Thread: Hand Tool Usage

Hi Johno

Know this a bit late but i am a trade school teacher in the carpentry field ,should you wish to know any info feel free to ask,i do teach block 1 wish is all basic hand tools.

Regards

Mick T

I have a hammer
Honestly, I use a few hand tools such as a plane and my veritas edging tools, self taught which probably explains so many mistakes.

I use the little hammer, hammer, big hammer and next door's bloody big hammer.
The small screw driver, and big screw driver and the ordinady screw driver then thers the other screw drivers the ones with the x on the end.
The sharp chisels - 3 sizes and the other set with the nicks on the edges but on the other side.
The cranky thing that looks like granddads starter for the old ford, and the twisty things that go in it and make nice holes.
There is a sharp, pointy screw driver thingy I use to make wee holes when starting screws off.
Then theres the wooden stick with lines on it so you can see how much longer you need to cut the wood.
The wooden stick with the black stuff inside that you can write your name on all your wood so the misus dont burn it.
Then there are a cuolpe of Ls. One small L and one big L to see how the L square the thing is. Both of mine are square so I've put them away so they won't get bumped.
There are a couble of metal-wooden things that some visitor must 'ave left behind cause they have his names on them -Stanley Baily and he has numbered tham too - they are good to stop the plans from blowing away.
Then ther are the 4 saws - small - long -bendy and blunty.
That about sums up the hand tools - hope it helps.
Regards
Sandy across the ditch

I knew you shouldn't have asked that question John!!
I was going to reply along the same lines as Sandy, but thought better of it. You probably realise that many of the contributors to the B.B. have taken up the hobby of wood work on retirement, as I did, and they can now go out and buy all the boys toys (power tools) which they only had time to stare longingly at in the shops when they had jobs and families to raise and educate etc.etc..You only have to visit the Working With Wood Shows to see this syndrome in action.
I have a lot of fun torturing bits of wood with my power tools, and my Triton gear and try to make things I would never attempt with hand tools.Even with their help I'm not much good at it!
But although I do say so myself, I am becoming, with lots of practice, a pretty fair wood turner.
Regards, John H. :

I thought the silly season was gone but I will bear with youse a little longer.

It is generally accepted that most school kids learn to use hand tools (of the woodworking kind)and I wonder how many actually retained a portion of those limited skills they learn't and employed them without rushing out to buy power tools later on after their school years were finished.
The same could be asked of those amongst us who have done courses within the nature of handtool usage.

A lot of folk have employed hand tools in their courses but may have gone on to predominately employ power tools.

We have wondered whether the likes of handplanes,handsaws,chisels,motise scribers etc will slowly become redundant in time.
These days one has to search far and wide for those quality handtools of a calibre of our fathers generation,but not so where the power tool is required.

Everyone usually has a couple of handtools within their shop but is the effort required to use them becoming too much I ask.

There are some good woodworking courses available that for the main enjoy a fair amount of handtool implementation within the "Fine Woodworking" scenario.

The whole point I guess is are we giving way to expediency rather than perhaps the joy of woodworking as it has been known through time.

Thank-you for your responses.
Cheers

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Johnno

[This message has been edited by John Saxton (edited 22 January 2002).]

One could pose the question - how long (if ever) has it been since you actually used a handplane to size boards.. I mean all four sides then joined some boards together and made big bugger boards for table tops etc all without a machine or sandpaper.

I learned to use hand tools a LONG time ago (45 years) at school. The lessons must have sunk in because their use still comes naturally. I can still remember old Oby Dyer holding his hand, index finger sticking out, thumb up and the rest of his fingers curled, like he was playing cowboys shooting a six gun and saying that’s the grip you used to hold every word working tool.

I still often use a plane. I haven’t got a thicknesser but do have a planing attachment for the Triton but still get better results with the hand plane (Couldn’t use the electric plane by hand to save my life so the Triton is an improvement I suppose).

I guess the main thing about the power tools is the speed and energy saving. Most of us are too impatient to cut a neat halved joint by the old method when you can whip it onto the table saw and have it finished in a few seconds. But there really is a sense of satisfaction when you do it the old fashioned way.

What determines whether I use hand or power tools now is that I no longer have the energy to hand saw, plane and chisel for hours on end, the old arms won’t work that hard any more.

However, there is nothing more satisfying than sharpening up the scraper and getting a wonderful finish on a piece of furniture then hand polishing it. You can always afford the time for that.

Speaking of scraping, isn’t if strange how we boast of a beautiful scraped finish on cabinet work but act all macho when turning and boast we ‘didn’t need to use a scraper’.


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Badger - A gruff short tempered animal that sleeps most of the winter

Sorry I couldnt help myself - all part of the rehabilitation.
I have a small collection of powertools that I am learning to use - table saw, router, sander, drill & cordless screwdriver. Everything else is hand tools - I have bought some new and been given some used. I have scoured the internet for tip on how to look after the hand tools and I am learning to use them.
I had lessons at school long time back and my father showed me the various uses of other tools not covered.
When I realise a need to obtain another (hand) tool I look on the internet for type and cost then visit the local dealers and if available look at the prices.

I usually address a project with planes-either scale drawn or rough sketch, cost materials and buy the pieces in batches as finance allows.
I use hand tools when possible especially late at night.

TOOLS TOOLS TOOLS. I think that the rack/case with the old hand tools on display gives the workshed a feel of reverence.
I enjoy knocking off work and driving 45 minutes home - cup of tea -get changed out of business clobber and out to the 'shed to unwind just perusing the tools and project ideas I have mustered. The other half joins me there some evenings and a good conversation can be had to help wind down the day.
After dinner a few 'quiet' hours spent on the "work in progress". Sometimes with the children helping.
I am 15-20 years off retirement and recouping after a bit of a cut and really enjoy The Woody Atmosphere (and no stress) you just don't get in an air con office.
I often think about selling my finished projects and making money out of my favoured hobby but then the enjoyment may suffer.

Regards
Sandy across the ditch

Some of the above responses have raised some further valid points that may have been overlooked.

Firstly in response to Shanes point about planing all 4 sides square and joining boards to make a larger section such as a table top and the relevance to how long it has been since it has been done by me or any other subscriber to this BB.I'm no less a contributor to this BB than any other who would square up material readily by machine(thats why I have the Lab 40 combination machine)for larger product and for machining down a close sizing.
I consider my workshop to be machine orientated but that doe's not detract from the fact that I like to work with handtools when and where possible.Common sense dictates where time and utility cost is employed.

Those who produce for the market on commission have a number of factors to consider primarily time and costing of material.

I'm not in the above category but work wood for my interest in the medium as do a lot of others.As such it is with a large collection of handtools that rather than have sitting in display cabinets that some other bugger will enjoy long after I've gone I would like to enjoy their utility whilst I can.

As to Badger ..i would hazard a guess that I may be close to your vintage and readily remember the predominance of hand tools before hand powered tools took over.

My father was a cabinet maker who could not afford the "new" power tools that came on the market but readily admitted that they would have saved him time and money given that they were more affordable at that time.

Power tools have their place in todays society ,much as the old tools did in their time but does that mean that they are now redundant?

All of you who love what you do with wood within your workshop ask yourself this .....would you continue within this field given a power shortage or heaven forbid a nuclear strike that takes out all electrical outlets or would you because of the medium entertain the thought of handtools?

forgfive my rambling on but any more feedback would be good to take to my meetings.

Cheers stay well enjoy life.


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Johnno

Power tools are the way of todays world, but early last year when I was given the opportunity to add two small hand tools to my limited collection I jumped at them.

The two I was offered were:i) a very old, very much used and very much loved mortice scribe - had been after one for sooo long.
and ii) a small but useful spoke shave.

I am not too sure how many of my future project will require the use of both of these, but at least I have them to show my son who may only know about the power tools that do the same job as the old hand ones.

Kev.

[This message has been edited by Brudda (edited 23 January 2002).]

My previous posting may have looked as though I was having a jibe at Shanes fair comment.Far from it though the wording may have indicated this.
To encourage healthy comment and objectivity is my only aim in trying to guage feedback.

How many of us have dust collectors in the form of handtools on pegboard,in cupboards or drawers that are never or seldom used!
Those of you with a well tuned Hand plane know with satisfaction the feeling derived from taking a fine shaving with a merest whisper of sound without the need of a dust mask or hearing protection.

The pleasure of a finely honed chisel cleaning up a mortise and tenon once again without the need of modern safety equipment.

Just a couple of examples one tends to overlook these days.
I would estimate that 90-95% of my work is accomplished with a power tool in one form or another but, occasionally without the noise and the dust I like to get back to the grassroots of the industry and "feel the wood" thru manual means.
Just a couple of more thoughts.
Cheers

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Johnno

AHHH! The joy of opening the door of the humble shed to be greeted by the smell of timber at the end of a bugger of a day .....

And, of course the site of a few old mellow hand tools sort of balances the sight of the harsh metal monsters which we all find usefull.

'fraid I mostly just look at the hand tools though I have promised myself a new hand saw.(It will probably cut a better line than the bandsaw I can't be bothered to set up properly too!) Are the Jap pull saws as good as they say in the catalogues?

Which brings me to another point... If you live outside the main cities it is all mail order to buy decent hand tools. Offputting, though at the same time usfull.

Have to agree with Doorstop about the feel, smell and sight of a lovely fine shaving peeling from a sharp plane.......... however there is something even better, and that is the sound, of a razor sharp plane. Unlike all other sounds but one. It is a sound that takes the bereath away and makes you want to keep planing for ever.

Until someone lifts the lid on a cold bottle of Vic. Ah....... that's the other.

Cheers - Neil

[This message has been edited by ubeaut (edited 25 January 2002).]

I have to agree with Lacewood that living outside the reach's of the metro areas one has to rely on either the Internet or a phone to get the quality tools you want these days.Thats the price you pay for your chosen isolation...inconvenience at a price.
But it is worth it when the quality of serenity is there long after the workshop is closed.

Which raises another point overlooked to this stage in that the quality gear in handtools individually cost probably more than its respective powertool cousin....eg buy a No 5 Jack plane say a Stanley and odds on it will cost more than an Hitachi power hand plane.

Get hold of a beautiful Norris or Lie-Nielsen handplane and you've almost got your floor model jointer.
The difference is the pleasure in a finely tuned hand plane taking the merest whisper of a shaving to with the complete knowledge that you have achieved this thru a lot of factors incorporated namely a finely tuned plane your stance and energy and a controlled stroke.
With a similar action on the jointer feed rate,burning ,tearout and the time consuming requirement of rehoning the blades usually three that also require resetting are the factors that are considered.

There are numerous posts on bulletins stating a claim that a good craftsman can cut dovetails quicker than a person using their dovetail jig and though I've cut dovetails by hand ..they aren't always up to the standard that I like because I have the jig that cuts them and I dont practise enough hand cutting to get them better.
Every now and then on a small job I;ll have another go at hand cutting but with serious $$$ invested in the jig I defer to its use when numerous jobs like drawers are needed.

I have just cracked a Bushmills and it dont sound like U's VB in fact over ice it sounded like tearout but thats an indignity I'll have to live with.

Cheers keep them plane irons sharp.

P.S. I'll get round to postin' all my handtool access sites when the Bushmills runs out which might take a while as SWMBO was generous with my card at Chrissie

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Johnno