Thread: Show us...the tools you've made

Andy Mac, another great lot of inspiration. What's that you have them laid out on?

Also, are those dowel shavers at the far left? I've been meaning to make one to fit the ferrules onto some tool handles, do they work well?

Originally Posted by andrewr79

Andy Mac, another great lot of inspiration. What's that you have them laid out on?
Hi Andrew,
That was part of an exhibition I did, a trestle table. I had it and two chairs made using those tools, then exhibited them all together in Toowoomba, Brisbane and Lismore.

Also, are those dowel shavers at the far left? I've been meaning to make one to fit the ferrules onto some tool handles, do they work well?

Yes they are, and made to match the diameter of two spade bits I also made, to size round tenons for rustic furniture. They don't cut very smoothly, tending to chatter and splinter the timber. I think the angle of attack is wrong, too steep.

Cheers,

Nice thread, thanks Andrew.

Makes me wish I'd made something more than a dodgey marking-knife out of a spade-bit.


Andy Mac; can you tell us how that plane-blade adze worked out?

I'm coming in late on this thread, but it's interesting that most have shown hand tools. What about the most important tool in the shed - the bench?

So here's mine, along with some of the necessary ccoutrements like saw vises & a dovetail vise (a recently-completed, but much overdue item!) pic 1.

My tool-making career has been very long, and the start was very slow. I guess I started with small tools using leftovers & bits of old files & hacksaw blades, for things like marking knives & various awls. As my skills & equipment improved, so did these simple tools: (pic 2).

Pic 3: Here are some very simple, but very handy tools - scratch stocks. These incredibly-functional tools can be elaborate like my Lee Valley look-alike, or just an L-shaped bit of wood & a couple of bolts & wing-nuts, which work just as well. The simplest of all is in the centre - a screw driven into a block of wood & sharpened a bit to give the desired profile. This simple gadget can cut a groove or bead in a very short time, & go where no router can....

Pic 4: The saying goes, "you can never have enough clamps" - well you can try & solve that problem by making your own.

Pic 5. Hard to resist brasss & nice bits of wood, & it's probably equally true that you can never have too many marking aguges (until you try to figure out where to store them. )

More to follow:

So then I got a bit more ambitious & made some more setting-out tools, like this 12" square (based on the fulcrum & adjustor screws a la Colen Clenton style) and a small bevel. (pic 1)

Pic 2: Planes are relatively straightforward gadgets - a few specialty planes including a shoulder plane, a dovetail plane, a small high-angle smoother & a double-radiused plane for cleaning up chair bottoms & suchlike.

Pic3: Last in my toolmaking career has beed brass-backed saws. These are fun, but the most challenging tools I've made so far. After a LOT of mucking about, I've made some saws that are truly nice to use...

Making tools is not only a way to save $$s, it's far & away the best way to figure out what is essential in a tool....
Cheers,

Wow Ian - thank you for sharing, some beautiful work there. I'm just up to the very start myself of that process myself - I have some broken hacksaw blades sitting ready to be turned to marking knives and I'm working on my first plane. Hoping that some day many years in the future I'll get up to the quality that you and the others have shown.

Question for those who have posted - what drove you to make tools? Was it the lack of something in the shop, was it because you couldn't afford or thought the version on the market was overprice, or was it the challenge?. Or even if you just liked the idea of using something you built for a specific purpose.

Originally Posted by andrewr79

Question for those who have posted - what drove you to make tools? Was it the lack of something in the shop, was it because you couldn't afford or thought the version on the market was overprice, or was it the challenge?. Or even if you just liked the idea of using something you built for a specific purpose.

Answer: All of the above.....

Plus - what else do you do with precious bits of wood that are too small to make tables & chairs from?

Cheers,

Love the clamps Ian!

I only just saw this and there sure is some nice stuff on show.

The easiest way for me to show some of my stuff is in these composite pics.

2006 - most of the tools in this pic use WA redgum from my firewood pile


2007 - here you can see I have become quite distracted by milling activities.


2008 - still quite distracted by milling but manage to make a couple of tool sets


I have more but that will do.

Hi IanW

I like the wooden clamps. Would u mind posting another pic of them to make it easier for me to rip off ur idea?

Ta

Originally Posted by johnredl

Hi IanW

I like the wooden clamps. Would u mind posting another pic of them to make it easier for me to rip off ur idea?

Ta

Hi John,
take a look at this old thread, in which I elaborate a bit on both bar clamps & handscrews.

https://www.woodworkforums.com/f44/threading-wood-8513/

If you have any specific questions I will be happy to try to answer them, but better start a new thread so we don't hijack this one.......

Cheers,

As for what gets you making tools. I think it is the same urge as drives us to woodwork. You want something you have created that is fit for its function and hopefully looks good too. It is not a big step from fixing up old tools either.
Regards
John

BobL - I'm sure glad you saved that stuff from the firewood pile, very nice work!

I'm eagerly looking forward to the weekend so I can start on some more tools after seeing these - I'm thinking a brass and maple square is next, I don't like the $3 cheapy I've been using very much!

Ian and Bob ... great work.

Here are a few more ..

Another brace:

Chamfer plane:

Joinery saw:

Stairsaw:

Knives and block:

Coopered box with letter knife:

Coffin smoother:

30" jointer:

Dovetail plane:

Moxon dovetail vise: