Saturday, November 2, 2013
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Sunday, June 16, 2013
New Gets
I cashed in my Lie-Nielsen credit for working at the Hand Tool Events this spring. It's fun getting a big box from them.
I'm tired of the amount of sandpaper I ruin flattening waterstones, so I bit the bullet and got a Dia-Flat. I had a hard time making the order, as it's pretty expensive for something that's got no moving parts. Now that I have it I wish I bought one a long time ago. It's quick and effective. I've flattened water, oil, and ceramic stones on it, and it performs very well.
I picked up a pair of panel saws, a 12 point crosscut and a 7 point rip.
In my opinion these sport Lie-Nielsens nicest handles.
The lamb's toungue is one of my favourite shapes.
These are the toungue and groove planes, the #48 and #49. These are dedicated joinery planes, self-centering on 1/2" and 3/4" thick stock. Not an essential tool by any means, but so much fun to use.
#97 large chisel plane. I admit I only bought this tool because it's discontinued. I had no real want for a chisel plane, and I always thought I'd prefer the smaller 97 1/2, but now that I have it I'm glad I got it. I've used it a couple of times already for trimming some through tenons, the longer length translates into more leverage while slicing though end grain.
After using it at Hand Tool Events, I decided that a dovetail marker is a much nicer system than the bevel gauge and square I had been using to lay out my joinery.
While making a box with a telescoping lid, I wished I had a rabbet block plane to clean up the saw marks where I cut the lid off. Because of this I made sure to get a 60 1/2.
I stared using the 140 trick a while ago, where you plane a shallow rabbet across the baseline of your tails to act as a ledge to register your pin board while transfering the joinery locations. It works so well I decided to pick up a 140, as a full sized rabbet plane is too big and awkward.
I'm tired of the amount of sandpaper I ruin flattening waterstones, so I bit the bullet and got a Dia-Flat. I had a hard time making the order, as it's pretty expensive for something that's got no moving parts. Now that I have it I wish I bought one a long time ago. It's quick and effective. I've flattened water, oil, and ceramic stones on it, and it performs very well.
I picked up a pair of panel saws, a 12 point crosscut and a 7 point rip.
In my opinion these sport Lie-Nielsens nicest handles.
The lamb's toungue is one of my favourite shapes.
These are the toungue and groove planes, the #48 and #49. These are dedicated joinery planes, self-centering on 1/2" and 3/4" thick stock. Not an essential tool by any means, but so much fun to use.
#97 large chisel plane. I admit I only bought this tool because it's discontinued. I had no real want for a chisel plane, and I always thought I'd prefer the smaller 97 1/2, but now that I have it I'm glad I got it. I've used it a couple of times already for trimming some through tenons, the longer length translates into more leverage while slicing though end grain.
After using it at Hand Tool Events, I decided that a dovetail marker is a much nicer system than the bevel gauge and square I had been using to lay out my joinery.
While making a box with a telescoping lid, I wished I had a rabbet block plane to clean up the saw marks where I cut the lid off. Because of this I made sure to get a 60 1/2.
I stared using the 140 trick a while ago, where you plane a shallow rabbet across the baseline of your tails to act as a ledge to register your pin board while transfering the joinery locations. It works so well I decided to pick up a 140, as a full sized rabbet plane is too big and awkward.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Tool Event
Last weekend I had the opportunity to help out at the Lie-Nielen Hand Tool Event in Sidney, British Columbia. It was held in the flooring galley of West Wind Hardwood, a family owned business that offers custom flooring and fine lumber.
The owner has a wonderful collection of old woodworking tools.
Many of his molding planes were rescued from destruction when he found them after being discarded by their former owner.
He's got a pretty good collection of old machinery as well. An antique Cowan planer, a Millers Falls scroll saw, and my favourite, a Cresent bandsaw. I think this one is a 20", the little brother to my 32". These are some of my favourites, the lines of the C frame have always been pleasing to me.
I had a great time meeting new people and playing with tools. Even after years of it, making shavings is still one of my favourite things to do, and helping others experience it is a lot of fun. There's something about being able to slice such a hard material by hand that seems like magic.
I was able to spend some more time with my friend, Jeremy Tomlinson. He's the Lie-Nielsen Canadian show lead, and knows his way around hand tools like no one else I know.
He has recently started teaching woodworking at The Roundhouse, a community arts centre in Vancouver, B.C., as well as starting his own business, The Urban Woodworker. Jeremy's constantly refining his teaching style, and is a very effective communicator of the concepts used in hand tool woodworking. I've benefited simply from listening to him talk to others.
After the show on Sunday we took the fery back to the mainland and took a tour of his shop. He expained to me some of his techniques for turning and gilding, and I'm excited to incorporate some of his ideas into my own work. He's got a wonderful collection of exotic hardwood and antique tools to drool over, but the most fun was had in using his gigantic custom tenon saw.
I had a great time, and I loved being on the west coast. I haven't been out since I lived in Vancouver twelve years ago, those were some of the best years of my life and I was instanty reminded of them when I arrived. It was -30°C when I left Saskatoon, and I was grinning like a fool when I got off the plane. Seeing green grass was good for my soul.
The owner has a wonderful collection of old woodworking tools.
Many of his molding planes were rescued from destruction when he found them after being discarded by their former owner.
He's got a pretty good collection of old machinery as well. An antique Cowan planer, a Millers Falls scroll saw, and my favourite, a Cresent bandsaw. I think this one is a 20", the little brother to my 32". These are some of my favourites, the lines of the C frame have always been pleasing to me.
I had a great time meeting new people and playing with tools. Even after years of it, making shavings is still one of my favourite things to do, and helping others experience it is a lot of fun. There's something about being able to slice such a hard material by hand that seems like magic.
I was able to spend some more time with my friend, Jeremy Tomlinson. He's the Lie-Nielsen Canadian show lead, and knows his way around hand tools like no one else I know.
He has recently started teaching woodworking at The Roundhouse, a community arts centre in Vancouver, B.C., as well as starting his own business, The Urban Woodworker. Jeremy's constantly refining his teaching style, and is a very effective communicator of the concepts used in hand tool woodworking. I've benefited simply from listening to him talk to others.
After the show on Sunday we took the fery back to the mainland and took a tour of his shop. He expained to me some of his techniques for turning and gilding, and I'm excited to incorporate some of his ideas into my own work. He's got a wonderful collection of exotic hardwood and antique tools to drool over, but the most fun was had in using his gigantic custom tenon saw.
I had a great time, and I loved being on the west coast. I haven't been out since I lived in Vancouver twelve years ago, those were some of the best years of my life and I was instanty reminded of them when I arrived. It was -30°C when I left Saskatoon, and I was grinning like a fool when I got off the plane. Seeing green grass was good for my soul.
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