Thread: calling all darkside members

Hi lH

I make most of my pieces with the minimum of powered tools. So I would dispute your statement, "some machines are essential in the preperation and sizing of stock, such as the thicknesser and table saw".

Depending on the wood hardness and size, I may turn to a tablesaw or bandsaw to rip to size or resaw, but I do not own a thicknesser, powered jointer, and hardly ever use a powered router or router table. I get by very well with handplanes (I do have a very wide selection, and even many of these are a luxury - I'm sure that many cabinetmakers of Yesterday had fewer tools than I - but it is a hobby for me, and time is not an issue), handsaws, chisels and shaves.

This was built with a bandsaw to resaw the blackbutt (which were rafters), and then mainly a jointer plane (#7 size) to do the dimensioning and smoothing (as an experiment):

<div><img src="http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Sofatable.jpg" border="0" alt="" /> <br />

A shooting board is a terrific help in accurate dimensioning of board width (not to mention that it will do so more accuractely and finish the edges better than any power tool). A good crosscut saw is a tremendous aid, but not necessary. Images of both are in the last pic, below.

I also built this for my son, although some of the pine boards used were already roughly sized:

<div><img src="http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Finalpic1b.jpg" border="0" alt="" /> <br />

I have done quite a bit more, but these ones are on file and convenient to use as examples.

Yes, I like listening to music as I work (Bill Evans or The Monty Alexander Trio on the stereo in the background is just great), and I do not require a mask against dust (just a large broom and bin for all the shavings).

Please note that I am not railing against power users - I will turn to my tablesaw and even sanders (I have a rather nice Festo ROS) when the need is there - but my workshop is my refuge against the Enermy, and the enermy is Mr Time, that is, the rush to meet deadlines. I particularly enjoy the handiwork involved - yes, it takes time to master handtools, but is that not what this hobby is all about? And what time are you rushing to save? OK, rant mode off.

A recent pic of the hub of my workshop (just showing off :eek: ):

<div><img src="http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Workbench%20and%20Workshop/Workshoptools2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /> <br />

Regards from Perth

Derek

That sort of neatness is not healthy! Are you having therapy for it?

Great workmanship though.

Originally Posted by bennylaird

That sort of neatness is not healthy! Are you having therapy for it?

Doctors never take their own medicines, Benny!

Well, Derek has put the case for heavy handtool use, and I suppose I'm somewhere in the middle. I prefer the fitting and fettling parts of cabinet construction, and to do this I have a pretty decent range of planes, chisels, handsaws, etc. But I also confess to having (and regularly using) such luxuries as a hollow chisel mortiser as well as more 'standard' power tools such as tablesaw, thicknesser, bandsaw and drill press.

I seem to have spent a lot of years in penury as a mature-age student and post-grad and then with a young family, doing endless renovations and trying to keep up with the furniture needed in a succesion of older style houses. As I ripped long boards by hand and dressed them with my two planes (a nice #5 and a crappy #4) I dreamed of owning a tablesaw and thicknesser, just to get the job list down a bit! Now I have them, and use them for nearly all stock preparation. I never use stock as-is off the planer, and most subsequent operations are strictly hand-tool, so not a lot of dust generated there, except I do stoop to using 'lectron-burning routers for some operations at which they excel. The years of hand-tools only did me good, I suppose, as they gave me what skill I posses in that department.

Time is still my problem, I'm afraid - there never seems to be enough of it to go round, so I'm grateful that I can afford the luxury of machines. They allow me to get the grunt work out of the way and get down to the enjoyable bits. And at my age, it means I can get the jobs done before I forget what it was I was making!

Until recently, my machines and hand-work areas were separate, so I don't have a DC either. Don't know what I'm going to do in the new shed (just organised for the slab to be poured on the 27th! ), but will probably have to get something to keep dust down, as it's a bit small to make a separate machine room, mores the pity.

So I'm neither a machine junky nor a darksider - a torchlighter, perhaps?

And I like listening to music, too - but prefer Sibelius or Mahler to that noisy, jangly jazz stuff.

Cheers,

Gee whiz Derek,

I always wondered what all them things waz , hand tools huh?, goes to show you learn something new every day.

Just kidding. I am slowly (very slowly) turning to the darkside as the impatience of youth and power tools wears off and i get comfortable with my skills.

Nice pic's

Adam...

G'day Derek,

Aw, that's just not fair at all - I'm drooling all over my keyboard as I splash this out. Too much Tool in one pic

Cheers!

Aw, that's just not fair at all

Yo Steve

I (we, the forum) happen to have kept track of your LN and LV (not to mention Steve Knight!) purchases, so I am not so sure that this is an unequal area!

Actually, that is not the latest config. - nor will the current version be the last!:eek: And certainly, it is very, very rarely that clean (I just swept everything out of camera sight!)

Regards from Perth

Derek

I find I prefer to use my hand tools over power tools more and more, but I do think that is partly due to my not having a shed yet so i have to carry it all out, set it up and then put it all away.

Of all the power tools, I think I'd really like and use the router table the most.

cheers
RufflyRustic

Originally Posted by rufflyrustic

I find I prefer to use my hand tools over power tools more and more, but I do think that is partly due to my not having a shed yet so i have to carry it all out, set it up and then put it all away.

Of all the power tools, I think I'd really like and use the router table the most.

cheers
RufflyRustic

What about that fantastic flip over saw tucked away in your shed

It hurt me way too much. I'm now officially dead scared of using it. And my other excuse is it's too heavy for me to lift

Originally Posted by rufflyrustic

It hurt me way too much. I'm now officially dead scared of using it. And my other excuse is it's too heavy for me to lift

wimp

I doubt I will ever be a handtools-only woodworker. Apart from the fact that I've spent too much money on machines to have them sitting around gathering dust, I just don't have the patience or the temperment. I like using them but if there is a suitable machine method of achieving the same thing, I'll go for that every time.

Have the best of both worlds and go with what suits.

Darkside is more like an artform, but power tools can get a job done well. Guess you have to look at what gives you the most satisfaction for the job.

My woodworking hero JK sums it up in the cabinetmakers notebook when he tells of people comming into his workshop and being alarmed at all the machinery and power tools he has. They assume from his reputation he is pure darkside.

His answer is - Why waste valuable bench time by doing unessasary work by hand when a machine or power tool can do the bulk - Keep your valuable time for the important area as in assembly and fine detailing.

He also advocates using sandpaper half the time over plane or scraped finishes for the same reasons. He`s the man so im personally happy to go along with what he says

Originally Posted by redwood

wimp

Yes!!!! Sorry Redwood, I'm not gonna take up the challenge this time. I'd *REALLY* like my third finger on my left hand to stay right where it is.

cheers
RR

PS What power tools I use depends on what needs doing with the wood and whether I'm up to doing that by hand or not, how energetic I feel and what will give me the result I'm looking for. Oh and Lignum's comment about JK saving time is pertinent too. RR