Biggest difference maker for me getting into it was buying quality vintage tools and learning how to sharpen. Sharp tools are easy to use, and safer since you aren't fighting them.WOW! I wish we lived close to each other. Would love to sit in your shop in learn hand tools. I've got a couple that I'm practicing with to get better (chisels and a few planes) but I'm nowhere near ready to build anything using them. haha! One of the upsides to hand tools that I've found, I can hear the music playing MUCH better!
Very nice. Reminds me of the first time I used padauk to make a side table for my sister for Christmas one year. My first attempt at inlay with holly and spayed legs. Back in my power tool days. Sanding the padauk kind of colored the white holly a bit, but it still turned out nice. Don't have a finished picture, but it was/is nice.This is my most recent piece, a keepsake box for my sister's wedding, in curly maple and padauk:
I'm completely speechless!
What do you use to sharpen your chisels? Do you use whet stones or diamond?
I've got just about every sharpening system out there, but what I use most often is a set of waterstones that I think I got from japanwoodworker.com. I have 1000, 5000, 8000, and 12,000 grit stones. They work fast, but need to be flattened with every use, which only takes a few seconds. I use a coarse dia-sharp diamond plate to flatten those, and also to remove large amounts of metal if needed. The biggest thing with sharpening plane blades or chisels for me was using a honing guide, like the ones available from lee valley or lie-nielsen. Made life much easier.
Do you take each chisel all the way through 1,000 to 12,000 each time or do you have a method for that?
That is quite nice. I especially like how you switched up colors on the tenon pegs. Nice touch. I haven't tackled splayed legs yet but I've had a couple of project ideas floating around in the back of my mind that might prompt me to try them.
Thanks! It was my first time working with padauk. My wife got a kick out of my cheeto fingers. It was also my first attempt at splined miters. I knocked together a quick and dirty jig to cut the slots so I need to make a proper one now.
It's funny how many times I've posted project pics and people compliment or ask about the garage door! I can't take credit for building it. It's original to the house, built in '84. It's a little tired now and needs to be replaced because some of the panels are gapping. The replacement will be more energy efficient (Alaska, after all) but I'll be sorry to see the old woody go.
Generally just a touch up on the 8k and/or 12k is all that's needed. The idea being to get things sharp and keep them there. Generally, all new tools will need the full treatment to get them ready to work. Kinda like throwing new cigars in the home humidor for a while to acclimate before they're ready to smoke. The 1k and 5k get the most frequent use keeping my kitchen knives sharp.
Check out Lie-Nielsen and Lee Valley for good stuff. Made in USA and Canada, respectively. Top quality stuff. You don't need one of everything. A no. 3, 5, and 7, or a no. 4, 6, and 8, depending on the scale of your work would be enough for most anyone. Of course, as much as there is Cigar Acquisition Syndrome, there is TAS.
Really well done! Anyone would be happy to have that in their home.It's been a while since I posted these in the spring projects thread so I'll repost here for the benefit of those who didn't visit that thread. This was my first real commission and my most ambitious project to date. A coworker's husband had some ducks mounted but the wood base was pretty sad, to the point of not being worthy of refinishing. So I came up with the idea of recessing the base in a display table and since they're wine drinkers, making it a wine rack.
Walnut and walnut ply, finished with BLO and Waterlox:
Rowdy has the right of it. I recommend Lie-Nielsen by reputation and Lee Valley Veritas planes from experience. I have the #4 smoother, low angle jack, shooting plane, medium and large shoulder planes, and the router plane.
You're a baller! I'm a baller on a very strict budget.
