Help for a Neanderthal wanabee

[Doug M Jones]

I am new to the creek and probably don't want to be a Neanderthal in the true sense of the word but would very much like to learn about and use hand tools. I have a habit of grabbing for more horsepower and then regretting the gouge/dink/dent that I am left with. The only plane I currently own is a Bosch power plane which is a very nice machine but difficult to keep under control.

What would be considered necessities as I set up shop. Please remember that I am on a budget and can't spend the equivalent of a cheap table saw for 1 plane. Also, what is the advantage of a wooden plane vs a steel or brass model?

I currently am creating "nice" projects and aspire to "WOW look at that" projects. I know time and experience and failure will be great teachers but I would appreciate your advice on getting started with hand tools.

Thanks

[Jim Becker]

I made the same decision awhile back and started with a nice low-angle adjustable block plane--it immediately got used on every project. Then I added some decent chisels and a quality dovetail saw. These three "things" (more than three physically, but who's counting? :) ) have brought a lot of enjoyment in both learning and productivity to my shop, despite the fact that I'm primarily a tailed-tool woodworker.

[Mike Weaver]

Hi Doug,
I would recommend a vintage Stanley/Sargent/Craftsman (were made bt Sargent) adjustable mouth block pland as a good place to start.

If it's low angle, great, but don't sweat it if it isn't.

Learn to sharpen it well. Since you are on a budget, don't buy a honing jig - use a carriage bolt & two nus to get the angle consistent. If you don't have sharpening stones, search for info on "scary sharp" & use silicon carbide sandpaper on a marble/granite tile or 1/4" thick glass. Be sure to polish the last 1/4" or so near the edge WELL. This takes time, but you'll only have to polish the back once.

Then, I'd add eithe a couple of various sized chisels, or the Marple Blue Chip 4 chisel set when on sale. They aren't great, but not bad for the money.
Again, get them sharp.

I prefer a planed final surface to a sanded one, and as such recommend a smooth plane. A #4 sized plane (2" blade) works well, but I prefer the #4 1/2 as it has a bit more heft. An alternative to the metal planes would be a coffin bodied wood smooth plane (the name comes from the outline - roughly like a coffin). In any case, again, sharp is key.

You'll want to search for techniques for tuning these planes. It doesn't take all that much time and there's no need to strip the original japanning & repaint in order to use the plane. Mike Dunbar's "Usng and Restoring Antique Tools" (may be off on the title a bit) is a good reference.

I hope that helps some.

-Mike

PS Sources for quality old tools abound. Patrick Leach, Clarence Blanchard, Thomas Bruce, Chuck Zitur, Tony Seo, Sandy Moss, the list goes on & on.

[Mike K Wenzloff]

I would begin like Jim--a nice adjustable mouth block plane. By "nice" I don't mean it has to be a brand-spanking new one. Walt Quadrato, a member here and other forums, nearly always has a good quality vintage block plane.

Else spring for a new one from Lee Valley or Lie-Nielsen.

But send Walt an email [look him up in the member list] or go to his web site and make contact there. Let him know what you want and he will steer you straight:
http://www.brasscityrecords.com/51.html

Take care, Mike

[Pam Niedermayer]

For a first plane I highly recommend a low angle jack, either from LN or LV. These can be used for many tasks.

Pam

[Eric Sink]

I'm a newbie too. It wasn't that long ago that I was frustrated trying to use a handplane to cut a 1/16 inch thick shaving. :)

But I've learned a heckuva lot in a short time. Now my workshop is overrun with very thin curly shavings, and I can't bring myself to clean them up.

You asked about the necessities, and I assume you meant tools. But actually, the most helpful things for me so far are DVDs:

David Charlesworth:
Part 1: Plane Sharpening
Part 2: Hand Planing
Part 3: Precision Shooting SimplifiedRob Cosman:
Rough to Ready
Hand Planing and SharpeningChristopher Schwarz:
Course, Medium and FineIn general, I prefer DVDs featuring Jet Li or Matt Damon. I don't have the patience to sit and watch somebody show me how to do something. I'm a very fast reader, so I usually prefer to just read a book.

However, these videos have been an enormous help for me. A lot of things about hand tools just don't make sense for me until I can watch somebody doing it.

There is one somewhat unfortunate side effect I should mention: After watching the Charlesworth videos, I often catching myself in the shop talking very slowly in an English accent. :)

[Michael Gibbons]

I bought the two Rob Cosman Dovetailing videos and ended up buying every tool he used to do the job. Now I'm working on getting all the planes he mentioned in his " Handplaning and Sharpening" video. Slip sliding away....

[Kevin French]

I have surrounded my bench with handtools, on the wall, above the bench and right behind the bench. I keep my Tailed Tools away from the bench so I have to walk to get one.
Start with some used HTs and work into it. The guidiance I got was used Stanley planes are fine but buy a LN 4 1/2 and a 60 1/2.

If you start with a set of blue handled Marples chisels you won't have put out a lot money if you want to switch to a real good set.

Disclaimer: I haven't bought an LN yet and still working with the Marples.

[Brian Kent]

Marples chisels. $50 before sales.
Wooden mallet. $20.
Dozuki dovetail saw. $35 at Rockler.

Solid vise.
Low angle block plane (Lee Valley, Lie Nielson or restored old Stanley).
Mujingfang Jack plane (www.japanwoodworker.com) or restored old Stanley Jack plane.

This set of tools brought me a great deal of joy.

[Wiley Horne]

Doug,

Lot of good advice has been given. Just one thought for you. The key skill you will need to do Neander stuff is the ability to sharpen. And even before that, you will need to learn what sharp is. None of these tools will do you the least bit of good without a razor sharp blade--seriously, they're useless. Making tools sharp is the skill that opens all of the doors for you.

There are many different sharpening approaches. You will need to pick one and get good at it. Some hands-on instruction is by far the best start--even one lesson. If that is not possible, I would suggest buying or borrowing a simple jig to help you get started. Eventually you will want to learn to free hand sharpen, but the jig helps you learn what sharp is, if you're trying to figure things out by yourself.

Wiley

[Zahid Naqvi]

Doug, all the advice given so far is sound and valuable. Just to add a slightly different perspective. Working with hand tools is a labor of love, with emphasis on both, love and labor. In the beginning do not focus on the results, it takes a little while to develop expertise with hand tools. Learn to enjoy the process. The results will come with time.

[James Owen]

I am new to the creek and probably don't want to be a Neanderthal in the true sense of the word but would very much like to learn about and use hand tools.....What would be considered necessities as I set up shop. Please remember that I am on a budget and can't spend the equivalent of a cheap table saw for 1 plane. Also, what is the advantage of a wooden plane vs a steel or brass model?....Thanks

Doug,

Welcome to the Creek and to Neander-land!!

In addition to sharpening, there are a couple of other skills that you'll need to cultivate to do good hand tool work: accurately sawing to a line/depth; paring/chopping accurately with a chisel; hand planing accurately and cleanly; drilling accurately; some basic carving skills; scraping; etc. Finishing is another skill you may need to learn, but it obviously is not exclusive to hand tool work.

Most hand tool operations -- dovetails, M & T joints, edge joining, etc. -- are usually some combination of the basic skills listed above (and maybe a couple of others not listed). Once you have gained a measure of competence with those basic skills, the actual production of your project is largely a matter of combining the appropriate skills to accomplish what you need to get done. This is, of course, something of an over-simplication, but it makes the point.

Which Tools? Great question....with as many different answers as there are people answering it.... Listed below is a set of hand tools that will allow you to build nearly any furniture-type project. This list is not intended to be all-inclusive or "authoritative;" it's merely my compilation of some of the tools that I have found to be most useful in doing hand tool work. Keep in mind that you can acquire tools as you need them for each individual project, and spread the financial pain over a longer period of time.


Hand planes:


Block Planes: a low angle (12.5°) adjustable-mouth block plane (probably the single most useful and versatile plane of them all); an adjustable-mouth standard angle (20°) block plane is also very handy and useful.

Bench Planes: a #4 or a #4-1/2 for a smoothing plane; a #5 for general purpose use or a #5-1/2 for general purpose and/or a large and heavy smoother; and either a #7 or a #8 for jointing edges and flattening the faces of boards; a #6 may be more useful for flattening faces and jointing, if you mostly do smaller-scale work like jewelry boxes, etc.

Other Planes: a scrub plane, if you're going to do your woodworking exclusively with hand tools, otherwise it's more or less optional -- get a "real" scrub plane here: it works much better than a converted bench/smoothing plane; a shoulder plane also comes in very handy; a router plane; other special-purpose planes – such as side rabbets, moulding planes, hollows & rounds, etc. -- can be added, as required.

General Comments on Hand Planes: My recommendation for vintage hand planes would be either old (pre-WWII) Stanleys or Millers Falls, Sargents, etc. (be prepared to do some fettling with the older tools) or new Lie-Nielsens (a bit on the expensive side); others will suggest the LV/Veritas planes or Clifton (moderate $$ to expensive). If you have really, really deep pockets, then you could go for an antique or modern infill plane or two. And, if you prefer -- or want to try -- wooden planes, ECE, Knight, and Clark & Williams -- to mention just a couple of modern wooden plane makers -- make very nice ones, but they are not inexpensive. Old (antique) wooden planes and Japanese-style wooden planes are not my area of expertise, so I'll defer to someone else to advise you on them.



Chisels: a good set of bench chisels (you'll get lots of recommendations from others here; I like the Japanese chisels sold by Woodcraft and the Pfeil “Swiss-Made”, but there are many, many other good chisels out there), and a good mallet; if you get Japanese chisels, also consider one of the Japanese chisel hammers. A couple of mortise chisels (¼”, 3/8”, and ½” are generally the most commonly used sizes) are also very useful. Specialized chisels -- such as skews, crank-necks, etc. -- can be added, as needed.

Saws: Take a look at the Japanese saws, as well as the western-style ones. A quality rip and cross-cut saw (one of each, to start); a good tenon and a good dovetail saw (LN makes really nice ones). A coping or fret saw and a bow saw can also be very handy, depending on the work you do. An Azibiki (Japanese mortise saw) is an incredibly useful little saw for a just few dollars. I use both Western and Japanese style saws.

Layout tools: a quality straight edge; a good 12” and a good 24” metal ruler (I like the center-finding ones); a good marking gauge (my favorite is the TiteMark); a marking knife; a bevel gauge; an accurate try square, and a high-quality combination square (you could go with one or the other at the beginning -- the combination square is more versatile; spend the money to get a quality – i.e., Starrett -- combination square; the cheaper ones are not worth the money or frustration…).

Boring tools: a good "egg-beater" hand drill (get an old Miller's Falls or old Stanley, etc); a good brace (again, get an old Miller's Falls or old Stanley, etc); a standard set of brad-point bits; perhaps a 32 ½ quarters set of Russell Jennings pattern auger bits for the brace. A set of gimlets and a hand counter-sink are also useful. You can get specialized bits, such as spoon bits or tapered reamers, if you have a need for them (i.e., making [Windsor] chairs).

Misc tools: a sharpening system (oil, water, or diamond stones; or a sandpaper method); a couple of rasps and files (rasps: Nicholson #49 or #50, for example; the Aurious are very nice, but big $$$; files: a half-round, a round/rat tail, a 4-in hand, and a 6-to-10-inch-long flat smooth cut file should take care of most of your filing requirements; you can add specialised files, such as plane-maker’s floats, if the work you’re doing requires them); some hand screws and bar/pipe clamps big enough to fit your work (you'll never have enough clamps….); a flat and a round sole spoke shave (a concave and a convex spoke shave and/or chair devils, if you’re making [Windsor] chairs); a draw knife; a Brad or square awl; a card scraper (with holder, if desired) and burnisher (you can also use a smooth screwdriver shaft for this, instead of a dedicated burnisher); a good, solid work bench (buy or make yourself -- there are several virtues and disadvantages of either course of action); a shooting board, a mitre shooting board, and a mitre jack (you'll have to make these yourself ).

Books: A good reference library is indispensable; try these sites for woodworking books that you may find useful or interesting:


http://www.astragalpress.com/ (http://www.astragalpress.com/)
http://www.blackburnbooks.com (http://www.blackburnbooks.com/)/
http://www.cambiumbooks.com (http://www.cambiumbooks.com/)/
http://www.woodworkerslibrary.com (http://www.woodworkerslibrary.com/)/
http://www.amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com)



Here are some of my favorites:


Measure Once, Cut Twice (Jim Tolpin)
Essential Wood Carving Techniques (Dick Onians)
Grinling Gibbons and the Art of Carving (David Esterly)
Hand Tools (Aldren Watson)
Old Ways of Working Wood (Aldren Watson)
Dictionary of Woodworking Tools (R. A. Salaman)
The Handplane Book (Garrett Hack)
Furniture Making Techniques [Vol 1 & 2] (David Charlesworth)
Choosing and Using Hand Tools (Andy Rae)
Restoring, Tuning, and Using Classic Handtools (Mike Dunbar)
American Furniture of the 18th Century (Jeff Greene)
The Workbench Book (Scott Landis)
The Toolbox Book (Jim Tolpin)
Traditional Woodworking Handtools (Graham Blackburn)
Taunton's Best of/New Best of FWW & FWW On... _____ [your subject of interest -hand planes, hand tools, finishing, etc.]
The Complete Dovetail (Ian Kirby)
The Woodworker's Guide to Hand Tools (Peter Korn)
Classic Hand Tools (Garrett Hack)
Woodcarving: Tools, Materials, & Equipment [Vol 1 & 2] (Chris Pye)
Complete Illustrated Guide to Period Furniture Details (Lonnie Bird)



VHS/DVDs: All of Rob Cosman’s woodworking DVDs are superb, as are all of David Charlesworth’s. I haven’t had a chance to watch Chris Schwartz’s DVDs yet, but they have gotten very positive reviews from those that have seen them. The LN web site also has some fairly specialised DVDs/VHS (like Tom Law’s on sharpening hand saws) that you might find interesting and useful.

General Comments: While it's by no means an all-inclusive list, there's not a lot that you can't do with a tool set similar to that listed above, and it's not too terribly expensive to set yourself up with, especially if you buy good quality older tools off that (in)famous auction site (eBay), from some of the old tool dealers, or at the flea market and yard sales. And, hand tools (except for the bench) have the advantage of not taking up very much room, either in use or for storage, and are generally pretty quiet in use.

One last thing: buy the best quality tools you can afford, so you only have to buy them once...... (This also largely avoids having to “fight” the deficiencies of a poor-quality/cheap tool while you are trying to learn how to use it, and wondering whether the problem is your technique or the tool.)



I hope that this will give you some useful ideas in selecting your first hand tools. Good luck, and have fun getting into hand tool woodworking!!

[Jeff Wright]

I am continually impressed with the unending generosity shown on SawMill Creek with the extensive answers to members' questions and requests for help. The lengthy postings in this thread is a great example. I greatly value the resouces found here. Thank you.

[Alex Yeilding]

Hi Doug,
I would recommend a vintage Stanley/Sargent/Craftsman (were made bt Sargent) adjustable mouth block pland as a good place to start.

I'm so glad to see someone else say this. I've previously been slightly embarrassed to admit that I "wasted" a Hock iron in my little Craftsman block plane. But I really like the heft of this plane and the way it fits my hand, enough to forget the sickly green color and Craftsman name.