Leave me alone! I'm not obsessed!

I was subtly reminded this past weekend that I may be becoming obsessed with woodworking. I conceded that it may be true. I’ve woodworked more in the past year than I have in the prior three combined. I’ve written more than 150 blog entries, sold my guitars for tool money, made at least eight pieces of furniture, and even made a few tools for good measure. So maybe woodworking is becoming an obsession for me. With that being said, I’ve decided to come up with a list of 5 signs that you are possibly becoming obsessed with woodworking.

1. Your wedding registry was the Lee Valley woodworking catalog.

2. Your daughter asks you for a dog and you ask her if she prefers square or round.

3. A maple tree crashes through your house in a storm and the first thing you worry about is salvaging as much stock as you can from the tree.

4. Your jack plane has its own fitted case and custom plane sock. Your wedding ring is in a Dixie cup in your sock drawer.

5. Your coffin is shaped like a coffin plane.

If you, or somebody you know, are accurately described by one or more of the items on this list then you may have a mild to severe woodworking obsession. It doesn’t bother me, but it may affect the others in your life. Or maybe they can just mind their own business and let you woodwork for God’s sake!

Ranto de Mayo

In honor of the lovely spring weather we’ve been having, I’ve decided to take a few minutes to complain about some more things woodworking that mildly upset me. So here goes nothing…

When I’m Master of the woodworking universe…
Woodworking writers won’t be allowed to claim that you can set up a hand tool workshop with just 100 square feet of space. I tried to woodwork in an area roughly 10 feet x 10 feet over the weekend and the only thing I accomplished was cursing for thirty minutes. It doesn’t work; it’s complete bullshit used to sucker people into purchasing “How to set up shop” books and magazines. Ever notice that in every one of those magazines there isn’t an actual 100 square foot shop being shown anywhere? As a matter of fact, most of the shops pictured, including the hand tool shops, are quite spacious to say the least. Even the famed Dominy family workshop, the gold standard for the small but incredible woodworking shop, is well more than double the size of the mythical small but perfectly suited to woodworking in every way without taking up any space workshop that these books claim anybody can obtain. When you are woodworking, you need every square inch you can possibly come up with, and the more of it the better. I’ve never, ever heard a woodworker say his shop was just too darn big. Maybe somebody, somewhere, has uttered that phrase, but I’ve never heard it. Of course in theory you can have a woodworking shop in a 10 x 10 room. In theory I could also take that same room and add a GPS, a few lights, and a CB radio and call it an airport, but I guarantee you that nobody is landing a plane there.

When I’m Master of the woodworking universe…
Razor thin pins on a dovetail joint won’t be considered so great. I have nothing against them, and they look nice on small boxes, but I don’t see the big deal when it comes to actually sawing them. To me, a razor thin pin is more an indicator of a well-set and sharp saw than it is any skill in actually sawing the joint. They are no more difficult to saw than any other dovetail, and in some ways they are impractical as I believe they would weaken the joint, especially in a larger case. They are probably suited to smaller boxes more than anything. OF course you could use them on a drawer, but why go through the trouble when they won’t be seen, and probably aren’t as strong as a joint with wider pins. I’ve seen them used on drawers most. I say that they are least suited to that application because a drawer’s dovetail joint probably gets stressed the most. I’ve read that you can reinforce it with a nail or a dowel. I say the better solution is to saw your pins wider and let the joint do what it was meant to do, and that is to add actual strength to a case, not just decorate it.

When I’m Master of the woodworking universe…
Woodworking books won’t suck. I’ve read my fair share of woodworking books, not thousands like some people, but near a hundred or so. I probably own close to seventy-five myself. Maybe ten percent of them are what I would call really good, perhaps 10 more percent are okay, and the rest will most likely never be opened again. For the most part, woodworking books are all filled with the same tedious information that was has been rehashed from tedious information written a century ago. There is next to zero new information being published anymore; it’s just the same stuff said a different way. I’ve mentioned before that I’m waiting for that one book to really blow me away. I haven’t found it; not even close. I realize that there is never going to be one all encompassing woodworking book. I’m not asking for the impossible. I’m just looking for any one book to be really great. The topic could be anything: sharpening, joinery, tools…anything! The only woodworking book I’ve read that I would consider calling great is The Pine Furniture of Early New England by Russell Hawes Kettell and that was published more than eighty years ago. Some may say that there are great woodworking books out there, I’m just not reading the right ones. I say that they are correct, because some of the so-called acclaimed stuff I have read isn’t great; it’s not even good, and some of it downright sucked.


If I offended anybody I’m not sorry; this is a rant afterall…

Finished finish ends end table build(s)

At long last the seemingly neverending matching end tables project that's been haunting my garage for the past few months has finally come to its conclusion. To be honest that isn't completely true. Table #2 still needs two more coats of wipe on poly to technically be called "finished". That should be completed by Saturday and I can finally put this chapter in my woodworking life to rest. I learned a few things during this project, the main lesson being that I will not undertake a dual build again with my current workshop situation. It was a very difficult situation in particular once the table assembly phase began. I don't have a staging area of any kind, nor do I have a storage area unless you count the top of my workbench. As careful as I tried to be, I ended up spending hours fixing little dings and dents on the table legs, which seemed to bump into something every time I went to move the tables off the bench. I also think that I've come closer to perfecting a drawer runner system, and I liked the method I used to attach the table top to the base, though only time well tell how well it holds up. The jury is still out on the finis, however.
I liked the gel stain; it was much more forgiving to use on an asssembled project than a traditional brush on stain. There were no run marks on the legs and the actual finish is much more even than the brush on stuff. What I did find out is that the instructions on the can are probably better off left as only a suggestion. Like most stains, you get the typical recommendation: "Apply product, leave on for 5 minutes, wipe off excess." Maybe in a perfect finishing environment with a climate controlled, static and dust free lab set at the perfect humidity level that is good advice. Unfortunately for me my garage isn't the entrance to a top secret, underground government laboratory a la <em>The Andromeda Strain</em>. My finish area is usually my back yard when the weather cooperates. I found that if you let the gel stain sit for more than two minutes it turned into frozen molasses. Perhaps using some type of squeegee would make the removal process easier, but I was using a cloth rag. I worked quickly, starting at the top and working my way down. For the first coat I concentrated on getting the tables evenly covered, the next, and final coats were where I worked a bit slower, working the stain in to get an even appearance. I suppose I could have gone with three applications, the color is a touch lighter than the other magogany finishes I've applied, but I like it, and it turned out with a nice warm tone, rather than the dull finish that an oil based stain can sometimes leave. I will probably continue to use gel stain in my future projects. I will not say it is easier than applying brush on stain, but it also wasn't any more difficult, and the evenness of the finish cannot be matched.
For the final protective finish I used wipe on, gloss polyurethane from Minwax. Though I really and truly hate finishing (and I'm not just saying that), I do like using wipe on poly. I basically hate brushing on regular polyurethane as much as I hate staining. The wipe on stuff, in my opinion, is much easier to apply, and it looks a little nicer too. Table #1 got three coats, I did two in one day and one the following morning. Table #2 still only has the one coat on it. I didn't actually apply the second coat of gel stain to the second table until the first coat of poly was applied to the first. As I was saying, with my current schedule and current garage set-up I will not attempt to build two pieces of furniture simultaneuously ever again. It was just too much work for one person with limited time to accomplish. Anyway, the only knock with the wipe on poly is that it usually takes an added coat or two more than the brush on variety. That is fine with me being that it's so much easier to apply. Using the other stuff, I found that two coats was usually enough. For the wipe-on I think three was perfect. An arguement could be made that the top should have a fourth coat; I can see that. But I think tnree coats left the perfect amount of gloss without it looking too shiny.

Now that the tables are finished I'm going to move on to my new workbench top. I have a few sketches worked out. I'm hoping to start that in a few weeks. After that is finished I'm going to take a little break from furniture making and re-trim our master bedroom. In the meanwhile, I will also finally sign up for the Hand Tool School. I want to be able to watch the videos from the course at my leisure and work on the projects the same way. There will be no pressure on myself, created by yours truly, to get things finished. I'm going to take it easy. That's why I think this course is perfect for me, and any woodworker who wants to learn at his or her own pace whenever the free time allows it. The only other furniture project I can see myself doing this summer is possibly another hall table, which somebody asked me to build for them. I'm still not sure if I'm going to do it or not, I haven't decided as of yet. Until then, my tables are finally finished, I think they turned out great, and I am an idiot for trying to make two of them at once. I said it, so can you.

Hand Tool Mythbuster

Yesterday I happened upon a post on a woodworking magazine’s website which discussed new woodworkers starting out with hand tools, and 5 myths surrounding their use. I thought it was an interesting topic and I figured that I would use my blog to give my take on the subject. Before I go any further, my lawyers tell me that I should mention that I am not using this post to attack or insult any one particular person or magazine. I won’t even mention the magazine by name. I am just commenting on a topic that I felt was left open to debate, nothing more. Now I would bet that sooner or later somebody will read this entry and somehow twist it to the point where I am attacking somebody’s character or judgement, or maybe even report me back to the author of the article as a vitriolic slimebag who is doing nothing more than spewing hatred and hurling insults. If that does happen, I don’t care, but just know that I am just giving an opinion. Anyway, I will use the same 5 myths that the author used and present my opinion on each:

Myth 1: Hand tools are slow.
It’s been said that hand tools are not slow, only the people who use them. Hand tools are obviously designed to work as efficiently as possible. Though hand tools aren’t necessarily slow I also wouldn’t call them quick, either. For instance, If I needed to saw a drawer front to length, I would probably grab my carcase saw and get to work. The drawer front will need some final fitting regardless so there is no point setting up a table saw and measuring the cut down the the 1/32 of an inch. But, If I had to saw six table aprons to the same length and eight table legs, I am taking up the time to set up the stop block on my table saw’s miter gauge. The best sawyer in the world is not going to come close to matching the repetitive accuracy of a table saw, at least not nearly as quickly. Speed isn’t everything, I know, but to say that hand tools are as fast as a power tool isn’t always an accurate statement. In any event, if you are a hobbyist like me, you can use whatever tools you enjoy using most. I think that this myth is really only a question that a professional should be concerned with. This myth is Plausible
Myth 2: Hand tools are less precise than power tools.
Again, this myth is both true and false. Whenever this point comes up it’s always mentioned that you can set up hand planes to remove .001 of an inch, and that no machine will be able to do that as accurately. I agree with that statement 100%. But no hand saw is going to be as accurate as a table saw for repetitive cuts. I know I just mentioned this but it bears repeating. There are so many factors when making repetitive hand saw cuts I don’t know where to start: knife/pencil line, minute grain variances, blade kerf differences. A table saw miter gauge with a stop block set fast does not need to factor in those differences. If your pencil or knife line is off by 1/64″ from board to board you will not have identical cuts; I know, it’s happened to me. You could argue that a hand miter box with a stop block could be used. I would say that a hand miter box would be a good choice, but it is also a piece of equipment that is somewhat a cross between a hand tool and a power tool. On another point, no power tool can do the delicate work that good chisel can do, or a well tuned hand plane. So I will call this myth Busted
Myth 3: Hand tools require great skills.
I would say that hand tools do not require great skills, but they do require some skills. There is also a learning curve with power tools. I would say that in the beginning, hand tools require less skill than a power tool because while a power tools is quite fast, it can also ruin your work that much more quickly if your set up isn’t accurate, and they are generally more dangerous to use for beginners. Hand tools seem to be a bit more forgiving when it comes to certain operations such as most joinery. In my opinion it is usually easier to cut a tenon by hand and pare it to fit rather than trying to get it to fit perfectly on the first attempt using a tablesaw and dado stac. Of course there is somewhat of a danger factor when using any hand tool, but it is not as great as the caution needed when it comes to power tool use, especially for a beginner. I would call this myth Plausible, but nearly Busted.
Myth 4: Hand tools aren’t cut out for complex work.
For delicate work I will chose a power tool over a hand tool maybe one time in twenty. While a power tool may have the edge in repetitve accuracy, they are not nearly as good a choice as a well tuned hand tool when it comes to complex cuts. I’ve seen people create complex table saw jigs for cutting dovetails that work, but still need to be refined with hand tools. Why not just cut out the middle man and use the hand tools from the get-go? Try to use a power tool to make a half-blind dovetail, or create subtle chamfer on a table top. You can probably find someway to do it, but a hand tool can do it just as quickly, and just as accurately. Myth Busted.
Myth 5: Hand tools are cheaper than power tools.
This is another subjective myth but I will do my best. Good power tools can certainly be expensive. Good hand tools are definitely expensive. You can outfit a good power tool shop for around $5000. A well equipped hand tool shop is probably going to cost you at least that much if you are purchasing mostly new tools. A good set of hand saws will probably cost around $400-$600. You can get a good quality contractor style table saw for less than $800, and it will be somewhat more versatile. Good hand tools are going to cost you, no exceptions. I think that fact, for more than any other reason, is why beginners often start off using power tools. For around $1000 you can get yourself a decent table saw, a jig saw, and some clamps and you can start making basic furniture. With hand tools, you are probably going to spend around $1500 to get yourself up and running the right way. I would call this myth Confirmed.

When it comes down to it, I think hand tools are probably more versatile and a better choice for a beginner only because of the learning curve factor needed when it comes to operating powered equipment. At the same time I would say that certain powertools are indispensable when it comes to woodworking, namely a table saw and a surface planer. For me, it comes down to two things: what do you like doing and what can you afford? There are certain people out there who would discourage a new woodworker, or any woodworker for that matter, from using power tools. I’m not one of those guys. I would say use whatever you like and whatever you can afford. I don’t like offering advice when it comes down to it, but if I were going to I would tell any new woodworker not to limit himself to one mindset. Use hand tools, use power tools, and use both. Tools are a great thing; it’s fun buying them, owning them, and using them. Why do we need to put a label on our woodworking? If you’re thinking about purchasing some tools you’ve already taken a step in the right direction. Don’t limit yourself, have fun! Isn’t that what woodworking is supposed to be about?