Bare Necessities

[Thomas Knighton]

Nice! Thanks again Marcus!

Tom

[Larry Laffer]

Make the jigs, especially the straightedge guide! If you'll have trouble storing something 8' long, then buy a commercial guide that breaks down into sections. Get one that clamps from underneath the stock, on on the edge.

A circular saw with dust collection is nice.

You'll definite want a bench with dogs and a vise or two. Make it as long as you can.

I can't live without a cordless drill, even though I have an eggbeater and three bit braces.

Highly accurate measuring and marking tools are key. On the cheap, you can use plastic drafting triangles. Otherwise, a top quality combination square. I have the usual 12" , plus a 6" forged square for the apron. It won't get ruined if you drop it. Steel rules 6", 12", and 24". You can use the Pythagorean 3-4-5 thing to make a very accurate 4' triangle or t-square for crosscutting plywood.

Pencils-I like the fat mechanical model from Woodcraft for marking up lumber for planing. A smaller mechanical one is good for laying out joints, as the size of the mark doesn't change as you work.
Lumber crayons in various colors, plus white.
Marking knifes are good for anywhere you're going to use a chisel.

If you're going to get a benchtop table saw, get one with a riving knife.

I love my Japanese saws. I have a 2 sided Ryoba, a curved joinery saw, a rip tooth dozuki, and flush cutting kugihiki.

You could actually have a half dozen benchtop machines or more mounted to plywood bases and stored conveniently on shelves. When you want to use one, take it down and clamp it to your bench. I'd want a tablesaw with 3/8"x3/4" miter slots, a band saw, , benchtop planer, drill press, and a combination sanding machine or two. Maybe a jointer also, depending on the kind of work I wanted to do. And a mini lathe.

I have a bench I made to use with my saw guide system. The top is a piece of 1/2 ply 30" wide by 60" long. If I made one again, I'd probable use 5/8" or 3/4" ply, but this one isn't too bad, and I wanted it to be lightweight. The bottom has 4 floor flanges for threaded pipe attached at the corners. I can use various lengths from my pipe clamp collection to make different height work tables.
1x3 is attached on edge to the top's perimeter, and across the width every foot. Next to each of those cross pieces is a loose 1x3 that has notches in the appropriate spots, and is held in place with a couple of wood cams. I can loosed the cams and move the extension piece to either edge where there are mating notches, relocking with the cams. The table has mounting holes to hang it on the wall. If I ever get a camera, I'll have to post pics.

[Thomas Knighton]

Folks,

First, thanks for all the tips and tricks for working with a small shop. They are appreciated.

However, this thread is supposed to be about hand tools, not power tools. I haven't ruled anything out one way or the other, I'm just trying to approach this from as many angles as possible and make the best decision for me that I can.

There's just a lot info out about power tools, but not quite as much about hand tools

Thanks again folks!

Tom

[Mark Stutz]

Folks,

.



There's just a lot info out about power tools, but not quite as much about hand tools

Thanks again folks!

Tom

Tom,
I'll add a few semi-random thoughts. Hopefully it will add to things. Most of us are not "pure" Neanderthals, and do use combinations of power and hand tools, although I have done projects completely by hand and it is lots of fun. A lot of us, or at least one of us come from a power tool background, with hand tool usage evolving at varying rates. It sounds as if you are just getting this hobby, so you sort of have a clean slate.

There is definitely a learning curve with hand tools.Sawing,chopping,paring to a line do take some practice. I would suggest starting off with small projects. Jumping into large pieces of furniture, while learning the skill at the same time can be frustrating...DAMHIKT. A small jewelry box, music box, candle box, etc. all require the same skills as a chest of drawers, but on a smaller scale. In that case, your #5 cold easily be used for jointing the edges, and even faces of the smaller pieces, and you wouldn't have the expense of a jointer plane right out of the box, although old wooden jointers are often available rather inexpensively, they too often need to be tuned. Dovetails are dovetails no matter what the scale, and other joinery techniques the same. Grooves for drawer bottoms are fast with a plow plane of some kind, but can be done with nothing more than a backsaw and chisels. This could be one of those choices...a small router table, even a benchtop model would not take up much space...but once you get used to the tranquility of hand tools, it's hard to turn on those screaning demons.

Pick a small project...step stool, jewelry box,small clock,etc....get the minimum tools to start, and add as the need arises. There could be whole threads on what tools we've all purchased...thought we just HAD to have...and basically sit unused.

More random thoughts...you don't need a whole set of chisels...nice, but not absolute...1/4, 1/2, 3/4 would get you started. New Japanese saws are usually available more quickly that searching flea markets, etc. but are more expensive, but are ready to go. Personally, I much prefer western saws, but others use Japanese style exclusively.

I'll shut up now.

Mark

[Thomas Knighton]

Mark,

Don't shut up!

I figure I'll probably be a hybrid myself after much thinking today (yeah, I still should be working, but I'd rather think about woodworking ).

I'm really going to take your advice about starting small to heart. I have a box I want to build for my father-in-law to house and protect a beautiful curly maple indian flute he has. He transports it all the time and just has a cloth sleave to protect it, so a box is one of the early projects I have in mind.

The other is a bench for my sister-in-law that would double as a hope chest...probably the biggest thing I've currently got in mind...and probably a bit advanced for me just now

Thanks again!

Tom

[Larry Laffer]

Another nice small project is making your own wooden hand planes. There is a terrific book on the subject by David Finck.

http://www.amazon.com/Making-Masteri...8789869&sr=8-1

[Thomas Knighton]

Ooooooo! Nice! Thanks for the heads up on that one Larry

Tom

[Mark Stutz]

Thomas,
I would wager that the two most common power tools in the "neander" shops are a thickness planer and bandsaw. Neither take up much space and are very handy. The planer saves lots of time. I think it is nice to know how to thickness and four square a board, and the skills are applicable to many tasks, but after awhile it is boring and very time consumeing. Even the master cabinet makers in the past had apprentices!

That little box sounds great! Dovetails for joinery. Sliding, raised panel for the lid. Small enough to not require a lot of stock, so surfacing and thicknessing could be accomplished with a smoother (3 or 4 size) and a jack (5 or6) and that could double a jointer. I small rip saw for the DTs and maybe the grooves. A couple of chisels, and a mallet. Marking knife and awl for marking. Small square and sliding bevel for layout. Straightedge and winding sticks for stock prep. A block plane would probably come in handy as well, and some system for sharpening. You can probaly find a user grade #45 without all the cutters etc, that can be used for the grooves...probably will even come with narrow, 3/16 or 1/4 cutter. ( Again, not essential, but a lot faster the sawing and chiseling.) Each new project will improve the old skills, and add some new skills, as well as tools. Good luck in your quest.

Mark

[Larry Laffer]

Mark- Nice ideas there. I can't believe I missed the sliding T-bevel. I'd add that he make sure he gets one where the lock doesn't interfere with using the tool. I have the Veritas bevels, plus the smaller of the two Shinwa bevels that are copies of an old Stanley design with the locking mechanism at the bottom.
Also, the recommendation for a method of sharpening was so basic that many overlooked it, myself included.
Start with the scary sharp system, or if money isn't a problem, go with the Worksharp 3000. ($200). It makes sharpening so fast and easy that you'll never put it off.

And a question: Is cost a concern? It might make a difference in some of the answers you'll get. Great thread, BTW.

[Thomas Knighton]

Thanks for all the fantastic advice! I get the feeling that, while this thread was initially for me, it'll become one of those threads that others can make use of in the future. Kind of a warm, tingly feeling

Last night, I came home to a MUCH larger refund on something than I was expecting, so I went a little nuts.

I got four of the Japanese chisels from Grizzly (didn't want the whole set just yet), A WWII era #5 Stanley, a mallet and some cabinetmaker's rules from LV, and a Starett combination square. Probably at some point today, I'll pull the trigger on a rip saw and a dovetail saw. It's a late Christmas present to me

I still need a lot, obviously, but I'll probably snag a few more things next payday (got to keep the budget master VERY happy ). Included in that list is the bevel. Thanks guys for the tips on those!

As for sharpening, I'm looking pretty heavily at Scary Sharp (TM), but what I read said you needed to grind the back of the blades first, then hit the sandpaper (unless I read it wrong). I have a grinder, but it wasn't purchased for this type of work, so it may be a bad thing to use on tools. I was looking at the WorkSharp 2000 instead of the 3000. A bit more affordable for what looks like a scaled down version of the same tool.

On the other hand, I almost picked up Grizzly's wet sharpener last night, but held off until I could get some further info on it.

Now that I think about it, this was more exciting than Christmas

A Very Appreciative Tom

[Marcus Ward]

Tom, are you on a budget? The worksharp is really nice but there are lots of cheaper ways to get this done than that system. I bought an el cheapo belt sander from harbor freight that I flip upside down to do initial bevel grinds and I just use the 3m microabrasive from lee valley on a piece of glass to do the honing. If you haven't got the whole sharpening thing down I recommend the mk II honing jig from lee valley too.
Regarding the backs of the blades, you don't grind them, you just lap them until they're flat and don't have grooves or machining marks in them.

[Thomas Knighton]

I'm sort of on a budget. Nothing really set down as "don't spend more than this", but I can't go overboard either. The $100 price tag of the WorkSharp 2000 is one of the primary reasons I haven't already jumped on it, but it's not out of reach either.

Rockler has a Scary Sharp honing kit with glass, paper, and guide for $29.99 that I've serious thought about getting. I was just concerned about the need to lap the back, something I know the WorkSharp can do.

Tom

[Mark Stutz]

Tom,
You'll have no problem lapping the chisel backs with sandpaper. A motorized system will be faster, but not necessarily better. I don't have Japanese chisels, but supposedly the hollow backs make flattening much easier and faster. Again, I'm simply reiterating what I've read here, but my take is htat the Japanese chisels handle just a bit differently, but can't speak from experience, so I'll let someone else chime in on this.

A dovetail saw should be filed rip, so for small scale work a small joinery saw/DT saw can be the same, and your second saw can be crosscut. You'll only need a larger rip saw(backsaw) for doing larger tenons or a rip filed panel saw for ripping stock.

Remember, none of this has happened without pictures!

Mark

[Thomas Knighton]

Tom,
You'll have no problem lapping the chisel backs with sandpaper. A motorized system will be faster, but not necessarily better. I don't have Japanese chisels, but supposedly the hollow backs make flattening much easier and faster. Again, I'm simply reiterating what I've read here, but my take is htat the Japanese chisels handle just a bit differently, but can't speak from experience, so I'll let someone else chime in on this.

Good to know. What about plane blades? Same thing? I'd figure it would be the same, but I've been known to talk out of other body parts before

A dovetail saw should be filed rip, so for small scale work a small joinery saw/DT saw can be the same, and your second saw can be crosscut. You'll only need a larger rip saw(backsaw) for doing larger tenons or a rip filed panel saw for ripping stock.

Good to know! This is all very new to me, and it's cool to learn this stuff

Remember, none of this has happened without pictures!

Mark

I'll definitely be sure to "make it happen" when the stuff gets here. Unfortunately, it needs to be here this afternoon, and that ain't happening...I'm an impatient SOB

Oh yeah, snagged a #51 spoke shave earlier today also!

Tom

[Marcus Ward]

Yes, plane blades are the same. You just flatten the back on the same sandpaper you're sharpening on. A dovetail should be filed rip but it's been my (limited) experience that a small, much more finely toothed saw, does a better job than a saw that'll do anything else well.