I took the opportunity, on my recent project, to use a Stanley 45 combination plane to do the edge beading (I think that’s what it’s called) instead of setting up my router or shaper. I’m trying to do more and more with hand tools as a way of connecting to the fundamentals of the hobby/skill/pastime/avocation. (whatever this really is called)
I’m also, of course, doing it to keep telling myself that I’m not a collector, I’m a user. (Hello, my name is Tom, and I’m a plane-o-holic….[group response, “hi, Tom”]
From a time standpoint, at least on a small project, it actually seems to be a bit faster than the machine set up, but if I really wanted to save time, I’d just buy whatever it was I was making, so let’s just take that out of the equation altogether.
As I’ve begun to work on my (to this point somewhat limited) skills with hand planes, I’ve had the occasion to think back to 8th grade woodworking class. A time, for many on this site I venture to say, that was before they existed…when “Leave it to Beaver” had yet to hit the rerun circuit.
I was handed a tri square (try square?) and plane and shown how to square up a board. It looked so easy when he did it. Then I tried to square (try square?) it up. It took a long time and the board got a lot smaller along the way.
As I practice this now, I think I’m a little more proficient at it than I was then, or maybe I’m just starting with a bigger board.
One thing I do know, though, is that every stroke I take in some small way takes me on a journey back to that class…to that time. A time when my dad was around and we’d go down in the basement and I’d watch him work on his/my Shopsmith (see my recent tool review), and he’d show me how to do stuff. (God, he was proud of that machine)
As I make more shavings, and I’ve made a bunch, I try to imagine what it must have been like to be a woodworker back when my great grandfather (1880’s) used those skills to make a living. I have a few of those planes and, holding them, I am sometimes overwhelmed at the idea of doing what he did.
What I do know, and what I do feel is a kind of kinship with those craftsman…not because I’m even remotely able do what they could (I have a long ways to go in that regard) but because when I hold one of those planes, take that stroke and watch the shaving curl up, I feel the kind of satisfaction in the result that I believe you can only feel when you truly work the wood by hand…the feeling they had.
It may take me a long time to develop the skill to be as precise as today’s power tools…maybe I never will… but I’m going to keep on trying…. because that feels so good -SST
-- Accuracy is not in your power tool, it's in you
11 comments so far
Blake
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1902 posts in 326 days
posted 187 days ago
“Hi, Tom!” ...Great story. You will get a lot of enjoyment out of the hand tool use. I’m only a moderate user of hand tools, and am still at the bottom of the learning curve. I wish I had more time to dedicate just to hand tool use and learning.
-- Dust collectors suck.
Eric
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640 posts in 236 days
posted 187 days ago
I’m with ya. From time to time, I’ve had to get a new piece of wood as I realize that all of my planing has rendered my original piece too small. Oh well, at least it still wasn’t square.
Patience, grasshoppa.
-- Eric at http://adventuresinwoodworking.com
Scott Bryan
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8584 posts in 274 days
posted 187 days ago
Hi Tom.
I did notice the bead detail you put on the baseball shelf and thought to myself that it looked just like the profile I get with my router and beading bit. Using hand tools is a neglected aspect of this hobby, in my opinion. I will be honest, I am a power tool guy. My hand skills have been sorely neglected over the years but after being on board at this site I have developed an interest in improving these skills and am working on it.
Blake is right about getting enjoyment out of woodworking with hand tools (although in my case it is a cause of much frustration at the present time). But this is a technique that a woodworker should have at their disposal.
Keep practicing. Your skills will only improve.
-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.
GaryK
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8414 posts in 440 days
posted 187 days ago
I tend to only use them when I have to.
-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.
tenontim
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846 posts in 196 days
posted 187 days ago
You’re right, Tom. It’s about getting back to the “roots”. I use my planes, hand saws, chisels, scrapers, etc. every chance I get. Many times it is quicker than setting up a power tool. I cut the tenons on the curved backs of my chairs with a tenon saw, because it’s easier than making a jig to do it. I have a Stanley 44 plough plane that I bought just for making the doors for my kitchen cabinets. It’s slower, but it’s quieter. It’s easier to honestly tell someone that the piece they’re looking at is “handmade”. Hand tool uses is slowly but surely dieing out. There are still a few Neanderthals left and hopefully, if they pass the procedures along it won’t die out in the too near future.
-- Tim -- http://tmuli.com
Thos. Angle
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3244 posts in 414 days
posted 187 days ago
Hi Tom. Well said.
-- Thos. Angle, Owyhee Design, Oregon
Red Headed Merganser
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751 posts in 626 days
posted 187 days ago
Welcome, Tom.
Thanks for sharing!
-- Ethan, http://www.merganserwoodworks.com, http://greystonegreen.blogspot.com/
Chris
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1166 posts in 443 days
posted 183 days ago
Hi Tom… I love using my hand planes when I can. However, having recently dimensioned some lumber completely by hand I will admit that power tools are nice for the rough dimensioning work then I will use my hand tools for the fine / detail work.
-- Chris
rikkor
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7202 posts in 326 days
posted 183 days ago
I have always felt hand tools were a good way to destroy wood. Then I bought a high quality hand plane. Oh, the feel of a transparent ribbon of wood coming off the board was wonderful. Conclusion: hand tools must be of high quality and properly set up to be much use. But when they are, they are really fun to use.
-- Maplewood, MN
8iowa
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114 posts in 213 days
posted 181 days ago
I recall a discussion in another forum, where several participants were desirous of obtaining a jointer that was just as wide as their planer for the purpose of initially flattening a board. They were into their discussion of 10”, 12” and wider planers, costs, large size, ect. when a poster came in with a “whatsamatter with you guys” kind of response, telling them that with his hand plane he could have a board flattened enough to go through the planer in just a few minutes.
-- "Heaven is North of the Bridge"
Ryan Shervill
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199 posts in 264 days
posted 181 days ago
8iowa, that is the bang-on truth. In my shop, anyting up to 8” wide gets the jointer, but for anything over 8”, out come the winding sticks and grandads #7 1/2.
SST~Very well written. It’s almost like you can see the faces of those who used these tools before you in the the curls coming off the frog isn’t it? The sound, the feel of the plane, the gossomer thin curls litereing the bench….it really can take you back to another time. Thanks for reminding me of that!....I think I know how I’m going to start my day tomorrow.
-- If you can't set a good example, at least serve as a horrible warning... www.rarewoodcreations.com