Shop Made Joiner and Boatwright Tools Part Three

[Bob Smalser]

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Shaving horse of salvaged, old-growth D. Fir with Madrone dumbhead and treadle. Wear areas are reinforced with brass and copper sheet and bushings.

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Construction is traditional, with tapered and wedged round M/T. Had I not had this stick of old-growth on hand, I would have used maple for the legs…old-growth DF, however, equals the strength of most oaks.

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Made this walnut/oak carpenter’s box as a teenager 4 decades ago…carcass dovetails are misaligned and there’s far too much ostentation for my taste these days…but it remains in service. I keep it around to remind myself that I can do poorly-thought-out work, too.



Copyright 2003 Bob Smalser, Sprague Pond Wildlife Refuge, Camp Union WA

[Dave Anderson NH]

It is my hope that your three posts of home made tools will act as inspiration to the members here to try their hand at making some of their own tools. It's not really all that hard for most of the simple hand tools like hand screws, bowsaws, marking gages, awls, and a host of other things. Simple metal working tools like a hacksaw, some mill files, tinners snips, and a ball peen hammer will suffice for most stuff. Even a simple propane torch will work for hardening small cutters made from O-1 tool steel. The hand tools made with all wooden parts are even simpler like the nice mallet Matt posted a few days ago.

Come on folks, try your hand and post some pix of your results.