Getting Started with what I have

[John Isgren]

It will be a little while longer before I can order additional tools, so I am getting going with what I have. Here is what I have colllected to get started:

402899

First project is a saw bench. Spent the evening cutting 2x4 to length and gluing up the legs. Right now I don’t even have power to the shop and am running off flood lights and generator.

402900

I put a brand new Stanley blade into the Handyman No4, and even with my novice sharpening skills it worked well at prepping 2 side of the 2x4s before glue up. I think sharpening frequency is more important than skill:). The big box saw did okay, but really looking forward to something better - not looking forward to ripping the top with it...

[JimA Thornton]

I'm thinking you can do a lot of woodworking with those tools.

Jim

[Frederick Skelly]

Good for you John! This hobby doesnt have to cost you thousands, to make things and enjoy doing so.

Look forward to seeing more of your work!
Fred

[Jim Koepke]

You have enough to keep you busy. Learn to get by with what you have for a while.

Do you have drawings or plans for your saw bench?

Many saw bench makers end up making at least a second one.

jtk

[ken hatch]

It will be a little while longer before I can order additional tools, so I am getting going with what I have. Here is what I have colllected to get started:

402899

First project is a saw bench. Spent the evening cutting 2x4 to length and gluing up the legs. Right now I don’t even have power to the shop and am running off flood lights and generator.

402900

I put a brand new Stanley blade into the Handyman No4, and even with my novice sharpening skills it worked well at prepping 2 side of the 2x4s before glue up. I think sharpening frequency is more important than skill:). The big box saw did okay, but really looking forward to something better - not looking forward to ripping the top with it...

John,

Looks like you have enough to build out your shop area. I would gurss during that process you may add a few tools. Have fun and remember the more tools you have the more time it takes to maintain them.

ken

[John Isgren]

You have enough to keep you busy. Learn to get by with what you have for a while.

Do you have drawings or plans for your saw bench?

Many saw bench makers end up making at least a second one.

jtk
I am building the Chris Schwarz bench. My second project will be a set of saw horse, based on Paul Sellers, but taller to use with sheer goods.

[Bob Leistner]

You'll be fine. I started with less than that, there's a good starter set there.

[Nicholas Lawrence]

I am building the Chris Schwarz bench. My second project will be a set of saw horse, based on Paul Sellers, but taller to use with sheer goods.

The Schwartz bench is a good one. I have not tried Sellers design, but am sure it it good as well. I would think about the hand tools and sheet goods plan. The glue in plywood is hard on your edges.

You will want a good rip saw if you want to rip anything of size by hand. You don’t necessarily need a Disston thumbhole or something like that, but you need something with proper rip teeth. You do not need anything new. An old one will work just fine.

Your comment earlier about sharpening often being better than sharpening perfectly is dead on in my opinion. I have tremendous respect for many of the members here, but in my personal experience the hair-splitting edges we sometimes strive for are only hair splitting sharp for the first pass or two. After that they are just regular sharp. Certainly so after a dozen passes. Once you get the thing sharp enough you can do good work with it (sometimes for a long while), but the edge is degrading with every pass. Frequent touch up (even just a couple of swipes on a strop) will keep you in the zone and productive.

Are those new Irwin/Marples, or old ones?

[John Isgren]

The Irwin/Marples are from the 80s. Sheet goods will be with power tools mostly.

[John Isgren]

John,

Looks like you have enough to build out your shop area. I would gurss during that process you may add a few tools. Have fun and remember the more tools you have the more time it takes to maintain them.

ken

Actually I am fortunate in that as part of the barn build I allocated money to fit out the shop with power tools. Now that I am not going that route I will be able to order some decent hand tools to get started. I have another thread covering what I am looking at as a base toolset, but the only power tool I am buying right now will be a 17” bandsaw.

I really don’t plan to replace anything I have at this point. The main purchases will be a decent set of saws, some joinery planes, and No4 (Vintage) and No7 (LN) bench planes.

[Jason Martin Winnipeg]

I'd say that's a perfect start. I started with far less as well. Unless you like acquiring new tools (who doesn't), you really only need to get a new tool when what you have can't get the job done (i.e. a dovetail saw would be a nice addition).

[Prashun Patel]

I wouldn't plan on out that far. Buy one tool at a time. I have seen the most Neander of Neanders ultimately desire a thickness planer or a jointer or a bandsaw.

Let it happen organically. Judging by the quality of your bench and the shavings on your floor, you look like you know what you are doing.

[John Isgren]

Had about an hour to work tonight so I started squaring up the legs. Planed my reference edges and then ripped to width.402995

Ripping with a saw like object was interesting, but actually went better than I expected. Sawed corner to corner, flipping in the vise and it didn’t come out bad. Massive kerf and a lot of set, but cut reasonably straight.

402996

A little planing on that side side and then planing the final side to width and I ended up with a square leg!402997

I sawed a little close to my line and over achieved a bit when planing, so it is a little undersized, but will still work fine. For the first time I have prepared stock from scratch I am super happy!

402998

Two down, two to go!

[John Isgren]

Legs squared

.403496

although one has a bit of a bow that I will have to take out before chopping the mortises.

I have been reasonably successful sharpening, but need to work on taking the corners down a bit more. The plan is to keep practicing freehand, but the use the guide once I get the blade out of kilter and start over.

I have to work on taking the stock down close but then backing off the shaving to ease into the final dimension and surface. With the soft pine it is easy to keeping hogging off thick shaving. I need to work on starting the plane as I get a bit of snipe on the front end as well as that end of the board ends up thicker.

[John Isgren]

I am hooked...between the barn build out and getting cattle ready to show at Houston Livestock show, I haven’t had much time to work on my saw bench. Had about an hour tonight in the shop and cut the legs to length with 10degree meters on each end.

I am am hooked on the process of hand tools. When I used the machines I usually had a deadline and things were frantic and noisy. Always putting ear plugs on/off, dust masks, etc. Using the tape measure for everything, and spreading tools around.

With a hand tool approach it is so much different. The shop is quiet while I layout with the marking knife, I love the process of using reference faces. Laying the parts out off of one another instead of the tape measure. The sounds are addicting - the schlickt of the planes, and change in pitch of the saw as it nears the end of the cut. I am also ensuring to quit early enough to put all of the tools away and sweep the shop.

By chiseling out the knife wall I was pleased with how close I could cut to the line with a big box saw shaped object.

404044

[John Isgren]

I haven’t posted in awhile, but I am wrapping up the saw bench. Between the barn buildout and ranch work I have not had a lot of time. I cut my first set of mortise and tenon joints and was very pleased how 3 of the 4 came together. The fifth I learned what happens when you use the wrong face to register one side on the mortise... I also learned what happens when you panic about the joint not fitting and start paring without putting work back in the vise.
405988
Fortunately nothing serious, just a cut, but good reminder if “line-of-fire”.
I will likely build a second bench right away since all of my mistakes and problems are fresh in my head.

[Bill Houghton]

Good on you for starting with what you've got. Resist the tendency to buy because everyone says you should, but find your own needs by trying to do the work with what you have. I could offer a list of all kinds of useful next tools, but then I'd be doing what I shouldn't.

[Nicholas Lawrence]

Fortunately nothing serious, just a cut, but good reminder if “line-of-fire”.


Most hand tool accidents are not serious, at least compared to the monthly “I mangled my hand in my table saw” threads. As long as you keep everything behind the chisel and push/strike away from you, it is hard to get seriously hurt.

[Patrick McFate]

I'm glad you came out of that project with just a scratch (a flesh wound, as the Monty Python knight might say). Apropos of nothing, I picked up a couple of these for when I do paring work (this might be considered an amateur move, but it works for me): https://www.rockler.com/thumb-and-finger-guards

Just want to put that out there. Keep us updated on the build progress!

[Graham Haydon]

Never stress about the time. There is rarely enough of it, keep chipping away, you're making good progress.

[John Isgren]

I am pretty satisfied with how it is coming together for my first time doing most of this!

406050

It has issues, but it is pretty square

[Jim Koepke]

First rule of chisels: Keep your fingers and all other body parts behind the edge.

Be careful, thems things is sharp.

jtk