| Project by Plane & Simple Neil | posted 1481 days ago | 4576 views | 1 time favorited | 21 comments |  |
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This is my first woodworking project by hand. Took a class with a local cabinet maker who teaches everything by hand. This started as rough lumber (poplar & maple) and everything had to be re-sawn by hand, planed and joined by hand. Not a power tool in sight. I had to learn hand drilling, sharpening, sawing, planing and joinery. Getting everything square was really difficult and learning the joinery was tricky too. Getting the side and end pieces 4-square was a killer. I must build a shooting board!
I opted for a through dovetails for the corners and a through wedged mortise and tenon for the centre handle. I used some old domestic spalted maple for the thick veneer on the handle and also the wedges in the tenon. It was lying around and so I thought I’d make use of it. I book matched it and it feels good to grip. The handle I made to fit my hand and rasped it out and finished with some french files.
The hardest thing was probably re-sawning the base by hand. It came form a piece an inch thick and I needed a piece only about a quarter inch thick. Once I hand sawn it then I used winding sticks and a smoothing plane to get it square. Getting anything square is a dark art in my opinion. But hardest is relative – I’m a complete novice and so cutting accurate pressure fit joints took some practice!! In short nothing was easy, i made a hundred mistakes but it was all great fun. I realized that the project was about the journey and not so much the end product but actually I’m quite please with the end result too.
Finished in oil and then wax – just applied last coat today. Still looks a bit wet in some of the photos. It measures 12” wide by 24” long and the handle is 9” high at the top.
-- Neil, Connecticut - Hand planing is good for the soul!
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21 comments so far
Cantputjamontoast
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306 posts in 1604 days
#1 posted 1481 days ago
Very nice salem
I have #3-#8 planes asking me why can’t we do fun stuff like that?????
Thank you for sharing
-- "Not skilled enough to wipe jam on toast!"
PurpLev
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#2 posted 1481 days ago
Very nice!
good joints, and laminations! doesn’t look like a “first” project… far from it
welcome aboard.
-- ㊍ When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.
woodworm
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14104 posts in 1762 days
#3 posted 1481 days ago
Very nice first project.
-- masrol, kuala lumpur, MY.
cabinetmaster
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#4 posted 1481 days ago
Great looking project for a first time woodworker. Keep up the excellent work.
-- Jerry--A man can never have enough tools or clamps
tinnman65
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#5 posted 1481 days ago
Very nice, I love that handle!
-- Paul--- Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep. — Scott Adams
a1Jim
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#6 posted 1481 days ago
Good design ,good workmanship, good build
-- W James Brokenbourgh Custom furniture maker http://artisticwoodstudio.com/
Canexican
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106 posts in 1849 days
#7 posted 1481 days ago
Excellent work, I need to go back to using more handtools. Your project is very motivating.
Thanks for posting…
-- www.woodshopdude.com
spanky46
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968 posts in 1562 days
#8 posted 1481 days ago
Nice job! To look at it you can’t tell its hand tools only!
-- spanky46 -- Never enough clamps...Never enough tools...Never enough time.
GaryK
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10263 posts in 2160 days
#9 posted 1481 days ago
Very nice. Especially using only hand tools!
-- Gary - Never pass up the opportunity to make a mistake look like you planned it that way - Tyler, TX
Gary
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#10 posted 1481 days ago
Nice work. Especially with hand tools only
-- Gary, DeKalb Texas only 4 miles from the mill
Napaman
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#11 posted 1481 days ago
very impressive…
-- Matt--Proud LJ since 2007
Dan'um Style
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#12 posted 1481 days ago
a lot of really cool projects posted today. this one is a big favorite. really live the design on this box. very inspiring.
welcome to lumberjocks
-- keeping myself entertained
TopamaxSurvivor
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13194 posts in 1847 days
#13 posted 1481 days ago
Nice job for a firts!! Welcome to LJ ;-))
-- "some old things are lovely, warm still with life ... of the forgotten men who made them." - D.H. Lawrence Wake Up America!! Please read; http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/01/26-0
knackonwood
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#14 posted 1481 days ago
Very nice! You should be and deserve to be very proud!
WoodSpanker
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#15 posted 1481 days ago
Well watta ya know… they still make hand tools! I gotta get me some of those! Seriously, tho… nice work, superb craftsmanship. And Welcome! :)
-- Adventure? Heh! Excitement? Heh! A Woodworker craves not these things!
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