Thread: What is the Darkside?

The Darkside is the place to be in my opinion, i don't know why they consider it the "dark side" unless they mean that we can work in the dark since we don't require power. Sorry for my noobness, until i saw this thread, i thought going to the darkside was using some fancy new power tool that only require button pushing that my neighborhood pet squirrel could do

Oh, i'm a member of the Japanese hand tool darkside, is there a special phrase for that?

Originally Posted by apricotripper

seriously seriously though, I don't think your right. plenty of professionals use hand tools for certain procedures, when its simply better to do by hand.

Have a look at the best practitioners of wood around the globe, the ones we all revier. They all have one thing in common. They use both machine/power and hand tools. Their is probably an exception somewhere, but their arnt to many who use just hand power to create materpieces.

It takes just as much skill to master the use of a beltsander as it dose a smoother, maybe even more

Darksiders are at a disadvantage as they are only realy good at one side, whilst real woodworkers are good at both hand and machine/power

Nick that is a seriously goodlooking case! You have got me thinking now about how I can mangle a few bits of wood and make something that looks nothing like yours.

(extreme case of wood/skill envy here).

How much of it was darkside and how much using powertools?

Originally Posted by jugglingogre

Nick that is a seriously goodlooking case! You have got me thinking now about how I can mangle a few bits of wood and make something that looks nothing like yours.

(extreme case of wood/skill envy here).

How much of it was darkside and how much using powertools?

Thanks a lot. Unfortunately, only the doors and the mortices were truly darkside (i was still transforming back then) but check this out:
http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=109996

That's what i am working on now, all the joints are from the darkside and also this:
http://www.nickfalzonedesign.com/portfolio.html
The second project down was something i did for university all by hand with an 11 inch ryoba saw and my chisels

Nick Just finished watching the interview on DLTV. Great stuff. Did you have your heart in your mouth as he dropped the saw on the side of the case:eek: .. Looking foward to seeing the progress of the new case.

If anyone watches it (recomended) i couldnt fast foward to the start of the interview, but it starts at 10min 30 sec into it. So you can start it, get a cuppa and come back in 10 minute and have a look

Originally Posted by Lignum

Nick Just finished watching the interview on DLTV. Great stuff. Did you have your heart in your mouth as he dropped the saw on the side of the case:eek: .. Looking foward to seeing the progress of the new case.

If anyone watches it (recomended) i couldnt fast foward to the start of the interview, but it starts at 10min 30 sec into it. So you can start it, get a cuppa and come back in 10 minute and have a look

haha, it was a bit surreal actually and i was more embarassed for him than anything else since that saw doesn't mean too much to me now. If that had been one of my Mitsukawa saws it would have been another story

ohhhh, you Stirrer !

Originally Posted by Lignum

It takes just as much skill to master the use of a beltsander as it dose a smoother, maybe even more

I wouldn't know about that comparison. I don't have a beltsander (thank god).....more frikken bloody plastic, noisey, dusty crap ! ........ WHAT ! I CAN'T HEAR YOU SWEATHEART ! (hangon maybe thats a good thing )

If it is just as hard using it, then why use it ? .... oh, thats right, to speed things up, and make some MUNNNNNI !

Originally Posted by Lignum

Darksiders are at a disadvantage as they are only realy good at one side, whilst real woodworkers are good at both hand and machine/power

Why, don't ya sleep ? .... mustn't if you found the time to practise enough using both types so you can be classified as a real woodworker.....clever bloody powertool heads deary me

Actualy Tripper, not stiring but being serious Try getting a 2100 x 950 Blackwood table top and flattening it as close to perfectly flat as possible using a beltsander with no hollows, scratches, ridges or anything. Very, very difficult. Also not an easy task using a Jack and Smoother either. Both take great skill. And its not about speeding up to make munnnni but with only 24hrs in a day and so much woodwork that you want to do and things you want to try and make, workshop time management is very important. Like me slipping in a few hours on friday to do the (Darkside) join in the sculptered box 11 thread Having said all that its rare i belt sand a top. But if the need arises care and skill must come into it

Originally Posted by jugglingogre

PS: what is SWMBO? I assume you are talking about your partner but what is the acronym?

just call her the "War Office" mate and all will be well

Hey Lignum and Apricotripper

What if the timber was dressed on a slab master or similar...

But I used a cabinet scraper to smooth it?

And a hand plane to champher the edge

A ROS to sand it between coats

And finish with hand rubbed EEE ultrashine

Does that make me a shadowsider?

I cant work out if the project was half dark or half light...

Originally Posted by greensabbath

haha, it was a bit surreal actually and i was more embarassed for him than anything else since that saw doesn't mean too much to me now. If that had been one of my Mitsukawa saws it would have been another story

Great work Nick. When he fumbled the saw, did it actually leave any marks on the case?:eek:

To watch go here Sangaku Case Mod 2nd down on the right

Originally Posted by martrix

Great work Nick. When he fumbled the saw, did it actually leave any marks on the case?:eek:

To watch go here Sangaku Case Mod 2nd down on the right

Thank you, the saw actually missed the case thank goodness or at least it didn't make any marks on it and surprisingly the saw teeth were fine too. The only thing that really got damaged was his dignity

Originally Posted by Lignum

Actualy Tripper, not stiring but being serious Try getting a 2100 x 950 Blackwood table top and flattening it as close to perfectly flat as possible using a beltsander with no hollows, scratches, ridges or anything. Very, very difficult. Also not an easy task using a Jack and Smoother either. Both take great skill. And its not about speeding up to make munnnni but with only 24hrs in a day and so much woodwork that you want to do and things you want to try and make, workshop time management is very important. Like me slipping in a few hours on friday to do the (Darkside) join in the sculptered box 11 thread Having said all that its rare i belt sand a top. But if the need arises care and skill must come into it

I know what you mean. And I know what you mean by a beltsander requiring a great deal of skill to use. Big clumbsy thing that wants to constantly run off on you all the time, ,,,the belt skewing off all the time having to adjust it with that side knobby thingy. (I've used one plenty on floor boards)...... Belt changing at the right time,,,,,,..

It cuts a bit like a rocker bottom plane, I reakon. And you don't want to use one of them to get something flat. ...so, franky, I think your right, a great deal of skill is needed to get a table top flat with it.

But when using one of them you don't have to read the grain at all do you. Don't have to worry about tearout.

I can see when the job would quite simply get done faster with a belt though. Like when the timber so hard that its much faster to rip into it with coarse belts. No sharpening blades. Even though your going through a ton of belts, you'll get the job done faster, which seems to be quite important to most .. doesn't it ? :confused:

Why there was ever a need to compare the 'skill' needed for each is beyond me. How does one make that comparison anyway ?

I would have thought making munnni is ultimately the main idea behind the importance of time management ? yes ?

I don't know Lignum...... I think I'm starting to bore myself......

So mate, on the off chance....you wanna buy a corner chisel ? Good for stirring paint Nobody else seems to want it.
http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...ad.php?t=32211

It's a little like comparing cars
Think of our forum Darksiders as vintage cars [others from elsewhere as luddites] - slow, steady, most looked good in their day, they do get from A to B but its all about the journey not the actual arrival, the tasks get done - very well from some of the posted pix.

As to the electron burners - like V8 Supercars - fast, efficient, get the job done, enjoy using what was built, enjoy getting on with the next job. Time for a beer or 3

This is not to have a go at anyone - simply "horses for courses" "different strokes for different folks" etc............