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Thread: Best "tools" for learning woodworking with hand tools

  1. #1
    Join Date
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    Best "tools" for learning woodworking with hand tools

    Hi,

    I assume that these types of questions have probably been asked before, so a pointer to any existing threads would be very helpful. But here goes...

    I'm new to woodworking (well, I wanted to start on it years ago but didn't get very fair...just barely into the very frustrating "I have no clue what I'm doing" part ) and want to be a neanderthal...I guess. I would like to stay away from tools that require amps and watts and instead will run just fine on elbow grease. Although I realize that well sharpened tools will require less of that

    Also, and I'm sure just about everyone starts off this way, finances and space are limited...So the questions are:

    a) What is the minimum set of tools one needs in order to get started?
    b) What books/DVDs/Websites would you suggest for help in learning techniques for sharpening, sawing, planing, chiseling, gluing, finishing...all the basic skills one needs in order to become a somewhat proficient woodworker?
    c) Are there specific exercises, or simple projects, that you would suggest to someone who wants to practice, and perfect (I hope ), all the basic skills? In particular simple projects that yield useful and worthwhile results .
    d) What would you do for a fairly functional, but very inexpensive, workbench?

    On the workbench front, my current thinking is to make a couple of sawhorses that I can stack when not in use and get a couple pieces of MDF that I can glue/screw together, put a bunch of 3/4" holes in and (maybe, once the budget allows for it) some Veritas pups and wonder pups. At the moment, unless I can find a usable bench vise at a flea market, I'm thinking that might be my best bet for a semi-functional workbench with some basic clamping capabilities.

    The other thought that I had for a vise is to make a "moxon" twin-screw vise (I do have the tap and thread-box for 1-1/2" wooden screws) that I can clamp to my "bench", but that doesn't solve the problem when trying to plane longer pieces, hence the "pups".

    Any thoughts/suggestions/pointers to previous threads would be greatly appreciated.

    Oh, and I live in Mid-Coast Maine (just south of Phippsburg/Bath) so if there is anyone in the area that wouldn't mind someone bugging them, asking stupid questions, and generally being a nosy pain in the neck...that would be great too

    Thanks,

    Rob

    P.S. Here's what I have so far...a couple of bench chisels (no mortise chisels), a couple small (cheap) block planes, a Craftsman #5 plane, a Stanley #4 plane, a spokeshave (all the planes need to be cleaned, sharpened, and tuned), a brace and set of Jennings bits (4/16-16/16, although I'm sure I paid too much for them since at least one of them is bent...), a hand-crank grinder (with a somewhat beat up stone), a few short (12"?) wood clamps, two VERY rusty saws (one dove-tail and one other fine-toothed saw...and I'm not sure I'll be able to get the rust off of them), some hammers, screw-drivers, framing square, some smaller squares and a t-bevel square, a Workmate 1000 (currently has my reloading stuff bolted to it...but if I build a stand for that... ). And a couple other bits and pieces.

  2. #2
    Join Date
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    Not trying to be smart but, you have the 5 most essential tools needed to start with, 2 hands, 2 eyes, and an inquiring mind, and a good connection between them. The ability to ask questions is a very good attribute and those of us here on the Creek are always asking questions, especially about something we don't understand.

    Whatever you do don't use naval jelly to derust anything.

    probably your best investment would be a pair of books, The Practical Woodworker and The Complete Woodworker, Edited by Bernard E. Jones.

    Sawmill Creek has an excellent Search Engine and I advise using it. Also got to the FAQ at the top of the Neanderthal Haven. and check those out.
    Jr.
    Hand tools are very modern- they are all cordless
    NORMAL is just a setting on the washing machine.
    Be who you are and say what you feel... because those that matter... don't mind...and those that mind...don't matter!
    By Hammer and Hand All Arts Do Stand

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
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    Northern California
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    Rob,

    The best way to get started is to get started......

    Figure out something you want to build, something that you feel is in your skill range. Based on your P.S. list of tools, looks like you have already been doing some searching and collecting. Just make a box or a shelf you can hang on the wall to store some of those tools. Once you get into it, you will have specific questions that people will be more inclined to help you with.

    Marv

    Catchyalater,
    Marv


    "I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better."

    ~Maya Angelou~

  4. #4
    Join Date
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    I would say check out this site...
    http://www.logancabinetshoppe.com/index.html
    Bob is a member here and posts often... he has a lot of good info on tools and techniques on his blog and podcast.
    Andrew Gibson
    Program Manger and Resident Instructor
    Florida School Of Woodwork

  5. #5
    Personally, I would go easy and buy things as you need them. Also, don't make this neander thing a religion UNLESS you really want to because you enjoy it. For example, there's no need to get mortising chisels. You can mortise just as well by removing the waste with a drill, and then squaring up the sides with a regular chisel.

    The only really important thing that any woodworker needs to know and perfect, regardless of what you're doing, is you must have tools that are sharp enough to get the job done. Sharp for carpentry work is a much different sharp than for pairing, for example. Scary Sharp is cheap to start with and gets fantastic results. That's where I'd start if I wanted cheap and simple.

    I personally I don't like your workbench idea. MDF will make a very poor work surface, in my opinion, especially if it's not otherwise braced (others may disagree). Here's a very simple workbench design, and it's not very expensive to make:

    http://www.eaa1000.av.org/technicl/w...l/worktabl.htm

    I built these years ago and it makes a fine, sturdy, inexpensive bench. For dog holes to work properly, they need to be in relatively thick wood, so I don't think that will work out. That's OK. Clamping directly to the bench is perfectly acceptable. I did that for many years until I finally caved and bought a "real" bench.

    Does it need to be collapsable? At a minimum, if you decide to use saw horses, I would take the little bit of extra time to make the top into a torsion box so it doesn't sag as you work on it. That will drive you to drink and make the whole experience miserable. It did for me, at any rate. A torsion box can always be turned into a bench just by adding legs, so there's that to consider too. It will be much heavier, though.

    In the past, I've used a heavy duty door as a bench top. When you go to pick it up at Home Depot (or wherever), grab a level from the rack and take it with you. Find a reasonably straight one. Here's an example of a bench I made out of a door. I suspect it'd work just as well on saw horses.
    http://www.ballofshame.com/flying/rv...g/20060322.php

    The first shot is the "door" bench. To the right in the second picture is on of the EAA benches (you typically build them in pairs, but you don't have to).

    This is all just my opinion. I think most of us started where you did. For me, sharpening and properly tuning my tools was the gateway skill. Once I got past that, everything became SOOOOO much easier.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
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    newmarket, ontario, canada
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    Rob,

    Since you are into handtools and looking a workbench as first project consider "Bob and Dave's Good, Fast, and Cheap Bench".....

    http://picnicpark.org/keith/woodwork...apBench-ne.pdf

    It's both good and cheap but decent, solid and lasting workbench don't seem to be a fast project, especially if you need to source your spruce/fir or other softwood in the form of construction grade 2 by material from any of the big box stores as you will need to let them set them aside for a while to let their moisture content come down...... there was a bit of a thread on this plan on the Canadian woodworking forum - use 'building a workbench with spruce' on the search function in that website.

    Bruce Hoadley's Understanding Wood is the text on understanding the physical characteristics of wood and how to work with them..... short of finding it in a library there is a similar, if not as complete/well illustrated text available online for free from the U.S. dept. of forestry: google 'wood as a engineered material".

    Learn how to sharpen your tools. Probably 90% of making a second hand or second grade hand plane do wonders is sharpening the blade.

    Having a hands on guide in the form of a more experienced woodworker beside you is ideal but many of are learning/upgrading our woodworking skills via the internet; there are lots of resources to read and don't be hesitant to ask questions or ask if a plan you have in mind (and are even confident about in your glorious innocence - smiley) doesn't a fatal flaw or two - eg. I'd be skeptical about the durability of dog holes sunk in layers of mdf.

    good luck

    michael

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
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    Austin, TX
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    I support Harry's advice as well as picking a small project... e.g.

    A couple of weekends ago I built a small "shaker step stool". Simple two step stool to reach the upper shelfs in the closet, well for the GF to reach them.

    In any case, I used:

    1- Saw (I have some LN) but I used a gents saw Crown (affordable)
    1- Ryoba Saw (also affordable) to cut & rip the boards
    1 -Small bow saw (or fret saw will do just a bit of work) to cut some curves
    1- 1/4" chisel (to cut some dadoes)
    1- Block plane (60-1/2)
    1- Jack plane
    1- Fillister plane (old Stanley #78, common as dirt)

    I hardly make anything where I don't use these tools, so I would not consider these a complete set of beginer's tools, but certainly somewhat essential, at least to me.

    I would add a smoothing plane (#4) but since my Jack can be set to smooh, I didn't mention it.

    just my $0.02

    /p

  8. #8
    I made a short post a while back about something very similar to the question you asked.

    My opinion is that it depends on what you want to do that dictate your tools.

    http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...25#post1233025
    Making furniture teaches us new ways to remove splinters.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
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    I heartily recommend this book for anyone interested in learning to use handtools:

    http://books.google.com/books?id=o2m...page&q&f=false

  10. #10
    I'm with John: Buy tools as you need them.

    If I had to pick ONE tool to start, I'd get a 60 1/2 block plane on ebay and a bunch of sandpaper and a honing guide and learn how to sharpen and what it feels like to shave some wood.

    Proper sharpening is essential to using hand tools. I do think you should jump in and make some projects though; it's the way I've been learning; it makes the learning permanent and practical.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
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    Sebasco Estates, ME
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    Wow! This is great. Thanks to everyone that replied. It will take me a little bit to digest all of this. I do happen to have "The Complete Woodworker" edited by Bernard E. Jones (it was the one book I bought many years ago when I first took a stab at woodworking) and another book called "The Essential Woodworker" by Robert Wearing, as well as a few others by various authors. The Wearing book has some simple projects, like building a table, as well as some exercises on technique, so it may give me some of the more practical steps.

    On the workbench, the problem with the MDF (I was thinking about gluing two 3/4" pieces) is that it could bend in the middle (like John mentioned) and I was worried that trying to use something like a holdfast might end up putting too much pressure on the walls of the holes and cause it to crumble/break.

    One idea I saw was to get a couple of hardwood countertops from Ikea (from the kitchen department). They have one that is $89 (approximately 2'x4' which should work in my limited space), made of beech/birch/oak (I like the looks of the beech) and it's 1-1/2" thick. A couple of those glued together might make a decent 3" thick top. I'm sure that's more expensive than just getting some pine or a solid core door from the local Lowes/HD, but it could give me a usable hardwood top at a half-way decent price that will look nice too

    Fortunately we have some old wood lying around the house (piles outside left over from previous construction jobs - before we lived here) and I can use it for practicing my techniques. I'm going to start working on cleaning up, sharpening, and tuning my planes so that I can start practicing.

    Again, thanks for all the help and pointers. I'm sure I'll have lots of questions as I (slowly) progress.

    Rob

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Rob Marshall View Post

    On the workbench, the problem with the MDF (I was thinking about gluing two 3/4" pieces) is that it could bend in the middle (like John mentioned) and I was worried that trying to use something like a holdfast might end up putting too much pressure on the walls of the holes and cause it to crumble/break.

    One idea I saw was to get a couple of hardwood countertops from Ikea (from the kitchen department). They have one that is $89 (approximately 2'x4' which should work in my limited space), made of beech/birch/oak (I like the looks of the beech) and it's 1-1/2" thick. A couple of those glued together might make a decent 3" thick top. I'm sure that's more expensive than just getting some pine or a solid core door from the local Lowes/HD, but it could give me a usable hardwood top at a half-way decent price that will look nice too

    Rob
    Save your pennies then. . .

    Combine pine and hardwood. Use the hardwood for the top, and the pine for rest. To be clearer, only get one countertop. You can glue up a pine plank a little oversize, then laminate the Hardwood to that.

    Nothing against the original plan of several countertops, but I am personally a big fan of utility, and a natural cheapskate.
    Making furniture teaches us new ways to remove splinters.

  13. #13
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    Sep 2010
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    Sebasco Estates, ME
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    Hi Matt, thanks for the suggestion.

    Let me ask the question this way: If I used pine for the top, would I have problems using holdfasts? i.e. Would the holes be likely to widen when using a softer wood?

    In an earlier reply, Michael pointed me to a PDF for "Bob and Dave's Good, Fast and Cheap Bench" which is made completely of pine. They use square dog holes, I was thinking of using round ones...but I'm not dogmatic about it, mainly because I like the idea of holdfasts. So my concern is that the holes would widen because of the pressure against the walls. Although the length of the holdfast might mean that the pressure would be spread out over a large area and perhaps it wouldn't be a problem. Does anyone have any experience with this?

    On the other hand, I think it would be a safe bet that there have been many discussions, maybe even religious wars, waged over the topic of which woods to use for a bench. Maybe someone could provide me with a few links because I'm not sure I want this thread to get too side tracked with the bench...

    Again, I really appreciate all the help.

    Rob

  14. #14
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    Oh, one other thing...Pedro mentioned a bow saw. I like the idea of having a couple of bow saws in various sizes for different purposes. Are there any thoughts on that?

    I have the Frank Klausz DVD on hand tools and he uses a bow saw that looks like it's 18"-24" long and has a larger blade in it than some of the smaller ones, e.g. the Gramercy bow saw, that I've seen. If I wanted to make a collection of bow saws in various sizes:

    What would be good sizes?
    Where would I get the blades?
    And where would I get the pins to hold the blades?

    I know that Gramercy sells the parts, but I assume they would only work on the smaller saw.

    Thanks,

    Rob

  15. #15
    Rob, I am not 100% sure.

    I know there are several folks here with benches made of pine, or, in Harry Strasils case, Basswood, and I know they use hold fasts.

    David Gendron mentioned something about hold fasts and how they hold in pine, but I can't seem to find the comment he made on it to save my life this evening.

    Maybe a Pm to either of them with a question might work, as that they should have that information.

    Back on track now. . .

    what sort of wood working do you plan on doing, mainly?
    Making furniture teaches us new ways to remove splinters.

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