How do they do it....

[Mark Stutz]

without hand tools. I'm still working on fitting my first inset door. Many thanks to Ron Brese for his expert guidance. Just taking a break for dinner, and the Creek, but should get it done tonight. Has taken me way longer than I thought it would or should, but for the first I'm pleased with the resuts. Have to keep telling myself that I can always shave off a little more...can't put it back. At this point in this project I want to get done! Must tell myself to be deliberate and not make one of thse DOH!:mad: mistakes. I realize I'm preachin' to the choir by posting this here, but I cannot imaging fitting this door without hand tools...planes and sharp chisels, etc. I guess it's a good thing I never tried this before!:D

Mark

[Rob Millard]

Mark,
I know exactly what you are saying; when some one tells me they build furniture using only power tools, I’m always amazed.
I’m fond of saying, I can easily (well fairly easily) build furniture without power tools, but I couldn’t build a packing crate without a plane.
Rob Millard

[Ron Brese]

Mark,

I agree, in fact hand tools are so much of my daily process in the shop I don't think I could function without them anymore. My shop environment has surely been nicer as a result of the liberal use of hand tools and I can enjoy music while I work. Let's face it there are some things that you just can't do with a power tool with a rotary cutting head.

Ironically one of the things that require the kind of refinement one can only get with hand tools is fitting the infills when I am making planes. The infills require a snug, virtually size for size fit and if the interior cavity of the metal body is not perfectly square then the infill has to be planed to fit. A small smoothing plane is the only tool that I have found to perform this work adequately and accurately. This type of refinement is the real thing about working with well tuned hand tools, especially planes. Refinement of the fit of joinery, refinement of surfaces, refinement in the gap around a well installed inset door, and all this resulting in an object that is more refined and more accurately made than it would be otherwise.

I'm not saying that similar work can not be achieved without hand tools, but for me I find that hand tools not only make it easier but immensely more enjoyable.

Ron Brese

[Leo Graywacz]

Make your faceframes and doors abosolutely square and bump them aganst an edge sander and it takes little time to get the doors fit. I only do inset kitchens and as long as you make it square, it is easy to fit.

[andy brown]

Hi,
You're taking a break for dinner??.... just how serious a carpenter are you,Mark?

I like reading your posts; you seem a modest down-to-Earth person and I wish you all the best in your search for the perfect result of your labours.

The fact that it is taking a lot longer than you thought is irrelevant, of course, as you hadn't started it when you wondered how long it would take! That is one of the aspects of carpentry I love- it takes you to a place away from words where your mind is just concentrating and time seems to have no meaning.

Enjoy your dinner.

Andy.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

What Leo said.
Really it's all a question of how you have learned to work.

[Mark Stutz]

Andy,
Thanks for the kind words. I couldn't agree more about the time. It's irrelevant. For me this is all about the journey, not the destination. Kind of like "The Tortoise and Teh Hare"....I'll get there eventually.

Mark

[Mark Stutz]

Leo,
Sure hope I didn't sound judgmental, or condescending or... what. I should have added a few more emoticons. This was in part tongue in cheek, and why it was here in the hand tools forum. I hope I didn't offend. Cliff is absolutely correct. Based on my prior level of experience, and tools, I couldn't imagine doing this with what I had...ROS, belt sander, sanding block, and my prior limited experience. I also can't imagine building a set of kitchen cabinets without that edge sander.

Mark

[Leo Graywacz]

Leo,
Sure hope I didn't sound judgmental, or condescending or... what. I should have added a few more emoticons. This was in part tongue in cheek, and why it was here in the hand tools forum. I hope I didn't offend. Cliff is absolutely correct. Based on my prior level of experience, and tools, I couldn't imagine doing this with what I had...ROS, belt sander, sanding block, and my prior limited experience. I also can't imagine building a set of kitchen cabinets without that edge sander.

Mark

Hand tools? Really? Maybe I should look at what forum I'm posting in before I start writing stuff. :D

No offense taken.