# Going Galoot



## JayT (May 6, 2012)

*First machinery-free shop day*

Shop's Log: January 11, 2014

Today was a good day in the shop. Spent most of the day on two projects and didn't turn on one piece of machinery. The only things that plug into the wall that were switched on were the lights, heater and radio.

Time for a new project. Wife would like a place to hang coats inside the back door of the house, and I made a decision to attempt to do this with all hand tools. Chose a piece of barnwood, broke it down into rough lengths and started by cutting & chopping some dovetails using the Moxon benchtop bench.



















The plane hammer sent by Hammerthumb as part of the plane swap does great double duty as a chisel hammer.
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Added a little work with the #78 to have clean glue surfaces.










By the time that project was in glue and clamps, here is what the bench looked like.










Hand tools galore, but never was there a feeling I was being limited in creativity or execution. Much the opposite, using hand tools gave an immense feeling of satisfaction with the job.
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Well, since that project went rather quick, maybe we can get some work done on the plane till that was started before the arctic cold. Need to do a 3/4in dado, so skip the router and go right to the #45. So pleasant to be able to listen to the radio while working.



















Random thought: How did I ever get by without a decent workbench and holdfasts? I find myself using them on a wide variety of projects and tasks. These are Gramercy's from Tools for Working Wood and are a real bargain, considering the quality you get for the price. Two holdfasts and the planing stops held the large panel perfectly stable.

After finishing the dado, I needed to put a long taper on the top of the same panel. Hmm, marking gauge to scratch off the dimensions and go to town with the 604-1/2.










Ended up with quite a pile of shavings, though it was dwarfed by the size of the smile on my face.










The day wasn't completely power tool free, as I used the cordless circular saw to make a couple long cuts on the panel, but this is the first time I can remember spending that many hours in the shop and never turning on the table saw or drill press. . . . . . . . . . . it won't be the last.


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## DonBroussard (Mar 27, 2012)

JayT said:


> *First machinery-free shop day*
> 
> Shop's Log: January 11, 2014
> 
> ...


Nice write up, JayT! I can see how you'd have a big "I'm satisfied" smile on your face!


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## theoldfart (Sep 9, 2011)

JayT said:


> *First machinery-free shop day*
> 
> Shop's Log: January 11, 2014
> 
> ...


Jay, nice bench shot w/toys er tools. And I know the smile Dude! Carry on.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

JayT said:


> *First machinery-free shop day*
> 
> Shop's Log: January 11, 2014
> 
> ...


I feel your lack of pain. Isn't it amazing how many hand tools you get to use instead of a couple of table saw cuts?
I love it. Pretty shavings too.


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## BigRedKnothead (Dec 21, 2012)

JayT said:


> *First machinery-free shop day*
> 
> Shop's Log: January 11, 2014
> 
> ...


I've had a couple "smoothing" days like that of late. I used to despise that stage of a project (ROS). Now, I don't mind it a bit. Good stuff brother.


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## mochoa (Oct 9, 2009)

JayT said:


> *First machinery-free shop day*
> 
> Shop's Log: January 11, 2014
> 
> ...


And you got some exercise! Its a beautiful thing.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

JayT said:


> *First machinery-free shop day*
> 
> Shop's Log: January 11, 2014
> 
> ...


It's good to see that folks are discovering the joy of working with hand tools Jay. Some think it is a snob thing, but it's actually about enjoying the work rather than just the results. The power tools are still wonderful to get through the heavy stuff though. They say the #45 plane is difficult to use, but you seem to have tamed it very well. I wish I had one.


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

JayT said:


> *First machinery-free shop day*
> 
> Shop's Log: January 11, 2014
> 
> ...


Looks like a wonderful day.
A day of shaves and the smell of fresh wood.
Blended with the sound of a sharp blade cutting it.
This is not just wood working, to me it's life quality.
Best thoughts,
Mads


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## JeremyPringle (Aug 17, 2011)

JayT said:


> *First machinery-free shop day*
> 
> Shop's Log: January 11, 2014
> 
> ...


Galoots hurrah!!


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

JayT said:


> *First machinery-free shop day*
> 
> Shop's Log: January 11, 2014
> 
> ...


Nice to "talk" to folks that understand. 

it's actually about enjoying the work rather than just the results

That sums it up very well, Mike. Some people get their enjoyment out of the final product, but I use shop time as much to relax as to produce so the process is more important for me. That has been a change from years ago, but has led to much more satisfaction out of the chosen hobby.


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## theoldfart (Sep 9, 2011)

JayT said:


> *First machinery-free shop day*
> 
> Shop's Log: January 11, 2014
> 
> ...


Jay and Mike, your right on the mark. Getting there is as much an accomplishment, for me any ways, as the final product.


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## TerryDowning (Aug 8, 2012)

JayT said:


> *First machinery-free shop day*
> 
> Shop's Log: January 11, 2014
> 
> ...


Nice work Jay. I may not be able to put out as much product as a machine guy but I'm not into wood working for that.

Listen to music, enjoy the feel of the wood and the progress you make.

Cleaning up shavings is much easier than dealing with all of the airborne dust as well.


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

*One finished, next project up*

Shop's Log: January 16, 2014

Back in the shop this evening to finish my first all hand tool project.

Need to drill some holes to mount the hangers. A few weeks ago, I would have pulled out the 12 volt Milwaukee cordless drill; tonight we went a different cordless route.










Yep, it is an inexpensive hand drill. Nothing fancy, collectible or high quality, but . . . . . . it was my grandfather's-he was a woodworker, too. When he died, I inherited a few of his tools. At the time, I wasn't impressed, but hey, what freshman in high school would be? Now, those tools are a small connection to a man who has been gone quite a while. Cheap drill? Nope, it's priceless.

Next step was to install the hanging hooks. Most stuff at the hardware store was just too boring, so went a different route. Some black iron pipe fittings, a bit of fiddling and that'll work. Worked out well as a hand tool build, as driving screws into the very dry barn wood with a powered driver very well might have split it. Using a screwdriver allowed for much better control.









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A few minutes later we had


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One galoot project down. Now, back to that plane till . . . .


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## mochoa (Oct 9, 2009)

JayT said:


> *One finished, next project up*
> 
> Shop's Log: January 16, 2014
> 
> ...


That came out great man, nice job!


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

*Voices in your head . . . . they're not always evil*

Shop's log: January 18, 2014

There are days and then there are days . . . . . and sometimes you need to listen to the voices in your head.

Back to work on the plane till. Cut, flattened and smoothed a couple of panels, used the #45 to do a couple grooves and then needed to cut two dadoes. As I was loosening the screw for one of the nickers, a small voice in my head started to say "You might want to think about how you are doing this" when the screw fell, bounced off the bench, then my stomach, and on down. I heard it hit at least three more things before it ended up somewhere here:










Have you ever tried to find a 1/8in long machine screw in a bunch of plane shavings?
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Well, the only thing to do was to go over the floor and all the shavings with a magnet. 45 minutes, a couple false alarms and some divine intervention later, I heard a "click" while running the magnet over a dustpan full of sawdust and shavings and there it was.

Reassembled the #45 and back to work.



















Kept pushing forward, but did have to go non-galoot on some things and used the table saw. I need a lot of practice before doing much hand sawing, both technique and sharpening. There is a saw till full of restoration projects just waiting for me to figure out how to bring them back to usable shape. Oh well, that's a task for the future, we need to get back to the current project.

Matched up a pair of panels with the 604-1/2










Use the cordless router to make some stopped grooves and dadoes










and one of the last tasks for the day was to make a bevelled edge.










Not that long ago, I would have fired up the table saw, but now, in less time than it would have taken just to change the blade angle of the saw, the piece was scratched with the marking gauge and bevelled over with a #4.










The added bonus of doing it by hand is that there is no burning or sanding-the edge is finish ready off the plane.
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At the end of the day, a couple important parts of the plane till are in clamps and I should be able to make a bunch more progress tomorrow. 
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But next time those voices pop up, you can be sure I will listen!


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## DonBroussard (Mar 27, 2012)

JayT said:


> *Voices in your head . . . . they're not always evil*
> 
> Shop's log: January 18, 2014
> 
> ...


Nice write up, JayT. I liked the reference to the cordless router. Is that a 71? I'll look for one tomorrow on my Sunday rust hunt.


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## theoldfart (Sep 9, 2011)

JayT said:


> *Voices in your head . . . . they're not always evil*
> 
> Shop's log: January 18, 2014
> 
> ...


Jay, nice save on the screw. I just bagged a Miller Falls 77 closed throat router on the bay, same as a 71 1/2. It should be here on Tuesday.


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

JayT said:


> *Voices in your head . . . . they're not always evil*
> 
> Shop's log: January 18, 2014
> 
> ...


Yep, Don, it's a 71. One of the later ones that was japanned instead of plated. I'd really like to find a fence for it, as well as a pointed cutter.


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## mochoa (Oct 9, 2009)

JayT said:


> *Voices in your head . . . . they're not always evil*
> 
> Shop's log: January 18, 2014
> 
> ...


Good thing you found the screw.

Great show! Nothing like beveling a board with hand planes, and with heavy shavings it goes very fast.

Love the 45 action to, I haven't been brave enough to attempt cross grain work with mine but your results look pretty damn good.
beveling aboard with hand planes, and with heavy shavings it goes verry fast.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

JayT said:


> *Voices in your head . . . . they're not always evil*
> 
> Shop's log: January 18, 2014
> 
> ...


Nice Jay, and a good find on the machine screw.
It makes me wish I could use a magnet on some of the tiny marquetry pieces that go astray under the chevalet.

You are more committed than I am and for that I salute you. I'm afraid my priorities lie in finishing more of my project ideas than I could accomplish in my lifetime with hand tools only. I am however committed to using them more in the finishing and detailing areas while getting the heavy lifting done with power.

Good for you.


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

JayT said:


> *Voices in your head . . . . they're not always evil*
> 
> Shop's log: January 18, 2014
> 
> ...


Thanks, guys. The journey to galootness has been fraught with challenges, but is also a lot of fun and there have been no regrets.

*Mauricio*, this was the first time I'd done cross grain with the #45, though I've done it with a #78 before. It goes slower, but if the nickers are in good shape, will give very clean results.

*Paul*, I don't know whether I am more committed or not. I don't ever plan on going power tool and machinery free, but am finding more and more tasks that can be done faster with hand tools. My experience so far is that there is no time penalty for almost any job that is only getting done once. The place where machines save time is repeated tasks.

Another part of using more hand tools is working in a 110 sq ft shop-it just doesn't leave room for much machinery. The one I need next, however, is a thickness planer. I can dimension lumber by hand, but it takes quite a bit of time and is tiring. I'm hoping once the plane till is done and the hand planes moved there, the space they are currently in can be used to store a lunch box planer.


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## realcowtown_eric (Feb 4, 2013)

JayT said:


> *Voices in your head . . . . they're not always evil*
> 
> Shop's log: January 18, 2014
> 
> ...


way to go buddy… now all you gotta do is get a cordless hammer!

BTW, none of the tools in yer pix are strangers in my shop(s)

Thiose and so many more….welcome to the slippery slope.

BTW, have you heard of the "oldtools listserver" been going strongon for 20 years since it spun off from rec.woodworkimg. Sustained by steadfast members, no ads, no pix only text and hyperlinks. No ads, no spam, cean sweet and simple oldtool chatter.

There are also about 20 years of archives out there on any item of galoot interest you can imagine and then some. Only steadfast rule, no power tool chatter whatsoever!

Eric


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

JayT said:


> *Voices in your head . . . . they're not always evil*
> 
> Shop's log: January 18, 2014
> 
> ...


JayT, the 45 screw story made me smile. I did the exact same thing not that long ago. I wonder how many times I've been on my hands and knees, with a flashlight and magnet. Another trick I've done is vacuum the floor, then clean the vacuum by grabbing a handful and dropping it in another container. I recently found one a bit larger that way. Plus part of my floor was sawdust free.


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## DonBroussard (Mar 27, 2012)

JayT said:


> *Voices in your head . . . . they're not always evil*
> 
> Shop's log: January 18, 2014
> 
> ...


Based on your experience with the 45 slitter screw, I might pick up a sieve if I see one while I'm out this morning to sift through floor debris. BTW, good thing the screw was magnetic. You'd have been looking a while for an aluminum screw.


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

JayT said:


> *Voices in your head . . . . they're not always evil*
> 
> Shop's log: January 18, 2014
> 
> ...


DonW, that was going to be the next step, if necessary. I was going to vacuum the floor and then drop one handful at a time into my magnetic parts dish, shake it around, dump and see what was stuck to the bottom.

I think I might buy a spare spur and screw from New Hampshire Plane Parts, just in case.


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

*In search of the perfect dovetail*

Shop's log: February 16, 2014

Part of wanting to work with hand tools is learning to cut dovetails. Sure, there are other joint techniques that are strong once glued, but the hand cut dovetail is both a classic tradition and a mechanically strong, beautiful joint that doesn't rely on glue.

I had started practicing with marking and cutting freehand but was frustrated with the lack of accuracy-mainly due to my poor sawing technique. I finally broke down and bought a magnetic saw guide from David Barron.

I need to make a adjunct to my plane till to house the #45 and #78, so wanted to make what is basically an open dovetailed box. Cut up some 1×10 pine and then marked and started cutting with the guide. The tail boards were stacked and cut together to save a bit of time.










Cut and chopped all the tails and got a couple of the pins done before calling it a night. A few hand tools got used










I have to say, however, that the guide makes a huge difference in accuracy. Here is one of the joints right off the saw, the only paring was to clean up the depth.




























The guide has a very short learning curve and impressive results. I've used it with both a dozuki pull saw and the re-handled gent's saw seen here and it works great either way. I think I actually prefer the western style saw. The key is having a saw with minimal set so that the plate rides on the slick tape over the magnet, but doesn't rub on the aluminum body.

Sometimes you just have to ask for assistance, even if you are going galoot.


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## lysdexic (Mar 21, 2011)

JayT said:


> *In search of the perfect dovetail*
> 
> Shop's log: February 16, 2014
> 
> ...


Wow. That is really good.


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

JayT said:


> *In search of the perfect dovetail*
> 
> Shop's log: February 16, 2014
> 
> ...


Clean looking DT's JayT, good job.


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## BigRedKnothead (Dec 21, 2012)

JayT said:


> *In search of the perfect dovetail*
> 
> Shop's log: February 16, 2014
> 
> ...


Cool man. I've got the supplies, I get need to get around to making one.

I go back and forth as whether hobbyists like have the time to develop the skill and muscle memory for some of these tasks. Little help doesn't hurt.


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

JayT said:


> *In search of the perfect dovetail*
> 
> Shop's log: February 16, 2014
> 
> ...


A little help never hurts.


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## theoldfart (Sep 9, 2011)

JayT said:


> *In search of the perfect dovetail*
> 
> Shop's log: February 16, 2014
> 
> ...


Nice dovetails made on a really nice vise and bench. great job Jay.


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

*I came, I saw . . . . . . *

Shop's Log: March 27, 2014

Part of going galoot involves finding quality hand tools. While there are now some manufacturers making high quality hand tools (Lie-Nielsen or Lee Valley/Veritas, for instance) there are also a tremendous amount of vintage tools that make great users if you are willing to put in a little work. I have refurbished squares, adjustable bevels and a ton of hand planes, but was now ready to move on to another vital tool for the galoot ….... hand saws.

My till was full of saws picked up here and there for bargain prices that needed a little love, so I set out to get them back to working order. This past weekend, I buckled down and got a bunch cleaned up, like this Disston No 7



















And this Phoenix panel saw



















One of the fun parts of saws is all the different medallions and etches that are out there, like this custom one:










The biggest problem is that as you remove the corrosion from a saw plate, many times the etch loses its contrast. On the "handsaw thread", several of us had been discussing how to bring back the detail of an etch, so that is the focus of this blog post.

LJ Tim had posted a link on bringing out an etch using brass darkening solution. That is not a commonly found chemical, but there is an easy to find substitute-more on that in a bit.

First thing is to clean up the saw plate, being careful to not remove too much metal around the etch. Tonight I worked over a 26 inch Disston No 4 that I picked up last week with it's partner Stanley miter box.










After scrubbing off the corrosion and grime with a Scotchbrite pad, here is what I had for an etch.










Legible, but not very easily, so let's see what we can do to darken it up. First important ingredient is:










Wipe the saw plate down with a rag or paper towel moistened with rubbing alcohol to remove any oil, grease, dirt or fingerprints. Keep turning to a fresh part of the rag and repeating until it comes up completely dirt-free. The metal must be very clean or the next step will not work. Now for the brass darkening substitute, I use:










This cold bluing solution is available nearly anywhere that carries hunting and gun supplies, even many Wal-Marts will have it either by itself or in a gun restoration kit. Look for it near the gun cleaning supplies. I always keep some around to touch up bluing from holster wear on my handguns, but it has proven just as valuable for tool restorations and modification. Plus, it's pretty cheap.

Using a cotton swab, spread the bluing solution liberally over the etch and surrounding area.










(Sorry for the glare, my shop is set up for good light for woodworking, not glare free photography)

Don't worry about the blotchiness, it will take care of itself as you move on.

After letting the bluing set for a minute or so, rinse off the saw plate with cold water and dry. Then, using some 400 grit sandpaper on a sanding block, gently sand over the blued area. Since bluing is a chemical reaction, causing oxidation of the metal, you do not have to wait for anything to dry. Using a block allows the sandpaper to remove the bluing on the flat, while not touching the metal in the etch.










After this, repeat the whole process. Alcohol, bluing, rinse, sand. You will notice that the chemical reaction is probably darker and deeper in color the second time and even more so the third, causing the etch to come out even a bit more.










The whole process only takes 10-15 minutes, and the results are so worth it. After finishing, make sure to wax the plate for some rust protection or you will get to start the whole restoration process over again in the near future.

Oh, the rest of the Disston.




























. . . . . . now to conquer saw sharpening.


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## walden (Nov 11, 2012)

JayT said:


> *I came, I saw . . . . . . *
> 
> Shop's Log: March 27, 2014
> 
> ...


These look great! I like the trick for bringing out the etching. From one galoot to another, is your whole shop hand tools at this point?


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## lysdexic (Mar 21, 2011)

JayT said:


> *I came, I saw . . . . . . *
> 
> Shop's Log: March 27, 2014
> 
> ...


Jay - your glueing was more effective than other examples that I've seen. Great job.


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

JayT said:


> *I came, I saw . . . . . . *
> 
> Shop's Log: March 27, 2014
> 
> ...


Thanks guys.

walden, no, I would still be considered a hybrid woodworker, though leaning heavily to the hand tools side. I have a table saw, sliding miter saw and drill press for machinery and a bunch of power hand tools that get used mostly for home improvement chores. I'm not ready to tackle those tasks with hand tools, yet.

Once the miter box is fully functional again, though, I may very well sell the powered miter saw. I also am planning to purchase a lunchbox planer to speed up lumber prep and dimensioning. I can do it with hand planes, but my project queue gets additions much faster than I'm crossing them off and the biggest time drain is rough planing.


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## walden (Nov 11, 2012)

JayT said:


> *I came, I saw . . . . . . *
> 
> Shop's Log: March 27, 2014
> 
> ...


I think you'll find the hand miter box is more accurate than the sliding miter saw. I agree with you on the lunchbox planer. If you can get one side flattened by hand, which doesn't take too long, the planer would save a lot of time on the other side. It is very time consuming to try and get that second side flat, parallel to the first, and have all your lumber come out at exactly the same thickness. Although I'm all hand tools now, if I were to buy one power tool, the lunch box style planer would be it.


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## DonBroussard (Mar 27, 2012)

JayT said:


> *I came, I saw . . . . . . *
> 
> Shop's Log: March 27, 2014
> 
> ...


Thanks for the bluing instructions, Jay. I was aware from other reading that the plate needs to be oil-free, but the alcohol tip was new to me. I also read that you shouldn't touch the blued area with your fingers, lest the oil from the skin alter the chemical reaction. I might give it a shot in between other project work this weekend. BTW, yours did come out really crisp.


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## swirt (Apr 6, 2010)

JayT said:


> *I came, I saw . . . . . . *
> 
> Shop's Log: March 27, 2014
> 
> ...


Nice work JayT Those look great.

Ammonia is an even a better degreaser than alcohol but it stinks up your shop worse.


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## lysdexic (Mar 21, 2011)

JayT said:


> *I came, I saw . . . . . . *
> 
> Shop's Log: March 27, 2014
> 
> ...


I meant to type bluing not glueing. Damn you - autocorrect.


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

JayT said:


> *I came, I saw . . . . . . *
> 
> Shop's Log: March 27, 2014
> 
> ...


Always blaming autocorrect, Scott. I think you just brandished so many ginormous words in the other threads, you forgot how to communicate with us woodworking Neanderthals.


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## theoldfart (Sep 9, 2011)

JayT said:


> *I came, I saw . . . . . . *
> 
> Shop's Log: March 27, 2014
> 
> ...


JayT great post. I have several saws with a faint etch so this is perfect. I have the same Mitre saw, but the tote is in really rough condition with substantial checking. I've got a line on some apple wood and so maybe a new tote in the future.


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## terryR (Jan 30, 2012)

JayT said:


> *I came, I saw . . . . . . *
> 
> Shop's Log: March 27, 2014
> 
> ...


Thanks for sharing, JayT! You really made it look easy.
Must try again…


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## Pezking7p (Nov 17, 2013)

JayT said:


> *I came, I saw . . . . . . *
> 
> Shop's Log: March 27, 2014
> 
> ...


Very nice blog. Easy process. The saw looks great!


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## Slyy (Nov 13, 2013)

JayT said:


> *I came, I saw . . . . . . *
> 
> Shop's Log: March 27, 2014
> 
> ...


JayT that really turned out well. I've got a few that have hardly legible/ weak etches that if love to try this out on.


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

JayT said:


> *I came, I saw . . . . . . *
> 
> Shop's Log: March 27, 2014
> 
> ...


Thank you, guys. It really is that easy, though results will be 100% based on what you have to work with. The Disston above came out well. The Phoenix also shown above had the etch so shallow and enough corrosion that even with the bluing, it is barely legible in person and not at all in a photo.










I'd love to shine the plate up more, but would totally lose the top part of the etch, so it is what it is.


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

JayT said:


> *I came, I saw . . . . . . *
> 
> Shop's Log: March 27, 2014
> 
> ...


Well done Jayt. A nice way to merge two of my hobbies. Rifle and tool restoration!


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## mochoa (Oct 9, 2009)

JayT said:


> *I came, I saw . . . . . . *
> 
> Shop's Log: March 27, 2014
> 
> ...


Great work man!


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## Brit (Aug 14, 2010)

JayT said:


> *I came, I saw . . . . . . *
> 
> Shop's Log: March 27, 2014
> 
> ...


Love it. Love it. Love it.


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

*Time to step up to the re-plate.*

Shop's Log: May 5 2014

Having been working on some saw cleanups, modifcations, restorations and refurbs, I was finally ready to tackle a project that has been sitting in the saw till for over a year. Last March, I picked up an 8 inch Disston at an antique shop for a very reasonable amount. I thought at the time all it was going to need was cleaned up and sharpened, but alas, it was not to be. When cleaning up the plate, I found a 1/2in long crack at the toothline.



















I had hoped to maybe file past the split and then re-tooth the saw. I suppose I still could but another opportunity came up. Ron Bontz threw out an irresistible offer in an LJ post for replacement plates with teeth punched, so I decided to order up a new 3 inch deep 13ppi rip plate. The old plate was 2-1/2 inches, but I wanted a bit more depth for use with my David Barron dovetail jig.



















Today, I took the saw apart and worked it over. Here is the result.





































I still need to sharpen and set it, but want to practice my sharpening on a few coarser toothed saws before trying to work on a 13ppi. The re-plating process was actually very easy and I would definitely have no hesitation doing it again. If you have an old saw that needs that treatment, quit putting it off and step up to the (re)plate.


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## weedsnager (Sep 25, 2011)

JayT said:


> *Time to step up to the re-plate.*
> 
> Shop's Log: May 5 2014
> 
> ...


Very nice


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

JayT said:


> *Time to step up to the re-plate.*
> 
> Shop's Log: May 5 2014
> 
> ...


Well done JayT


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## ShaneA (Apr 15, 2011)

JayT said:


> *Time to step up to the re-plate.*
> 
> Shop's Log: May 5 2014
> 
> ...


Whoa, looks amazing.


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## walden (Nov 11, 2012)

JayT said:


> *Time to step up to the re-plate.*
> 
> Shop's Log: May 5 2014
> 
> ...


Looks great!


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## Brit (Aug 14, 2010)

JayT said:


> *Time to step up to the re-plate.*
> 
> Shop's Log: May 5 2014
> 
> ...


Ya done good champ. You'll soon get the hang of sharpening and then there'll be no stopping you.


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

JayT said:


> *Time to step up to the re-plate.*
> 
> Shop's Log: May 5 2014
> 
> ...


Lookin sweet JayT! Any adhesives used in refitting the plate into the spine or just straight friction?


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## Brit (Aug 14, 2010)

JayT said:


> *Time to step up to the re-plate.*
> 
> Shop's Log: May 5 2014
> 
> ...


Adhesives? Sacrilege! )


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

JayT said:


> *Time to step up to the re-plate.*
> 
> Shop's Log: May 5 2014
> 
> ...


stef, Andy has it covered-just a friction fit. The only adhesive on the old plate was the rust holding tight


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

*Unexpected Essentials*

"You are not in this world alone".

How many times did I hear that phrase from my high school band teacher? It was one of her two go to sayings for almost any situation. ( "Don't make this hard" was the other) Years later, more than I care to think about, it was strange to look down at my bench and hear her gravelly voice as I was working on dovetails.










Pondering what all lay there:


Dovetail saw came from Wally331 during last year's saw swap. 
Brass hammer came with a plane from Hammerthumb during 2013's plane swap-it's a plane hammer that works awesome for chisels, too.
Strop on the back of the bench was made by BigRedKnothead.
Marking gauge was a prototype for the marking gauge swap. Similar ones were sent to fellow LJ's shampeon and Wally331. I use one sent to me by Don Broussard with regularity, though mainly for larger projects.
Marking knife was made by David Barron. I purchased it from him, but still handmade, not mass produced. I also probably would not have purchased from him had he not been such a gentleman and help when doing the marking gauge swap. (The marking gauge is based off his design)

Without other woodworkers, not only would I not have inspiration, I wouldn't have very many tools! The only commercial tools are the chisels and a Starrett square. Even that was purchased from Patrick Leach, yet another person that contributes heavily to woodworking tools and knowledge.

Every time I'm in the shop, there are reminders of other people that share this great hobby. Maybe going galoot is less about the tools themselves than it is about being able to have a connection with the people involved with the tools.

Turns out a band teacher's advice still rings true-I'm not in this woodworking world alone.

Thank goodness!


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## theoldfart (Sep 9, 2011)

JayT said:


> *Unexpected Essentials*
> 
> "You are not in this world alone".
> 
> ...


Uh huh. Right on the Mark JT. I also have tools from fellow LJ'ers, neighbors, family and the ever present St. Patrick.To your list I would add the written word, Schwartz, St. Roy, Garret Hack, Tage Fried and so on. Paying it forward is what makes our craft continue to thrive.


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## handsawgeek (Jul 31, 2014)

JayT said:


> *Unexpected Essentials*
> 
> "You are not in this world alone".
> 
> ...


Excellent post, JayT

It makes one appreciate how much of a role technology has played in increasing the interest in hand tool woodworking. We are enabled to freely and quickly access the vast amount of knowledge concerning the craft. By being in touch with other woodworkers, we can constantly be learning about the tools and techniques that we would have otherwise never encountered or would have been learned the hard way on our own. I would bet there is not a single facet of handtool woodworking that one could not find covered in a Youtube video. We can ask questions, learn techniques, compare notes, research tools, and in your example, swap and obtain tools for our kits from others who share our passion. And we make a lot of friends along the way.
These are all luxuries that our hand tool ancestors did not have. Many of them had to serve long apprenticeships to learn the very things that we can now research at the click of a mouse. They didn't have published plans, tutorial DVDs, or clear color photographs of build in progress techniques.
They had to either figure things out on their own, or learn first-hand from those who had figured things out before them.

This is why I appreciate LJs so much. Again thanks for this thought provoking post.


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

JayT said:


> *Unexpected Essentials*
> 
> "You are not in this world alone".
> 
> ...


the world is getting smaller.


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