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Thread: Getting Started with what I have

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2018
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    Houston, TX
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    Getting Started with what I have

    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:

    46D8362E-5F27-4303-A2D4-4928D521E9EE.jpg

    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.

    06AB47B4-C038-4E04-8CB1-E8D104D92A17.jpg

    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...

  2. #2
    I'm thinking you can do a lot of woodworking with those tools.

    Jim

  3. #3
    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
    "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

    “If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”

  4. #4
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    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
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by John Isgren View Post
    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:

    46D8362E-5F27-4303-A2D4-4928D521E9EE.jpg

    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.

    06AB47B4-C038-4E04-8CB1-E8D104D92A17.jpg

    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

  6. #6
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    Oct 2018
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    Houston, TX
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Koepke View Post
    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.

  7. #7
    You'll be fine. I started with less than that, there's a good starter set there.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
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    Virginia
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    Quote Originally Posted by John Isgren View Post
    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?

  9. #9
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    The Irwin/Marples are from the 80s. Sheet goods will be with power tools mostly.

  10. #10
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    Houston, TX
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    Quote Originally Posted by ken hatch View Post
    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.

  11. 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).
    Last edited by Jason Martin Winnipeg; 02-07-2019 at 5:39 PM.

  12. #12
    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.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Oct 2018
    Location
    Houston, TX
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    Had about an hour to work tonight so I started squaring up the legs. Planed my reference edges and then ripped to width.409CD724-54A3-41D4-B5F5-C63530731836.jpg

    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.

    6A0C7204-AD08-4195-9DA0-29EB0A008077.jpg

    A little planing on that side side and then planing the final side to width and I ended up with a square leg!C7FECA1F-EB39-42F5-AFEC-52A3DFC21CDF.jpg

    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!

    5CEC0296-771B-433B-9918-FAFCFA8252A0.jpg

    Two down, two to go!

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Oct 2018
    Location
    Houston, TX
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    Legs squared

    .4DE282DE-3928-4677-8C9E-97CEA4638AC8.jpg

    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.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Oct 2018
    Location
    Houston, TX
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    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.

    77BBA8A8-838D-41E2-A08F-271413590072.jpg

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