# Hand tool heaven - day 1



## sawdustfactory (Jan 30, 2011)

Today is day one of "Hand Tool Heaven" at the Port Townsend School of Woodworking. 

View attachment 76701


I'll spend the next 5 days learning proper hand tool use from Jim Tolpin, author of "The NewTraditional Woodworker. I have a fully equipped bench with a mix of older Stanley/Bailey, Lee Valley/Veritas, and Lie Nielsen tools. We will learn many different skills by building tools that make hand tool use easier/more rewarding.

Today we started with a straight edge made out of pine. Here's a pic of a flattened face.









Next is a pic of the edge being checked with a reference.









Next shows the shaping, which was done with a draw knife (first time ever using one of those), a spoke shave and a rasp. Oh yeah, after ripping off a majority of the waste.









Finally the hanging holes and handle were drilled with a bit and brace, cut with a keyhole saw and cleaned up with rasp/files.









Tomorrow we will fine tune the edge if needed and start to apply an oil finish, followed by some shellac later in the week. Tomorrow we graduate from pine to maple and walnut for a pair of winding sticks. Stay tuned


----------



## firehawkmph (Apr 26, 2008)

Looks like fin SD. Keep posting as you go. And don't go getting all uppety on us when you get back. You'll be cussing us out for using our joiner or want us to banish all our corded tools.:laughing:
Mike Hawkins


----------



## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

Have fun, man! It's all over now!


----------



## sawdustfactory (Jan 30, 2011)

I'll still use power but wanted to really learn hand tools. I'll post pics every day after class.


----------



## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

I'm pretty darn jealous. Have fun, hope you get a lot out of it!


----------



## MasterSplinter (Jan 12, 2013)

Very lucky. Wish i could do that.


----------



## sawdustfactory (Jan 30, 2011)

Day 2. Lots of planing today. Learned how to properly square an edge to a reference face; how to get the opposite edge parallel; glue rub joints; 2 different ways of ripping (on a saw bench or at the work bench; tapering a face with hand planes; and crosscuts with a back saw.

Also learned, well got some practice with freehand sharpening. Not a lot of pics today, but here's where one half of my winding sticks is at.









Will finish the tapering of both tomorrow and angle the ends and then onto the next project.


----------



## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

I gotta give you hand tool guys some credit.....that looks exhausting to me....


LOL


----------



## sawdustfactory (Jan 30, 2011)

I won't lie to ya, I'm pretty tired. The worst though is my feet...not used to being on them for the better part of 8 hours.


----------



## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

sawdustfactory said:


> I won't lie to ya, I'm pretty tired. The worst though is my feet...not used to being on them for the better part of 8 hours.


Well I'm tired just from reading about all that work. Laughing!!! 
Good for you dusty. Always a good feeling to use hand tools once in awhile.


----------



## nbo10 (Jan 26, 2011)

I'm super jealous.


----------



## Hackberry (Jul 4, 2013)

I've been wanting to make a square. Will that be covered?


----------



## sawdustfactory (Jan 30, 2011)

Hack, that's day 5, time permitting. We'll start it, but I'm not sure if well have time to get it finished.


----------



## SeniorSitizen (May 2, 2012)

Hand plane etiquette. I was taught to never lay a plane down in the orientation seen in the pic. They were to be laid in their side. That was in the days when the only 3 strikes and you're out rule was in baseball.

If the rule was violated you got one warning. The next was a reminder in the form of a swat that usually improved memory considerably.


----------



## sawdustfactory (Jan 30, 2011)

We discussed that. Laying them on there side leaves the blade exposed to a possible ding from another tool. It also makes them easier to be knocked off the bench. Our instructor also mentioned looking at numerous photos/paintings/drawings of woodworkers and shops and in all they were sole down. As for me, I prefer them sole down as its more natural to pick them up. I pass no judgement as to how anyone wants to set theirs ;-)


----------



## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

sawdustfactory said:


> We discussed that. Laying them on there side leaves the blade exposed to a possible ding from another tool. It also makes them easier to be knocked off the bench. Our instructor also mentioned looking at numerous photos/paintings/drawings of woodworkers and shops and in all they were sole down. As for me, I prefer them sole down as its more natural to pick them up. I pass no judgement as to how anyone wants to set theirs ;-)


+1
Absolutely true. A wooden bench won't damage a plane's iron.


----------



## Phaedrus (Jan 18, 2012)

I am super jealous. I need to plan a wood-cation like that (next time I have both free time and money!). 

As for planes, I generally just try to set them face down with the toe set on a small scrap so that they are right side up, but blade off of bench/other surface. So far so good, but then again I only have half a clue of what I'm doing most of the time :yes:.


----------



## BKBuilds (Jan 12, 2013)

I would really like to hear how the winding sticks are made.


----------



## sawdustfactory (Jan 30, 2011)

Day 3 -more planing and sawing practice. Today we started by finishing our winding sticks, planing them that is. Shellac will happen later. We applied a coat of tung oil to our straight edge and practiced precise saw cuts before lunch.




















After lunch we started working on the base for our bench hook/shooting board. Here I am ripping to width.









Can you say smile for the camera?













After crosscutting to size, we started on making the board "6 square". Well I got 1 face flat and the opposite face parallel or coplanar.

We also learned about story or tic sticks and using body proportions for layout. My bench hook will be 1 hand span wide, 2 long and the stop will be set at 1.5 hand spans. We also touched on how this relates to all different measurements in the tools.

One last tidbit for today: here they refer to planes by foreplane, try plane and smoother rather than by number. Fore plane because its "before" the others. Try plane because it makes the wood "tried and true". And smoother, well because it smooths. The fore plane has a radius to the blade and here is a number 4. We're using a low angle jack in #5 and a # 3 as the smoother. We also have access to a 6, 7, and 8 to try.
BK, once I get home and can type on a computer instead ofmy phone, I'll be happy to give more detail on the winding sticks and anything else for that matter.


----------



## sawdustfactory (Jan 30, 2011)

Sorry for the repeated pic but my phone is loading very slow here in the sticks. It was supposed to be this one.


----------



## sawdustfactory (Jan 30, 2011)

Day 4 - bench hook continued. Finished 6 squaring my board. Worked in cutting dadoes for hook and stop. Here it is after sawing edges of dado and chiseling out.









And here it is after cleaning up with router plane. First dado I've done by hand ;-)



















We also took an extended lunch and went to check out Edensaw Lumber (or hardwood). Check out the size of this purpleheart.









Those large square chunks are 12"x12" and are over 20 feet long.
Or how about some bubinga block?









These suckers were about 10" square and weigh about 150-200#. Yours for the low price of $550.

A good day.


----------



## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

What a really cool post, thanks for sharing your adventure with is. You look like your having tons of fun.

I see why your feet hurt, your wearing multi-colored knee high socks, no circulation.....

FWIW, I am a sole down guy with my planes too. The rule in my shop is Murphy's. If I have a blade exposed I'm going to snag a large chunk of skin on it. That seems to be the norm anyways. SO mine stay sole down and I don't worry about my soft pine bench hurting the A2 tool steel. I get the logic though, that's just my personal experience.


----------



## sawdustfactory (Jan 30, 2011)

ACP said:


> What a really cool post, thanks for sharing your adventure with is. You look like your having tons of fun.
> 
> I see why your feet hurt, your wearing multi-colored knee high socks, no circulation......


Having a blast! That multicolored knee high is just over 3 weeks old and will be featured in a tattoo magazine ( not sure what one yet) that will be doing an article on the shop where I had it done. ;-)


----------



## NetDoc (Aug 6, 2013)

Sounds like a fun time.


----------



## raveon (Dec 12, 2011)

I'm loving this post, and wishing there was more programs like that in my area. U have just started to use more hand tools, with the help if videos from Peter Sellers, and others on YouTube. Enjoy your time there and I'll be subscribed to this thread from here on.

Sent from my iPhone using Wood Forum


----------



## sawdustfactory (Jan 30, 2011)

Day Five, final day. Just got home 1/2 hour ago. What a week! Today we finished up our bench hooks and helper board (for supporting longer pieces in the bench hook). Need to get better with hand cut dados, one side on both didn't sit quite flush to the bottom.











Started working on a square, but ran out of time and energy. Cut my bridle joint a little too crooked, so I'll start that over from some walnut I have here. I'll post pics when finished.

Some of the real take home bits I learned:
1. I don't like pin style marking gauges.
2. Hand planing is fun when you know what you're doing, why you're doing it, and how to fix it when it's not quite right.
3. How to quickly and efficiently 6 square a piece of rough wood.
4. How to better freehand sharpen. It's not as hard as everyone would have you believe.
5. Wax before you realize the plane needs it.
6. Sharpen plane irons often.
7. How to get rid of your tape measure and layout by proportion.
7a. Using a story stick. This to me was by far one of the most fascinating, mind boggling parts of the class for me. The bench hook for example: using your hand span (tip of pinky to tip of thumb with hand spread as wide as possible) as the "module". Width of board is 1 module. Length is 2. Stop is set 1.5 in from the front edge. Or the try square: blade is 3 hand breadths long, 1/2 wide. (across your knuckles with a closed fist); handle is 2 long, 1/2 wide. Thickness of the handle is whatever feels comfortable in your hand (which should be about 3/4" more or less). Thickness of the blade should be 1/3 the overall thickness of the handle, and for efficiency sake, make sure that matches to a size mortise chisel you have. Using certain ratios such as 1:6, 1:9 and 1:12, you can use this for any project and be assured that the final project will please the eye. 
8. Dados really only need to be 1/4 of the thickness of the stock.

I'm sure I'll think of a few more pearls as I have time to digest this all.


----------



## DaveTTC (May 25, 2012)

great thread, nice when a member is a pic with his work


----------

