| Blog series by Tomcat1066 | updated 234 days ago | 18 parts | 3642 reads | 193 comments total |
Part 1: The Great Wide Open
So. I just put a bid on a #71 router plane on ebay. I have my #4 and #5 within arms reach, as is the POS block plane I bought from Tractor Supply Company that is better than I thought it would be. My Japanese saws are just outside of my reach, as are my chisels. Since my workshop is in a house I’ll be moving to, I have no where else to put them. That’s OK. I like having them nearby. It makes me feel like I’m working toward my goal of being a woodworker. There is ...
Part 2: False Start? Or Divine Intervention?
My childhood was…unique. Now, before I get to far into this, let me let you know this won’t be a post about how I had a crumby childhood or anything. It may be true at times, but it wasn’t necessarily because of my parents. My mother was great, though a little odd. She was an artist though, and that seems to go with the territory there. My Dad was never a contender for Father of the Year, but he tried and that’s what counts in the grand scheme of things. One th...
Part 3: Inching Closer to Building
Every day, I’m a bit closer toward being able to finally build something! I want to finalize my workbench design. I want to get familiar enough with Sketchup that I can design some of the other stuff I have bouncing around in my head and see how they would work. And each day brings me just a bit closer to that. Tomorrow I’ll pull the trigger on a jointer plane I found at a killer price. Details will follow after thee purchase, just in case someone else things it’s a g...
Part 4: Getting Antsy!
So, yesterday found me in both Lowe’s and Home Depot. I finally found Home Depot’s selection of non-construction wood. I also found Lowe’s oak and birch plywood. Why was I wandering through these sections? Because I’m getting pretty damn impatient!!!! I don’t have a shop to use, but I’m antsy! I want to build something now! A tool chest, or something small and easy to move. I almost bought a Workmate yesterday just to have something to work with. ...
Part 5: "Essential" Shop Machines?
I was just looking at Popular Woodworking’s site a few minutes ago, and noticed they have an article this month on power jointers. The synopsis refers to the power jointer as “essential”. However, have we really lost sight of what the word essential means? es·sen·tial /əˈsɛnʃəl/ Pronunciation Key – Show Spelled Pronunciation[uh-sen-shuhl] Pronunciation Key – Show IPA Pronunciation–adjective1. absolutely necessary; indispensable: Discipline is essenti...
Part 6: A Romanticized View of Hand Tools?
It happens from time to time, a new woodworker asks the inevitable question. The question is what tools are the bare minimum needed to produce quality work. Depending on the particular forum (i.e. internet forums), he’ll get different answers. Recently, this question was asked in the Neanderthal forum of one of the bigger sites. The person wanted to know about hand tools. Now, normally, the answers are tools like a #4, #5, #7 planes, chisels, etc. This time, however, someone respo...
Part 7: Boundaries
For some time, I have been setting boundaries for myself. What kind of furniture I would do, and what I wouldn’t do. What materials I would work with, which ones I wouldn’t. Even what kind of tools I would use (although tiny shop space sort of made me have to set this boundary). Even though there are no set rules on most of this stuff, I still seemed to want boundaries. Why? Honestly, I don’t know. However, as of tonight, I throw off all boundaries that are NOT invo...
Part 8: Woodworking for Women?
I was just surfing through Amazon.com and came across this book called Easy to Make Organizers: Woodworking for Women. Now, I know I’m a guy, so perhaps I should just keep my mouth shut, but I suspect by now that some folks here realize that that is just not my style. Frankly, this title bugs the hell out of me. First, there is the implication that women are more likely to be interested in things like organizers rather than coffee tables. Now, I’ll be the first to admit that...
Part 9: Saws Aplenty
Recently, I’ve been asking myself, “Self? How many saws do you need, and why type of saws do you need?” Now, obviously, I’ll never have enough saws. However, there should be a minimum set that a hand tool woodworker who’s going “old school” should have, I’m sure we can all agree. Now, I’ve got two crosscut hand saws, a Disston D-8 and a Norvell-Shapleigh’s Diamond Edge that looks like a Harvey Peace P-26 Crosscut. I also have ...
Part 10: Does how bad you want it affect the price?
So, I find myself looking at two different saws (yeah, I know what I wrote earlier, but that was a minimum…who wants just a minimum anyways?). I’m mostly checking out the dovetail saws and the rip saws on eBay. Guess what? The style dovetail saw I want? They seem to shoot up in price bigger than snot. I top bid $45? They go for $46. I don’t bid? They go for $30. What’s up with that? However, I’m not despairing though. Every time I have gotten a setba...
Part 11: Fortunate for my Wife!
In my last blog, I mentioned I should write a whole blog about my wife. I know I’m not alone on this one, but I’m damn lucky to have her. You see, my wife and I have an unusual history together. We first encountered each other when she was just 6, and I just a lad of 13. I was a Boy Scout, and our troop was camping on a private farm. One of the assistant Scoutmasters knew the owner and had arranged the whole trip. It was a fairly fun trip, with the exception of me almost d...
Part 12: Coming to Terms
Four eBay listings in two days. All have gone right in front of my eyes. Most for just a hair more than I had bid just at that moment. The sad thing is, I was settling for most of these tools. That’s right, they weren’t exactly what I wanted. The handles looked good, the blade looked good, they were pretty rust free…and yet, I didn’t want them. Why? Well, they were in good shape, that’s why. Earlier today, I said on a forum, “Give me your poor too...
Part 13: Who am I? Why am I here?
A conversation with MsDebbie on my last blog entry got me to thinking about why I’m here. Why do I want so badly to build fine furniture that will last for generations? Why do I want to use tools that are 60+ years old when I could get shiney new stuff instead? It’s simple. Just one word really. Rebellion. I, my fellow LumberJocks, am a rebel. I’m rebelling against the current thoughts that pressboard furniture and $1.99 hand tools are just fine. I’m rebellin...
Part 14: The Most Important Tool
There’s always talk of what tool is the most important in any workshop. Is it the table saw, or the router, or the bandsaw? Well, as a hand tool guy, I’m screwed if it’s any of those. Nope…I think the most important tool is one that never shows up on the lists of important tools. It’s easily upgradeable to some extent. No matter what you need it to do, with a little research and perseverance, it will rise to the occasion. This tool will never let you down...
Part 15: The Slippery Slope
As of right now, I have completed exactly one woodworking project. I’ve restored tools to working condition, sure, but only one time thus far have I put steel to wood and create something. However, now I have tons of projects flying through my head. I want to build a simple box, just as an excuse to cut dovetails and get used to them. I have my 2×12 bench challenge. I’ve got tons upon tons of ideas flowing through my head. Honestly, I’ll probably forget most of th...
Part 16: The Certain Feeling
I don’t smile much. Well, let me rephrase that. I smile all the time, but only when amused, so it’s always obvious why I’m smiling. I’m not one of those people you will see smiling for no obvious reason. I need a reason to smile, and honestly that leaves a lot of time when I’m not smiling at all. That was, until yesterday. I started building my bench. I put in about 6 hours yesterday, and was frankly exhausted by the time I went in for the day. As a new...
Part 17: Staying the Course?
I’m tired. Only two days of working on my bench, and I’m tired. Physically, right now, I’m well rested. There’s a little stiffness in my hand that will get worked out as soon as I get out there and start working, but I’m tired. The thing is, I now have a newfound appreciation for tools like bandsaws and table saws. A bandsaw would have made some of the cuts I needed a lot better than the jig saw. A table saw would finish up those tenons I have on tap today ...
Part 18: Being to Hasty
I’ve always been a bit of an extremist I guess. No, I don’t strap bombs to my chest and blow up stuff that I’m ideologically against. I just tend to go toward some extreme subculture of any hobby I get into. My other passion is backpacking. There, I’m what they call an ultralight backpacker. Minimal equipment, minimal weight, and admittedly minimal comfort. However, I have a blast with that extreme. When I first looked into woodworking, I was leaning toward be...
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Blog Series
- 2x12 Bench - 5 parts
- Personal Announcements - 1 part
- Ponderings - 18 parts
- Storage Bench/Hope Chest - 1 part
- The Saw Vise - 3 parts
- The Tool Gathering Odessy - 10 parts
- The Workbench - 3 parts
- Tool Restoration - 2 parts
- Workshop - 4 parts
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