# Dimensioning Rough Lumber



## paratrooper34 (Apr 27, 2010)

Hi All, I am writing this entry to see if any of you are dimensioning rough lumber with only hand tools.

After getting my bench setup to my liking, I decided to give it a workout. The best way I could think of was to dimension some rough lumber as it is quite a workout - for both the bench and me! So I went to my local lumber yard and bought a piece of rough cut pine, 8'x12"1". When I got home, I cut 2 feet off and went to work. I have a number 5 that I use for all around work, but it is not set up for rough work. So I have this other Stanley number 5 hanging around that I haven't gotten to since I acquired it with a whole bunch of other planes and saws I found on Craigslist. I took the blade out and sharpened it with a decent camber for hogging out some serious shavings. I used that and got the first face pretty flat. I then used my number 8 to finish off the first face. I used my old wooden jointer (28") to joint the first edge. Once I had those two edges flat and square, I did the opposite edge. Lastly, I finished off the other face the same way as the first. So a 2'x12"x1" board was finished at 3/4" thick and it took about 30 minutes. And I was sweating. Yes, I could do this on a power planer and jointer and it would be quicker for sure. But, this is why I use handtools: no noise and a broom was all that I needed to clean up. So hopefully this is some inspiration for some of you out there to take the step and dimension the rough stuff, it is not so hard to do. Oh, best thing was that board cost me $6.00!

See the pics to see how it went.

Happy Woodworking!!!


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Well done, i have trouble planing pine but you seemed to make it look easy. Ive only had to do it by hand once and its a chore, but one that i kind of enjoyed. Every now and then i feel the need to sweat out some poison. Ive got to get all my planes up to snuff and build myself a new bench that doesnt rock around so much. One of these days ill put away that noisy planer.


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## BTKS (Nov 30, 2008)

Nice job. Looks like you got some holdfast holes bored in the table top.
Amazing, like chrisstef said, you make it look easy. I really need to invest in a couple good planes and blades to match.
Thanks for the post.


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## RGtools (Feb 18, 2011)

Very good setup on your bench.

I mill by hand and don't see the purchase of a power-jointer in my future. Since you have two jointers, try this out for size…do a slight camber on your wooden jointer and keep the steel jointer blade straight. Squaring an edge with a cambered jointer is so much easier than any other method, and if it needs to a glue joint take a fine shaving with your straight blade and you are good to go.

With the jack…are your planing with the grain or across it?


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## paratrooper34 (Apr 27, 2010)

RG, thanks for the tip. I actually have three jointers, the two in these pictures and a #7 as well. The wooden and #8 jointers have cambered blades for the reasons you pointed out. My #7 has a straight blade. I agree it so much easier to square an edge with a cambered blade.

For dimensioning on this pine board with the #5, I went at a 45 degree across the board. Pine is pretty soft so it was conducive to that angle which also minimized tearout that the straight across the grain planing would have done. I didn't try it, but I assume edge jointing would have gotten rid of any tearout, but it was pretty easy to plane that board. Now I have some hard maple to try next, I don't think that will be as easy.

Thanks again!


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## yrob (May 26, 2008)

Yes, I also do all my dimensioning with hand tools. With sharp tools, it is not that bad and I save money on the wood, get a good workout in the bargain.


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## paratrooper34 (Apr 27, 2010)

Hey RG, great work on those blogs! Very impressive and informative. I wish you had done that stuff about 5 years ago. Would have saved a whole bunch of money spent on books! Keep up the good work.


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## RGtools (Feb 18, 2011)

Thanks man. It's been a heck of a lot of fun. The first board I dimensioned in the class is pretty narrow, which tends to nullify any benefit from cross grain planing, but we will get there…especially on the table top.

One other way to decrease or eliminate the tear-out on cross-grain planing is to plane a camfer (one or two strokes with the jack depending on how brittle the wood is) on the exit side of the cut. Doing that saves some serious time. If you then make the exit side your true edge, you eliminate your chamfer when you edge joint.

Yrob. I so agree with you.


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## krisintoronto (Sep 28, 2010)

It goes MUCH faster when you get a scrub plane. I got the one made by Veritas and it is a pleasure to use.

Planing pine with it is quite easy and very fast. Then I tried some ash. It goes fast as well, but requires much more sweat

The Essential Woodworker is a great resource for anyone who wants to work mostly with hand tools.


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## RGtools (Feb 18, 2011)

^That's just a good book in general.


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## DS (Oct 10, 2011)

OK, I enjoy working with hand tools as well as the next guy, but, I am having difficulty getting my mind around why this is advantageous to dimension large panels with hand tools.

From what I can tell, dimensional accuracy pretty much goes out the window and unless I am needing to raise money to get my electricity turned back on, I cannot see myself foregoing my thickness planer, jointer and table saw in favor of the process you just outlined.

Lest the casual reader suspects I am just being critical, please accept this as an invitation to "convert" me to the process.

I know, for example, when I am building instruments, I do it in the time-honored methods of the masters. It's been proven that instruments produced by mechanized means are far inferior to the completely handmade variety.

I suppose I am not seeing why casework and furniture might suffer the same issues.


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## dbray45 (Oct 19, 2010)

Good job on the dimensioning.

I use both power and by hand. I leave the last 1/4 - 1/8" to do by hand. If you are gluing panels, I would recommend that you keep the thickness a little heavy and after a light pass with planes to flatten, finish with a scraper plane or hand scrapers. The surface, especially hardwoods will be really nice. The scrapers and scraper plane remove tearouts with and cross grain and leave the surface smoother than sandpaper can achieve.


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## dbray45 (Oct 19, 2010)

And a lot less dust


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## Dcase (Jul 7, 2010)

I will sometimes surface all 4 sides with hand planes but I will admit my power jointer/planer gets used often… If the rough sawed board is rather clean and straight then using hand planes is pretty enjoyable… A big warp or twist and hand planes is not so fun anymore…

Also depends on how much lumber I need to surface… If I only need a board or to then hand planes is ok.. However if I am doing a lot of BF then the power jointer and planer is a true savior.


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## stevenmadden (Dec 10, 2009)

For what it's worth, I use both hand tools and power tools to get the job done. Sometimes power tools can't do what hand tools can do, and visa-versa.

Steve


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## RGtools (Feb 18, 2011)

DS251.

One key advantage is cost. With a simple set of planes you can dimension any size workpeice (whether it is 2 feet wide or .5 inches wide) a top shelf set of bench planes (smoother, jack, jointer) would cost about 1200, but compare that to a top shelf 24" jointer/planer and you still come out way ahead. This cost mathing reallys starts to add up when you compare a fully equiped hand-tool shop vs a fully equiped powershop.

The shavings are a non-waste item in my shop…they just get used in the winter time to start fires to warm my home. I can't way as much for the sawdust made from a power tool.

Oh, and for my time in the shop…it's a heck of a lot more fun to take a peice of lumber through it's paces queitly by hand, than to have to worry about the noise, dust and danger of powertools (not to say you can make a trip to the hospital with a misplaced chisel or hatchet…but the damage is certainly far less).

That's why I do things the way I do.


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## Brit (Aug 14, 2010)

... and you save money on gym membership too


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## RGtools (Feb 18, 2011)

This is true. But that's more attributed to my use of my 4 1/2 tpi Disston…whew.


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

If it's over 13" its hand plane.


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## DS (Oct 10, 2011)

I've built my share of cabinets spanning the entire range from apartments to multi-million dollar estates. I am also no slouch when it comes to furniture making.

What I've come to rely on, is modern millwork techniques for casework and panels and hand tools for the finer details. e.g. trim, carvings, applied details, embelishments, etc.

I can lease a CNC by the hour at my local cabinet shop and bust out the casework for a large kitchen in just a few hours, then finish the details in my garage (shop) with my meager power and hand tools. What the client sees are the handmade flourishes against a flawless casework.

Another example; a CNC router can cut a substrate for a dining table in seconds. Then I can stitch/press the veneer top, make the foundation and aprons by hand and get a stunning result.


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## Brit (Aug 14, 2010)

DS251 - If I did this for a living, I would undoubtedly take the same approach as you do because it is about ensuring that you can achieve repeatable quality and customer satisfaction in an acceptable timeframe in order to put food on the table and pay the bills.

But I and many others on LJs don't do it for a living, it is just a hobby. My workshop is a little under 9ft x 9ft and once I've built a 6 foot workbench and a tool cabinet, there will be precious little space for machinery. It is also quite close to my neighbours and I don't want to fall out with them. Having said that, I will end up with some machines and I do use some power tools when I feel like it.

What I enjoy about using hand tools is the peace and quiet, the challenge and the length of time it takes me to complete a project. You see if I complete a project quickly, nobody says well done here's a cheque. Instead, I've got to find the money to go and buy more expensive wood just so that I can continue enjoying the process if that makes sense. I think this is what makes this site so appealing in many ways. There are people from all backgrounds, varying skill levels and different approaches to the craft. Long may it continue.


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

Ditto on what Andy said.


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## DS (Oct 10, 2011)

Andy, thank you very much for addressing my question. This is exactly how I feel about violin making.

Perhaps when I retire, this will be my approach to casework/furniture as well.

I only discovered LJ's a few days ago, but so far I've been loving this site. I hope to keep seeing you all around.


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## pierce85 (May 21, 2011)

Andy, that's probably the best justification for using hand tools I've read. I'm in a similar space/noise situation as you.


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## paratrooper34 (Apr 27, 2010)

Andy, I agree 100%! I don't do this for a living. If I did, I would do things differently for sure. But it is a hobby and I enjoy spending time in my shop working with my hands. I, like you, do not have room for a bunch of machinery even if I were so inclined. I do not like the noise of machinery. I already have significant hearing loss and don't want any more. When my wife comes into the shop to BS with me, I can have a conversation with her. And I just put a TV in there so I can listen to the football games on Sundays. I also like that it is safer to work with hand tools. Yes, I have been on the wrong side of a chisel a couple of times, but those were patched up with a band-aid. I also don't have to worry about dust and all the mess that comes with machines. I do have a couple of power tools, I am not 100% hand yet, but my table saw and router don't get much use these days.

DS251, if I were in your shoes, I would also be looking for every time advantage I could find if that was what fed my family, so I admire what you do and sometimes wish that were my line of work. But, I have to settle for this as a hobby - for now


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## DrDirt (Feb 26, 2008)

I stay a combination guy - it still is just a hobby, but I enjoy flattening rough lumber about as much as hand sanding a set of ballusters for a staircase.
My time between work and family is limited so when I have shop time I like to make *things* (tables, chairs, toys boxes etc) not boards.

I personally wouldn't enjoy just hacking off a 2 foot board and go to town with a hand plane to make a smooth 1X12 that find it relaxing.
Dealing with wide stock becomes a different story because there isn't a real choice for the home hobbiest - either do it by hand or rent some time at a cabinet shop with their planer or thickness sander.
I only have a 6 inch jointer, but built a sled for my planer (13 inch) so a super expensive 12 or 24 inch jointer is simply not needed. And I have yet to wish I had a wider planer.


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## DS (Oct 10, 2011)

It's true if I had to rely on making violins for a living I'd starve! It's an excellent hobby though.


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## RGtools (Feb 18, 2011)

I don't think I will ever be a professional cabinetmaker by industrial standards…I don't want to be.

I enjoy the process and product of woodworking. But I will say that making furniture by hand does not have to be slow…only if you approach it from the wrong perspective. If you approach it right it can still be very fast (not as fast as machines…but I don't want or need to be)

I think in the end you have to evaluate why you are doing this and pick the approach that suits that goal.

I would love to make a violin but I would like to know how to play one first.


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