Late Night/Early Morning Thoughts

[ken hatch]

Being old means your sleep pattern can be erratic, mine is most of the time even when younger. I often find myself awake on the back side of the clock. It can mean there is time for your mind to ramble and maybe time for the shop depending on the project. This morning was a little of both. Some work on MsBubba's kitchen trash can but also thinking while working on the project about the skills needed for working wood.

I think the two most important skills and likely the most difficult to learn are sharpening all your tools and sawing.

If your tools are not sharp they are worthless and you will never be able to sharpen all your tools using jigs unless your kit is very limited and/or your jig inventory is infinite. While sharpening is in reality very easy and can be done quickly it takes time to know "sharp". I do not know any way to get to knowing sharp other than spending time with metal on stone or file and paying attention to how the cutter or saw looks, feels, and works. If someone knows a quicker way I'd love to hear of it.

If your tools are sharp, using a chisel or a plane are almost intuitive. The plane will take a little longer to master than the chisel but not by much. Where the rubber meets the road is saw skills. Being able to consistently saw to a line and have your joint fit off the saw was the most difficult skill for me to master and sometimes I still fail. It is also the skill that makes every other part of wood working easier.

Ok back to coffee and the shop,

ken

[Charles Bjorgen]

Similar old age overnight sleep disturbances here, Ken, especially the 3 am bathroom needs. Hard to get back to sleep so I try reading. The following line came up in a book that described a character shopping for marine hardware for a boat he was building. “Things that are made not just to be used, but to be … admired.”

Lots of the work I see here and in other WW forums comes to mind.

[ken hatch]

Similar old age overnight sleep disturbances here, Ken, especially the 3 am bathroom needs. Hard to get back to sleep so I try reading. The following line came up in a book that described a character shopping for marine hardware for a boat he was building. “Things that are made not just to be used, but to be … admired.”

Lots of the work I see here and in other WW forums comes to mind.

Charles,

I know we are not alone. I feel sorry for my wife as I've never learned to be quiet. There is often an evil eye and a tapping of her foot in the doorway of the shop or office.

ken

[Andrew Pitonyak]

If your tools are sharp, using a chisel or a plane are almost intuitive. The plane will take a little longer to master than the chisel but not by much.

Is this where I pout because I am not confident in my plane skills. I really should practice.... And just use my hand planes with others who know who to deal with things better than I (with hand planes).

[Jack Frederick]

Back in late May I heard the tail end of an interview with Terry Gross interviewing James Nestor, author of the new book "Breath." I stopped at the bookstore and picked it up. Interesting read and I have been doing some of the exercises. I too have attained the lofty status of the three am trots and doing some of the breathing exercises has helped me get back to sleep. Not 100%, but what is?

[Josh Robinson]

I totally agree Ken. I’ve made some progress on making sharpening part of the wood working experience rather than a necessary evil but have a ways to go on sawing to a line. I think you hit on something bigger than sharpening and sawing though and I think I’ve read a thread here that talked about making each part of woodworking a “valuable” activity including, I think the writer said, emptying the dust collector. I don’t know if wood working has helped me take a more mindful approach to things and appreciate the whole experience or if growing older does that. Whichever, I have finally, after 55 years begun to learn that the “boring” part of a task is as important and fulfilling as fitting a through beveled dove tail if they are done well and faithfully. Sermon over 😁

[Jim Koepke]

If one wants to be a woodworker they need to learn to enjoy sharpening, there will be a lot of it.

jtk

[ken hatch]

Is this where I pout because I am not confident in my plane skills. I really should practice.... And just use my hand planes with others who know who to deal with things better than I (with hand planes).

Andrew,

It just takes a little time and paying attention to what is happening.

ken

[ken hatch]

I totally agree Ken. I’ve made some progress on making sharpening part of the wood working experience rather than a necessary evil but have a ways to go on sawing to a line. I think you hit on something bigger than sharpening and sawing though and I think I’ve read a thread here that talked about making each part of woodworking a “valuable” activity including, I think the writer said, emptying the dust collector. I don’t know if wood working has helped me take a more mindful approach to things and appreciate the whole experience or if growing older does that. Whichever, I have finally, after 55 years begun to learn that the “boring” part of a task is as important and fulfilling as fitting a through beveled dove tail if they are done well and faithfully. Sermon over 


If one wants to be a woodworker they need to learn to enjoy sharpening, there will be a lot of it.

jtk

I've found the greatest aid to my sharpening is to sharpen as I work, never let the tools pile up. If I need to sharpen more than one or two cutters by the time I get to the last one I do a crappy job. Even with a new or new to me set of chisels I can take weeks to sharpen all of them because I will normally only work one at a time and then may take a day or two between, and I enjoy the sharpening process but never a pile at one time.

ken

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Andrew,

It just takes a little time and paying attention to what is happening.

ken

So practice practice practice :-)

[Michael J Evans]

Ken I'm young, but find the older I'm getting the more I'm turning into a night owl. I either take a nap when I get home from work and then don't sleep until 3am Or lay in bed until 1-2am thinking. Wish I could be an early riser like some of you.

[mike stenson]

I've found the greatest aid to my sharpening is to sharpen as I work, never let the tools pile up. If I need to sharpen more than one or two cutters by the time I get to the last one I do a crappy job. Even with a new or new to me set of chisels I can take weeks to sharpen all of them because I will normally only work one at a time and then may take a day or two between, and I enjoy the sharpening process but never a pile at one time.

ken

I am so horrible at doing this. The doug fir I'd worked with last took chunks out of chisel edges and so some regriding was required. Not a big deal, until I needed them this morning. Consequently, I spent far too long sharpening and didn't get a lot of building done today.

I didn't get a lot of sleep last night either, I'm only in my 40s but we're dog sitting this weekend.. so there were too many excited dogs and one that wanted to play all night.

[ken hatch]

I am so horrible at doing this. The doug fir I'd worked with last took chunks out of chisel edges and so some regriding was required. Not a big deal, until I needed them this morning. Consequently, I spent far too long sharpening and didn't get a lot of building done today.

I didn't get a lot of sleep last night either, I'm only in my 40s but we're dog sitting this weekend.. so there were too many excited dogs and one that wanted to play all night.

Mike,

Being a dog person, a playful dog doesn't sound too bad. Beats thoughts of mortality at 0300 :). BTW, my Maggie dog goes to sleep at sundown and gives you the side eye if you wake her up before sunrise. Sam was another story a good game of "Tug" was perfect for 0300.

Big Box Doug Fir isn't one of the things I enjoy working with. BTDT

ken

[ken hatch]

Ken I'm young, but find the older I'm getting the more I'm turning into a night owl. I either take a nap when I get home from work and then don't sleep until 3am Or lay in bed until 1-2am thinking. Wish I could be an early riser like some of you.

Michael,

I've been cursed or blessed, it is hard to tell which with needing very little sleep. The blessed part is I can strap a machine to my butt and go until I get there, the cursed was my S.O./wife would have a miserable time trying to sleep when I'm home.

ken

[Michael J Evans]

Mike,

Being a dog person, a playful dog doesn't sound too bad. Beats thoughts of mortality at 0300 :). BTW, my Maggie dog goes to sleep at sundown and gives you the side eye if you wake her up before sunrise. Sam was another story a good game of "Tug" was perfect for 0300.

Big Box Doug Fir isn't one of the things I enjoy working with. BTDT

ken

Ken our chihuahua does the same. She doesn't get out of bed until 9 or 10am unless we force her out of the kennel.

The nights we don't kennel her, she'll jump in bed with one of the boys. Talk about a grouchy sleeper. Any movement the boys make and she's growling / snarling at them. (She's never bit anyone FYI), it's quite to listen to.

[Jim Matthews]

So practice practice practice :-)

Some wood species are more forgiving than others.

I still think it counterintuitive that softer wood (like common pine) can be more difficult to plane cleanly.

After nearly a decade fumbling with the fine points, I no longer hesitate reaching for my trusty floor scraper at the first sign of tear out on a panel.

Some boards just can't be planed by me.

Smooth is more important than flat.

[James Pallas]

I have never been a long sleeper. I can remember my Mom telling me to “sleep on it” whenever I was confronted with a dilemma. I keep a note pad handy at bedside to write down those “slept on” solutions. As for sharpening I have developed a do it now attitude. I keep a strop handy use it sometimes mindlessly while contemplating my next move. Not a chore, no different than occasionally having to dip your brush for work to proceed. 3 to 5 hours is all the sleep you need in my world.

[ken hatch]

Some wood species are more forgiving than others.

I still think it counterintuitive that softer wood (like common pine) can be more difficult to plane cleanly.

After nearly a decade fumbling with the fine points, I no longer hesitate reaching for my trusty floor scraper at the first sign of tear out on a panel.

Some boards just can't be planed by me.

Smooth is more important than flat.

Jim,

Very true if working with hand tools. I think the old saying by boat builders works; "if it looks fair, it is fair". When working by hand it is hard to get everything perfect flat and true but as long as it looks flat and true who cares.

ken

[ken hatch]

I have never been a long sleeper. I can remember my Mom telling me to “sleep on it” whenever I was confronted with a dilemma. I keep a note pad handy at bedside to write down those “slept on” solutions. As for sharpening I have developed a do it now attitude. I keep a strop handy use it sometimes mindlessly while contemplating my next move. Not a chore, no different than occasionally having to dip your brush for work to proceed. 3 to 5 hours is all the sleep you need in my world.

James,

We could be twins separated at birth :). It does make living with normal people interesting.

ken

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I've found the greatest aid to my sharpening is to sharpen as I work

AMEN!

Especially since keeping it sharp is pretty fast. I rarely put them away unless they have been sharpened (if they need it). The primary exception is if I need to put them on the Tormek, then I might sharpen a bunch. I have a friend who brings over two to ten blades at a time, and we can punch those out pretty fast on the Tormek for the initial bevel and then they go to very sharp pretty fast after that.

It is very different if it is the first sharpening, especially if the back is not yet prepped.

[Jim Koepke]

Being a dog person, a playful dog doesn't sound too bad.

Try cats. George would get up before dawn wanting out. He was attacked by some creature one night so we tended to make him stay in. Since then we acquired a pair of kittens. George no gets his wish of staying out all night since the kittens tend to want to climb all over him. The kittens start to run amok at about 6:30am trying to climb walls and curtains.

For me, sleeping past 7:00am is a rare treat. This is odd because my old schedule from working swing shift stayed with me for years after retirement. Though with winter coming my sleep habits tend toward sleeping later.

One reason for having multiple sets of chisels is so when the work is really flowing there isn't a real need to stop to sharpen. Sometimes the pause to renew a blade isn't that much of a distraction. Other times it feels like continuing the work is more important.

jtk

[ken hatch]

Try cats. George would get up before dawn wanting out. He was attacked by some creature one night so we tended to make him stay in. Since then we acquired a pair of kittens. George no gets his wish of staying out all night since the kittens tend to want to climb all over him. The kittens start to run amok at about 6:30am trying to climb walls and curtains.

For me, sleeping past 7:00am is a rare treat. This is odd because my old schedule from working swing shift stayed with me for years after retirement. Though with winter coming my sleep habits tend toward sleeping later.

One reason for having multiple sets of chisels is so when the work is really flowing there isn't a real need to stop to sharpen. Sometimes the pause to renew a blade isn't that much of a distraction. Other times it feels like continuing the work is more important.

jtk

Jim,

Cats can be a hoot.

I've never worked a shift, swing or otherwise, but I've spent a lot of time working the back side of the clock. In fact I still do but back in the day, often when it was time to sleep I could be 8 or more time zones from where I awoke. If you are anal about your sleep it was not the life for you. I'm lucky in not needing a lot of sleep and being able to sleep anywhere for short periods of time. That's the good, the bad is it is tough on your wife or S.O..

I have a ton of chisels as well but stopping to sharpen often gives me time to rethink what I'm doing, saved my bacon more than once.

ken

[John Gornall]

Mostly use 1/2" chisels - suits my joinery - so I have a dozen or so good ones and can reach for a sharp one as needed - sharpen them all when job is done. After a nap.

[ken hatch]

Mostly use 1/2" chisels - suits my joinery - so I have a dozen or so good ones and can reach for a sharp one as needed - sharpen them all when job is done. After a nap.

John,

I'd need a couple or three naps to sharpen a dozen chisels at once :p. I've always found it interesting how different folks work, no correct way, could be some are better that others...Maybe, most likely not a lot of difference in outcome.

ken

[Jim Koepke]

I have a ton of chisels as well but stopping to sharpen often gives me time to rethink what I'm doing, saved my bacon more than once.

Sometimes stopping to sharpen a chisel is a better choice than to change chisels. Other times it can be beneficial to keep the work on track.

Sometimes even if there are more chisels at hand work stops to sharpen.

For me sharpening more than a few chisels at one time can make me to forget the woodwork and end the day sharpening. It works better if mass sharpening is done at the beginning of the day.

jtk

[Jim Matthews]

Mostly use 1/2" chisels - suits my joinery - so I have a dozen or so good ones and can reach for a sharp one as needed - sharpen them all when job is done. After a nap.

I'm heading this way as well. I keep a shorter 1" chisel on my bench which deals with most tasks.

The others are used for specific things, like mortising.

75% of the use is that bench chisel.

[steven c newman]

So practice practice practice :-)

Works for me...
442127

[James Pallas]

I try to keep my skills on track by challenging myself. Age and steadiness are taking their toll now. I still find myself trying to split a pencil line when sawing, leaving half on the finished piece and the rest sawdust and chiseling be able to still see the cut of the knife edge. Success is a little more fleeting now days.

[Erich Weidner]

So practice practice practice :-)


But, in my limited experience, it doesn't take tons of practice to be proficient. (Maybe not efficient without much more experience/practice). I forced myself to do three projects 100% by hand. It forced me to learn to use the hand tools. And got in a lot of practice.

I suspect learning bench planes (really learning) requires you do all (planing) steps with them. For example, I just couldn't get my head around how a cambered iron could possible be better than one with just rounded/eased corners... Then I tried one in my jack plane, and it is like a whole new world flattening boards and truing edges now. I spent so much time chasing my tail with that straight edge previously... No amount of reading that it might be better convinced me to try it. Until I did. If there are life changing moments in wood working... that is the one that most comes to mind for me. :)

[Richard Hutchings]

I did something last night that I haven't done in years. After having some trouble planing some ebony, I decided to break out the angle thingy and check the cutting angle. After a lot of work recutting on on the 1000 stone, I should have reground on the grinder but for some reason I didn't want to, I got a nice ~25 degree bevel and finally got a wire edge on it which I couldn't get when I first tried. It was that far out. On to the 8000 and making sure I got a wire edge before stopping and followed up on the strop. I don't have the green stuff everyone seems to use, mine is yellow. It came with a kit from Woodcraft. I don't know what it is but it sure puts a mirror finish on things. I enjoyed the process but I need to set up my grinder to alleviate some of the work and start with a hollow grind. I put the blade in my #4 Stanley and put it to the ebony board and holy moly, what a nice clean cut it made. Enjoy the process and reap the rewards.

[Jerry Olexa]

As my beloved Dad used to say to me: "No rest for the wicked" :)

[Jim Koepke]

My "sleep on it" project is a box being made to hold a sort of birthday present for a friend. The box is being made to have a top and a bottom section. It is being made to be sawn through the center. The "sleep on it" was over how to assemble it during the glue up.

Figuring it out was easy, but it may have been better to do a dry fit first. The problem is as my dovetails have improved over the years it gets harder to disassemble when the dovetails are tight.

Oh well, my plan worked and the box went together with only a slight hitch which may remain my secret.

jtk