Cut the cord and throw the battery away

[Luke Dupont]

I'd love to have a planer and a bandsaw just to get my stock to rough dimensions, but as I do not have the luxury of space, money, or noise that those things require, I do everything by hand.

I have a jigsaw and an electric drill, but I rarely have need of them after acquiring a good brace and bit and making a number of bow saws, either of which tend to do as good or better a job in a comparable amount of time.

[Allan Speers]

This thread has me thinking about making a cordless tracksaw:

A slotted base in which fits a Disston D7, then the base rides along my EZ track.

You know, so I can saw a straight, 90 degree line line every time.



Yes, I'm kidding.

To answer the OP: I would never give up my (corded) tracksaw, as I work a lot with plywood. Also my cordless drill, and my Bandsaw. That's about it.

Well, a good work light is nice, too. Those old whale oil lamps can be dangerous.

[Matt Knights]

I have done fully unplugged for a few years now, the hardest part is resawing on a hot summers day so I went and bought a 16" bandsaw. Buying the bandsaw has made cuts like the one below a breeze (I think it was 9" sapele), its all good as long as you have the right tools for the job (I also bought a 3tpi 30" rip saw). TBH I would not be without my bandsaw now and would recommend one to any unplugged woodworker just to do the arduous jobs like resawing.

12038099_10153070662680583_4616103774976504385_n.jpg

Matt

[Luke Dupont]

I have done fully unplugged for a few years now, the hardest part is resawing on a hot summers day so I went and bought a 16" bandsaw. Buying the bandsaw has made cuts like the one below a breeze (I think it was 9" sapele), its all good as long as you have the right tools for the job (I also bought a 3tpi 30" rip saw). TBH I would not be without my bandsaw now and would recommend one to any unplugged woodworker just to do the arduous jobs like resawing.

12038099_10153070662680583_4616103774976504385_n.jpg

Matt

Hm... I guess one doesn't even need a planer with a bandsaw. I was thinking I'd want one to thickness stock, but you could always just resaw it.

When I have the space and noise-making freedom available to me, the bandsaw will probably be my first and last power tool purchase. I can't think of anything else I would need - other than, maybe, a lathe if I want to get into turning.

[Matt Knights]

Hm... I guess one doesn't even need a planer with a bandsaw. I was thinking I'd want one to thickness stock, but you could always just resaw it.

When I have the space and noise-making freedom available to me, the bandsaw will probably be my first and last power tool purchase. I can't think of anything else I would need - other than, maybe, a lathe if I want to get into turning.

All it needs is a quick going over with the jack plane then the smoother/try plane (depending on the size). I would never dream of having a planer/thicknesser too noisy and too much dust.

matt

[Bruce Haugen]

All it needs is a quick going over with the jack plane then the smoother/try plane (depending on the size). I would never dream of having a planer/thicknesser too noisy and too much dust.

matt

Even Patrick Leach has a power planer. He once said it's the one power tool he'd never give up. And he has more handtools than you do. Or me. Or anyone else, except maybe Rob Lee.

[Brian Holcombe]

I dont own a power planer, or a bandsaw, but given the amount of stock I resaw by hand I can certainly understand someone wanting to use a bandsaw for the job. I'm personally researching saws that can do the job exceptionally well. My Disston works well up to about 4-5" stock, my largest ryoba is the same, I have an anahiki that works up to about that level as well but works a little faster.

What is really needed however, when it comes to wide stock is about 1 TPI or even larger. That is a rare bird in terms of hand saws, maybe Maebiki nokogiri are about it.

Cabinet work does involve a lot of resawing if you like to match stock well.

[Mike Cherry]

I have a tv and a little Ryobi bench top bandsaw that sits on my garage floor unplugged. I have a thickness planer that was given to me by A good friend, but I admit I haven't worked out dust collection yet. My dust collection consists of a broom and a dust pan, and sometimes a shopvac. I got a bench grinder with a CBN wheel as well.

I think, with some dust collection, I could see myself using the thickness planer. I have considered a good 17" bandsaw but I'd rather build a framesaw and try that first.

[Mike Holbrook]

Although discussion on this forum is centered on hand tools it isn't easy to totally cut the cord sf throw out the batteries, especially all at once. It takes time to learn to sharpen, use hand planes and other hand tools for specific work. Certainly if one wants to saw everything by hand one needs to learn to saw but also learn to tune and sharpen saws.

I have tried to pick one area and learn how to do a specific type of work by hand. I was practicing planing glued up panels earlier. I decided to remove the wind from all 8 panels with my planes and then run them through my small planer as the work is for outside shutters on the house not furniture. I have been working on ways to get more out of my braces and hand drills too. I just ordered Wera I/4" bits, drills, sockets and adapters that I will be able to use in hand or power tools.

I'm not sure most people just go cold turkey. I am guessing most of us still switch the lights on before we can find our hand tools.

[Brian Holcombe]

Denny,

You asked about a planing bench previously, David Wong (DJ) is a regular here, he has built and uses a very beautiful planing bench. If you are into Japanese tools, I think you'll find yourself right at home here.

Cheers
Brian

[john zulu]

I went through about 1 year on pondering which equipment I need to buy.
After resawing a few long boards of hardwood. A bandsaw is needed.
Turning - lathe. Pole lathe too much room taken.
Drill press - The hand drill does not cut it. Frostner bit and big drill are now accessible and controllable.
Tracksaw - Plywood

I decided not buying a tablesaw. Partly due to the dangers.

[Derek Cohen]

I spent many years without a powered jointer or planer/thicknesser, relying on handplanes and/or together with a tablesaw or bandsaw. It was good experience but I do not see it as important (as some obviously do) in furniture making (unless, of course, one simply lacks the space or cannot justify the expense, which was my situation for a number of years). After all, much of the basic prep work could have been done in shops staffed by apprentices. Also, in days of olde (whateverthatmeans), it was possible to purchase timber sawn to thickness. Rough prep work is just rough prep work. It is what happens after this that is relevant. There is a lot of handtool work that still needs to get done. That is where I want to spend most of my time.

The bandsaw is the most important apprentice in the shop. You can get by with a #5, a #7 and a bandsaw. Plane one side flat, and re-saw to thickness.

These days I use a combination jointer-thicknesser (a Hammer A3-31 with helix head). It is a wonderful machine. Still, I often just thickness smaller pieces by hand as it is no big deal. A combo machine is the way to go in a small shop. Indeed, I explained why in the latest Popular Woodworking magazine (look for the End Grain article). This probably passed most by

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Brian Holcombe]

It's an important skill building tool to dimension by hand. In your case I do appreciate your interest in moving to a jointer/plane, between the woods that you prefer and your having done the job for quite some time and building the skill set. I think it is a mistake to say that it is in a category of its own and not included in the relevant work.

When you have the skill set you can approach very large timbers without issue. Slab tables are incredibly popular on the USA's East Coast due primarily to Nakashima's influence. Often times there are slabs being utilized that are far larger than can be reasonable expected to be worked by machine, so people work them with a combination of hand tools and hand held power planers. If you have the skill to understand dimensioning then that work is going to go forward nicely. That skill is really only developed through time spent doing it by hand and thinking about your efforts and fixing your failures.

[Steve Voigt]

I spent many years without a powered jointer or planer/thicknesser, relying on handplanes and/or together with a tablesaw or bandsaw. It was good experience but I do not see it as important (as some obviously do) in furniture making (unless, of course, one simply lacks the space or cannot justify the expense, which was my situation for a number of years). After all, much of the basic prep work could have been done in shops staffed by apprentices. Also, in days of olde (whateverthatmeans), it was possible to purchase timber sawn to thickness. Rough prep work is just rough prep work. It is what happens after this that is relevant.

I really could not disagree more, Derek. Basic dimensioning work builds skill, as Brian mentioned. Cutting joinery is easier if you can rip and crosscut with a coarse saw. Today, most people learn backwards (I did too); they start with dovetail saws and smoothing planes when they should start with big handsaws and Jack planes. I'm convinced that the agony many people go through learning to cut dovetails or M & Ts could be avoided by beginning at the beginning. Doesn't necessarily mean that one has to keep doing that forever, but it's an invaluable stage. I always cringe at the talk of "apprentices," because any skilled maker of the past would have learned and become fluent at the basic stuff from an early age.

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Steve

I think that you are reading more into what I wrote than is there. First of all, I was describing my journey, and that I have reached a point where the rough work is no longer something I wish to spend too much of my limited time on with handplanes. I think I have mastered handplanes reasonably well, and I really do not need the extra practice at this stage. I manage quite well to push a handplane over a board without stuffing it up

The question is whether "cordless" is the way for the OP to go? He wanted to know whether it can be done. The answer is, of course it can. The unasked question is 'how long is this viable?' - that is another matter. I offered my experience. Keep in mind that I am 66 - probably as old as both you and Brian together

Regards from Perth

Derek