddd 33 22//2266//0077 44::2233::2211 PPMM
table of contents
1 2
introduction to sharpening
hand tools
1 Why Use Hand Tools? . . . 8 4 Sharpening Plane Irons . . . 25
2 Hand Tools for $100 . . . 14 5 Sharpen a Chisel . . . 31
3 The Ultimate Hand Tool Shop . . . 20 6 Side Sharpening . . . 36
7 Very Scary Sharp . . . 40
8 The Ruler Trick . . . 44
9 Learning Curves: Plane Irons . . . 50
10 The Useful Cabinet Scraper . . . 58
11 Side-Clamping Honing Guide . . . 61
12 Sharpen a Drawknife . . . 62
5 6
chisels other hand tools
28 Chisel Use . . . 144 33 The Essential Awl . . . 168
29 Advanced Chisel Techniques . . . 148 34 The Striking Knife . . . 174
30 Resurrecting Chisels . . . 153 35 Using a Marking Knife . . . 177
31 Modifying Stock Chisels . . . 159 36 The Mystery of Try Squares . . . 180
32 Make Your Own Chisel Handles . . . 162 37 Drawboring Resurrected . . . 184
38 Return of the Rasp . . . 188
39 Wooden Spokeshaves . . . 192
ZZ00997788 FFRROONNTT MMAATTTTEERR ppgg 11--77..iinndddd 44 22//2266//0077 44::2233::2211 PPMM
3 4
planes saws
13 Coarse, Medium & Fine . . . 66 23 The Case for Handsaws . . . 118
14 The Names of Planes . . . 74 24 Handsaws: East vs. West . . . 124
15 Restoring a Handplane . . . 78 25 Secrets to Sawing Fast . . . 130
16 Traditional Wooden Planes . . . 82 26 The Final Word on Dovetails . . . 134
17 Edge Jointing by Hand . . . 86 27 The Basic Bench Hook . . . 140
18 Using a Smoothing Plane . . . 90
19 Metal-Bodied Jack Planes . . . 97
20 Block Plane Basics . . . 104
21 The Essential Shoulder Plane . . . 108
22 Exotic Infill Handplanes . . . 111
7
projects for
hand tools
40 Roubo-Style Workbench . . . 196
41 Arts & Crafts Tool Cabinet . . . 206
42 Traditional Sawbench . . . 216
43 Miter Shooting Boards . . . 218
SUPPLIERS . . . 221
INDEX . . . 222
ZZ00997788 FFRROONNTT MMAATTTTEERR ppgg 11--77..iinndddd 55 22//2266//0077 44::2233::3344 PPMM
introduction
hand tools for
power woodworkers
BY CHRISTOPHER SCHWARZ
F
or me, working wood without
hand tools is like trying to
write a story without using
adjectives.
Power tools and machinery are the
nouns and verbs. They do the heavy
lifting of reducing rough stock to useful
sizes, for roughing out joints, for getting
things done. But power tools can take
you only so far when it comes to the
fine details.
Hand tools are the difference be-
tween a flat carcase side and a shim-
mering, ready-to-finish carcase side.
They turn a dovetail into a London-pat-
tern dovetail, with tails that are too
close together to accomplish with any
router. They turn a mortise-and-tenon
joint into a piston-fit joint.
I’m not saying you can’t do wood-
working without hand tools – lots of miter? I do. And I used to despair at And do you wish you could add
people make lots of beautiful objects the amount of decent wood I wasted curves to your work without having
using electrical tools only. But hand tools with these test cuts. Learning to work to invest the time in making lots of
are the secret weapon that frees you a backsaw allows you to draw any line router templates or spending money on
from the limitations of your machinery. at any angle on any piece of wood and a spindle sander? A saw and a decent
Have you ever been frustrated by cut to exactly that line. It doesn’t mater rasp can shape any curve you can think
adjusting the fence of your table saw in if it’s 90° or 23.75°. A handsaw will do of, and you aren’t limited by the depth
small increments? Say, less than 1⁄64"? both with the same ease. of a router bit. If you can think it and
Adjusting your stock to thickness, width Do you dislike spending hours build- draw it, a rasp can shape it.
and length with a handplane allows ing single-use jigs to make a simple cut, I’m sure that all of this sounds
you to tweak your stock in increments such as notching out the corners of the somewhat appealing. Why else would
as small as .001". This is child’s play for base in a post-and-frame carcase? A you have picked up this book? But I’m
a handplane, not something you have saw and chisel will allow you to make also certain that you have fears and ap-
to practice at for years to master. any size or shape notch. Even if every prehensions about hand work. It seems
Do you get frustrated by the end- notch is a little different, your hand difficult to master. The tools are foreign.
less series of test cuts when setting a tools don’t care. If you can mark it on And most woodworker’s first experi-
miter saw or table saw for a compound the wood, they can cut it to that shape. ences with hand tools are frustrating.
6
ZZ00997788 FFRROONNTT MMAATTTTEERR ppgg 11--77..iinndddd 66 22//2266//0077 44::2233::5588 PPMM
INTRODUCTION
I’m not going to lie to you, you need
to learn to sharpen before you will have
any success with chisels, planes or
scrapers. But if you will learn this small
skill (there are lots of valid ways to
sharpen a tool, and some of our favorite
are in this book), the rewards will far
exceed the time you spent learning to
put a keen edge on a piece of steel.
And, as a bonus, you will find that
learning to sharpen a chisel will open
up wide vistas of woodworking that
might have seemed closed to you
before: turning, carving, marquetry.
Sharpening is the gateway skill to a
wider world of woodworking.
Once you start down this path, I
promise you that the distinctions be-
tween power tools and hand tools will
start to blur. In fact, the adjectives
“hand” and “power” will have a lot less
meaning for you than the word that
they modify: tool.
You will find yourself cutting tenons
with a dado stack and adjusting them
to perfection with a shoulder plane.
You will cut a cabriole leg to shape
with a band saw and smooth its sinu-
ous curves with a rasp and file. You
will raise a door panel on your router
table and fit it with a block plane so it
never rattles.
You will work faster without mean-
ing to. The crispness of your work will
surprise you. You won’t dread sanding
because you’ll be doing much less of
it. You will hunger to get back into the
shop more than you ever did before.
Whether you know it or not, we live
in a new golden age of woodworking
that has never occurred before. Machin-
Chris' love of hand tools, and planes in particular, led him to create a loving place to store them - built
ery is less expensive in inflation-ad- with hand tools. You'll find the plans for this hand plane cabinet in the projects section of this book.
justed dollars than when the Industrial
Revolution birthed the industry. Almost rust, flattening warped cast iron, re- ing the market. They are, like our ma-
any household of any income can af- grinding hopelessly damaged chisels. chines, a joy to use.
ford a table saw, planer and jointer that But no more. The book you are holding in your
can turn rough wood into furniture- Modern manufacturers such as hands is the missing link between the
ready boards. Veritas, Lie-Nielsen, Clifton, Auriou and world of hand work and machine work.
And hand tools are now of a better Ashley Iles now make tools that actu- The skills and tools discussed herein
quality than at any time since World ally exceed the quality of the old-time are all you need to start incorporating
War II. For almost 50 years, the best tools. These tools take minutes to set hand tools into your power-tool shop.
hand tools were old hand tools from the up for use, instead of days. They are We’ve carefully selected each of these
late 19th and early 20th century. And to properly designed and use modern chapters to provide this crash course in
get those old-timers to work you had to manufacturing and steels to compete how to turn your woodworking into fine
learn about tool restoration – removing against the other premium tools flood- woodworking. Now let’s get to work.
7
ZZ00997788 FFRROONNTT MMAATTTTEERR ppgg 11--77..iinndddd 77 22//2266//0077 44::2244::0099 PPMM
INTRODUCTION TO HAND TOOLS
HAND WORK IS REMARKABLY STRAIGHTFORWARD
1 – ONCE YOU OVERCOME ONE BARRIER.
why use
hand tools?
BY CHRISTOPHER SCHWARZ
L
earning to use hand tools is far workers: the fear of taking a gamble dovetail saw, plow plane and outcannel
easier than acquiring the hand and messing up the project you’re gouge. That fearlessness has taken me
skills to type on a keyboard. I working on by trying a new process. I a long way and it continues to pay divi-
should know – I cannot type see this all the time with woodwork- dends as I’ve begun experimenting with
worth a dang (despite being a trained ers. After we experience success with a turning and carving.
journalist) and yet I’ve picked up the certain operation, we then resist trying I can’t give you the same experience
skills to use chisels, planes, rasps, ham- a new way to do that operation because I had growing up, but I can give you
mers and braces with little effort. it seems risky. And because most of us this truth: If an awkward 8-year-old
That’s because I’ve found that using (though not all) learned the craft with can build a workbench with hand tools,
hand tools successfully is not really power tools (through shop class, televi- then you can do it, too. Overcoming
about manual dexterity. It’s not about sion or magazines), that’s what we’re your fear of failure is the first step. The
having natural gifts. It’s not about years comfortable with. second step is to understand what the
of frustrating training. And it’s not I, however, was lucky. When I was 8 tools are used for – there’s not as much
about being an apprentice and having years old or so, my parents embarked information about hand tools out there
an old-world master to guide the way. on a crackpot adventure. We bought as there is about power tools. And the
Instead, it’s about overcoming a an 84-acre farm in rural Arkansas and third step is to learn basic sharpening.
barrier that stymies many home wood- decided to build two houses there. Acquiring this skill is absolutely the Ro-
There was no electricity on the farm, setta Stone to all the other hand skills,
and so the first house was built using and that’s why we’ve devoted signifi-
mostly hand tools – a handsaw, brace cant space to the topic in this book.
and hammer. This kindled my interest
in woodworking, and I lusted after my The Myths of Hand Tools
father’s table saw and radial arm saw, There are some woodworkers who see
which he kept at our house in town. little reason to even mess with hand
For obvious reasons, I was banned tools. After all, we have all these amaz-
from the machinery. But I was allowed ingly fast and precise power tools at our
to use any of the hand tools, and I disposal. Why should we “devolve” to an
had my own small kit in the garage. I earlier technological state? That’s quite
built a workbench with the help of my against our progressive nature. Well the
grandfather. I built an embarrassingly reason you should incorporate hand
wretched tool tote. But it was all with tools into your work is because just
hand tools, and so I knew that these about everything you hear about hand
tools could actually work in the hands tools is likely wrong. Let’s look at some
of a kid. of the myths.
As a result, when I started to get Myth 1: Hand tools are slow. The
Me at age 8 with my first tool tote. Being limited
to only hand tools as a child removed my fear of back into woodworking after college I truth is that some people are slow.
them in later years. had little fear as I picked up my first Hand tools have always been built to
8
ZZ00997788 SSEECCTTIIOONN 11 ppgg 88--2244..iinndddd 88 22//2266//0077 44::5533::4400 PPMM
WHY USE HAND TOOLS?
work as quickly as possible. They just
have to be set up and wielded correctly.
And you have to pick the right tool
for the job. You wouldn’t try to reduce
a board in thickness with a sanding
block, so why would you try to do that
operation with a smoothing plane?
All tools are slow when used incor-
rectly. About seven years ago, one of our
editors for our woodworking book line
decided to build a cradle for his new-
born child. It was a small project, yet he
spent three full days planing down all
the wood for the project on our Delta
13" cast-iron industrial planer. Why?
Because he refused to remove more
than 1⁄64" in a pass. He was afraid he’d
mess up.
The truth is that both hand tools
and power tools can be remarkably fast
when set up properly and used appro-
priately. You have to know that a fore
plane is used for hogging off 1⁄16" of
material in a stroke. You have to know
that a 7-point hand saw will fly through
a board in half the number of strokes
you’d make with a 12-point saw. You
have to know that a cabinet rasp will
shape wood faster than a pattermaker’s
rasp. Once you know these things, you’ll
pick up speed.
Myth 2: Hand tools are less precise
than power tools. Whenever I hear this
one I laugh and ask the person if they
can set their table saw to remove .001"
from a board’s edge. This is virtually
impossible to do with a table saw, rout-
er, jointer or planer. Yet it is child’s play
for a hand plane. After an afternoon of
practicing with a handplane, you will be
able to set any handplane to remove a
.001"-thick shaving. Imagine the sort of
power that gives you. Fitting and trim-
ming your joints can be effortless when
you have that skill. And it’s an easy skill
to get.
The real truth is that hand tools free
you from a lot of these arbitrary mea-
surements anyway. Your door panels
This tool cabinet (quite an improvement over
my work 29 years ago) was built using a blend
of hand and power tools. The rough lumber was
dimensioned with machinery. Hand tools did the
rest: truing and refining all the surfaces and all
of the joinery in the case and drawers.
9
ZZ00997788 SSEECCTTIIOONN 11 ppgg 88--2244..iinndddd 99 22//2266//0077 44::5533::4422 PPMM