lanolin spray reveals the most used tools

**Clinton1** · 29th March 2011, 01:19 AM

I live near the ocean, and seem to sweat salt as well, so all tools get lanolin spray to stop rust... lo and behold, lanolin spray reveals the most used tools.

Planes: Seems I mostly use a No3 and No 7 plane... the LV LA Jack has been put back in the tool cupboard a few times due to the 'can't be stuffed cleaning and re-spraying that' factor.
Plough plane for grooves and rebates, but also see 'saws'. Making a mast for a boat and the plough plane with the right fence makes short work of that... finding the right timber is more time consuming.
Specialist planes have been replaced (shoulder and rebate) by cutting to the line and 'fitting to the cut'.

Chisels: The plastic handled Marples get a work out, with a wide and narrow Japanese chisel (cause they are still holding a wicked edge).

Saw: Still persevering with the Japanese style throw away blade Pull saw from the hardware shop.. snapped a few blades and it pings teeth off on hard timber... Its bloody minded perseverence more than anything that has put the old tenon saw on hold, however I'll reach for it and then go the J pull saw. If the tenon saw was sharp, I'd use that (but I'll sharpen it when I master the J saw

)
Bow saw is used for ripping, but more often than not I'll use a plough plane for dimensioning boards.

Clamps: never enough. I pull the front vise off the bench as often as I'll use F clamps. No end vise on the bench yet, so its more F clamps to hold long boards in place.

Marking: prefer to use a story stick, but the Veritas wheel marking gauge is good. Adjustable 'square' and 6" engineers square are often on the bench. Story sticks (?) and chalk are my jointer.

Striking: Made a chisel mallet from some random timber, which is used for chisel pounding and 'adjustments'.

Sharpening: fine and intermediate waterstones and a LV guide.

They seem to be the most used tools...
mind you, tool storage is a cupboard that is a pain to get to, time is precious due to work, and factor in the lanolin spray.... I tend to work within constraints.

The month of May should see me start to get into some reproductions again, so that will lift the bar and I might need to make a shooting board... but its been interesting to see how few tools I really use.

I think that if I was given a gift voucher for the tool shop, I'd be tossing up between more clamps and a decent screwdriver set, or a decent drill press and set of bits.

May will be interesting as there is a coffee table, dining table and hall table to do, so we will see what else is 'often used'.

Guess the point is... suprising how few tools I'm using, and suprising how much quicker I'm working due to the few tools and a clear workplan.

No more 'shed time' for the next month, due to other committments, wonder if I'll change my opinion in May. ?

**Lumber Bunker** · 30th March 2011, 12:12 AM

Clinton, do you remember writing this?
Because I don't get it... are we (I) supposed to infer our own meaning from all this? and no pics...

"more often than not I'll use a plough plane for dimensioning boards" Please explain this sounds interesting?

Later

**Clinton1** · 30th March 2011, 02:22 AM

Clinton, do you remember writing this?
Because I don't get it... are we (I) supposed to infer our own meaning from all this? and no pics...

yep, infer away.

I suppose the context is that I have a lot of tools, but seem to be using few.

"more often than not I'll use a plough plane for dimensioning boards" Please explain this sounds interesting?

Sorry LB... see the pic, or read on for a long post!

Buy a 8'x 6" x 1" board at $4000 a cube, you will get it machined (jointed or thicknessed) for $4 per meter. Some specialist timber yards will machine timber to allow you to see the grain and defects, rolling it into the cost. That board now costs $82 per board, or $72 'rough sawn'... difference is $10 but you can see the grain very easily as you go through the stack.

Rip the board down to dimension with a handsaw... thats 8' (2400mm) of sawing.
Put your plough to work instead, setting the blade to @1 - 2mm per shaving with a heavy hand... it is rip sawing with an alternative tool.

Consider sharpening a plough blade vs sharpening a handsaw, and all the implications of 'time to blunt' for sawing and planing.
Factor in your machine running costs and consumables for the table saw or bandsaw.
Factor in the hand plane jointing for a ploughed surface, a handsaw ripped surface, a machine ripped surface, including maintenance, set up and consumables, and/or jointer costs...
Whatever your own situation is will determine 'preferences'... I just find it interesting that I'm living in 2011 but working like its 1811.

I'm the bloke that works with handtools for a range or reasons... some chosen and some enforced...
e.g. Instead of the Hammer bandsaw in the shed, I have a handsaw or plough plane in the sunroom.

I'm not advocating any particular position or preference... just offering an experience.

If my week 'off work' in May comes off the way I want it... I hope to turn a board into a hall table... we'll see what that turns up with that... in the meantime, I find it interesting that I'm working with just a few tools.

**Ian Wells** · 31st March 2011, 01:05 PM

Brilliant posts Clinton, I think you've surmised something quite profound, ie.not talked about, in relation to the economics(time, money, effort, ease,etc.) of working with wood and the spinoff pastime, of amassing tools.

I suspect your use of the .0001tpi long throw rip saw saw will probably be legitimised once the creative designers at LV, LN and then woodriver bring out a specialised ripping blade and/or complete ripping plane system

. All we need then is for St Roy or Chris to find it in Roubo, Sloyd or Moxon and it'll be standard practice from then on

My father commented recently that I have more woodworking tools as a painter than my late grandfather who was a cabinetmaker!
regards
Ian

**Clinton1** · 31st March 2011, 08:28 PM

.0001tpi long throw rip saw saw

I took so long to get what you meant that I am

'ed !

**Christos** · 2nd April 2011, 12:30 AM

We all start with less tools then what we would like. Even when we have to start again.

Often I find that I could have use a specialist hand tools for a certain task but instead of going out and purchasing the tool I come up with a different way of completing the task. Main reason is that I just want to get the task completed and not waste time getting a tool. Time can be short in the shed.

**Clinton1** · 3rd April 2011, 01:27 PM

Time can be short in the shed

Yep!
With my work/life committments I need a 9 day week instead of a 7 day week.

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