WOODWORKING ToolHand Fundamentals

Hand Tool Lay a Foundation for FUNDAMENTALS Hand Tool Excellence  Now you can learn the hand tool skills used by the best

woodworkers to achieve handcrafted excellence in all your Advice, Techniques to & Projects Build Your Skills woodworking projects. Advice, Hand Tool Fundamentals introduces you to all the key tools and techniques you need to learn for sterling work, then Techniques shows you how to incorporate them into the modern wood- working shop. You’ll learn: & Projects • What to look for when buying new precision hand tools. to Build • How to tune your tools so they perform well. • The time-tested hand tools everyone should own. Your Skills • How to make a smoothing plane, infi ll jointer plane and dovetailing tools. • 10 hand-tool projects you can build to improve your skills. • More than 75 hand-tool tips and techniques. • And more! This book is jam-packed with trustworthy advice and instruction from top editors and contributors to American Woodworker, including Toshio Odate, Frank Klausz, Mario Rodriguez, Andy Rae, Ellis Walentine and Tom Caspar.

Trusted advice from the experts KELSEY at American Woodworker

US $27.99 T5220 (CAN $31.00) ISBN-13: 978-1-940038-12-4 ISBN-10: 1-940038-12-X 52799 EAN UPC FnL1 04 0120 01 JUYrVyBQdWJsaWNhdGlvbnMsIEluYyAo 02 SW9sYSBkaXZpc2lvbikPR3JlZ29yeSBL 03 cnVlZ2VyAFO1GzsCMTMDMTAwATEFVVBD LUEMMDM1MzEzNjYyNzQ0eA== 0 35313 66274 4 9 FnL1 04 0124 01 JUYrVyBQdWJsaWNhdGlvbnMsIEluYyAo 02 SW9sYSBkaXZpc2lvbikPR3JlZ29yeSBL 03 cnVlZ2VyAFPXm8IEMTAuNAI4MAExBkVB Ti0xMw05NzgxOTQwMDM4MTI0AA== 781940 038124 EDITED BY JOHN KELSEY

CCover_T5220.inddover_T5220.indd 1 88/5/14/5/14 11:35:35 PPMM Hand Tool Fundamentals

001-007_T5220.indd 1 7/30/14 1:42 PM Whether you are working with hand tools or machine tools or a combination of both, accurate layout is essential for excellent results.

001-007_T5220.indd 2 7/30/14 1:42 PM Hand Tool Fundamentals

Advice, Techniques & Projects to Build Your Skills

POPULAR WOODWORKING BOOKS CINCINNATI, OHIO www.popularwoodworking.com

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001-007_T5220.indd 4 7/30/14 1:42 PM Foreword oodworking with hand tools is alive and well, and in fact, despite reports to the contrary, Wthe muscle-powered hand-tool approach never did fall before the onslaught of the machine. That’s because most woodworkers embrace the best of both: machines for gross removal of material, precision, and repetitive, labor-intensive operations; hand tools for fi nesse, accuracy, and for singular operations that don’t need to be repeated hundreds or thousands of times. But there are more reasons to embrace working with hand tools, including these: —it’s direct. Your hands, and the simple tools you’re holding, bear directly on the wood. There’s no elaborate system of fences to control the workpiece and keep hands away from whirling cutters, no mandatory hearing protection and safety goggles to impair your senses. —it’s physical. For a terrifi c whole-body workout, try ripping planks with a hand saw and hand-planing a stack of boards to width and thickness. You won’t need to go to the gym that day. —it’s quiet. In fact the gentle sounds that hand tools make are vital clues to what’s happening at the cutting edge. The roar of the machine, on the other hand, drowns out subtlety and nuance. —it’s meditative. When it’s going well, the work fully absorbs both mind and body, time fl ies by and crowds out distraction and turmoil. Many hand-tool afi cionados report achieving a zen-like state of oneness with their work. —and with just a little skill, hand work is surprisingly quick and effi cient. Adept woodworkers often note that they can complete a task with hand tools in less time than it would take to set up a machine, and they are mostly correct. And even when they are wrong, the other benefi ts of hand-tool woodworking outweigh the little extra time it might take. This volume presents a variety of hand tools and techniques, extracted from the archives of American Woodworker magazine, that most woodworkers will fi nd useful and pertinent to their shop projects. It includes exercises in choosing, making and modifying hand tools, as well as techniques for using them. And it also includes a detailed section on sharpening, the essential skill that every hand-tool woodworker must master.

001-007_T5220.indd 5 7/30/14 1:42 PM Contents

Planes and Chisels

Planes: Match the Size to the Job ...... 10 Length, width and heft all make a diff erence

Choosing a Block Plane ...... 14 Adjustability enables fi ne work

Tune Up an Old Chisel ...... 17 Polish both back and bevel

Restoring an Old Plane ...... 23 Th e secret is a step-by-step procedure

Troubleshoot Your Plane ...... 28 Practical solutions to 6 common problems

Handles for Socket Chisels ...... 34 How to turn a perfect fi t

Planes and Chisels, 8 Using a Chisel ...... 38 Technique builds from body and stance

Make a Smooth Plane ...... 42 An antique beauty you’ll use every day

Make a Router Plane ...... 48 A very useful and precise tool

Make a Tool Till ...... 52 Traditional drawers store small hand tools

Hand Tools and Bench Aids

Great Little Tools ...... 58 Time-tested and woodworker-approved

Make a Scratch Stock ...... 60 Th is old tool goes where routers can’t

Japanese Dozuki Saws ...... 64 Th in blades cut on the pull stroke

Turning an Heirloom Awl ...... 68 Harden and temper the steel by heat-treating

Make a Leg Vise ...... 72 Deep reach at the right height

Make a Tail Vise ...... 74 Classic vise upgrades your workbench

Precision Squares ...... 82 Hand Tools and Bench Aids, 56 Essential setup and layout aids

001-007_T5220.indd 6 7/30/14 1:42 PM Make a Shaving Horse ...... 85 Hybrid design makes short work of green wood

Tool Rack Holds Everything ...... 92 Slat construction makes it easy and versatile

Joinery Tools and Techniques

Measuring and Marking ...... 98 14 tips to make layout easier

Tools for Dovetailing ...... 102 Choosing, modifying and using

Half-Blind Dovetails ...... 104 New approach ensures a precision fi t

Compound-Angle Dovetails ...... 112 An elegant layout system

Mortise and Tenon ...... 115 Joinery, 96 A hand-tool workout

Breadboard Ends ...... 116 Th ey’ll hold a solid-wood top fl at

How to Cut a 3-way Miter ...... 120 Careful layout, sawing and paring

Hand-Planed Moldings ...... 126 Create custom profi les with pairs of planes

Sharpening Hand Tools

Sharpening Shortcuts ...... 132 It helps to know why as well as how

Make a Grinding Rig ...... 139 Shop-made tool rests are more accurate

Choosing and Using Waterstones ...... 142 Fast cutting and easy maintenance

Water-Cooled Sharpening Machines ...... 146 Th ere’s no risk of burning the steel

Sharpening Scrapers ...... 149 New method is foolproof

Stropping on Leather ...... 154 Th is technique creates the ultimate sharp edge

Sharpening Station ...... 156 Everything you need is right at hand Sharpening, 130

001-007_T5220.indd 7 7/30/14 1:42 PM Planecraft is the heart of handtool woodworking. Planing wood smooth is a delight with tools you have made yourself.

008-016_T5220.indd 8 7/30/14 1:43 PM Planes and Chisels

9

008-016_T5220.indd 9 7/30/14 1:43 PM by Tom Caspar Pocket-Size

Planes: Match Low Angle

Standard the Size to the Job Angle length, width and heft all make a difference

No. 3 and planes come in a bewildering variety of sizes. Why are there so many? I’ll help Hexplain this mystery by dividing the fi eld into four groups, in order of size: block planes, No. 4 smoothing planes, jack planes, and leveling planes. I’ll show you what the planes in each group are used for, and recommend two different

starter sets. No. 41⁄2 Each group best serves a particular purpose. Smoothing planes, for example, are specifi cally designed to make wood as smooth as silk, ready for a fi nish. In general, length is the key to No. 51⁄4 understanding a group. Picking a plane at random, you could use it for most any task, but pick a plane that’s the correct length and you’ll get the job done much faster, No. 5 with better results.

No. 51⁄2

No. 6

No. 7

No. 8

10 Planes and Chisels

008-016_T5220.indd 10 7/30/14 1:43 PM No. 41⁄2 Standard Angle

Pocket-Size

Low Angle No. 4 No. 3 Block Planes Smoothing Planes Block planes are often associated with carpenters and do- A smoothing plane is a serious hand-tool user’s best it-yourselfers because they’re inexpensive and small enough friend. Set to cut a tissue-thin shaving, it can make a to fi t in a toolbox or toolbelt. They have important roles board feel smooth as silk. The wood’s grain will pop in a in the woodshop, too. A high-quality block plane can do way that you can’t achieve through sanding alone. amazing work, and may become one of your favorite tools. Types. The No. 4 size is the type most commonly Types. Standard-angle block planes are the most used, although the larger No. 41⁄2 is gaining in common. Their blades are bedded at about 20 degrees, with popularity. The 41⁄2 is heavier than the 4, and that the bevel facing up. If the blade is sharpened at 25 degrees, added mass makes it easier to maintain momentum its effective cutting angle is 45 degrees, which is similar while planing diffi cult woods. A No. 4 blade is 2". to larger planes. In a low-angle block plane, the blade is wide, while a No. 41⁄2 blade is 23⁄8" wide. A No. 3 bedded at about 12 degrees, resulting in a much lower smoothing plane is lighter and narrower than a No. 4. cutting angle. Pocket-sized planes have a standard bedding It’s perfect for a user with less muscle power because angle; what distinguishes these planes is their ultra-small its shavings are narrower. The blade of a No. 3 is size and light weight. 13⁄4" wide. Uses. Block planes are well-suited for planing end grain Uses. Smoothing planes prepare boards for or for fi tting drawers and doors, where part of the assembly fi nishing. Their relatively short length makes them is end grain. Planing end grain requires more force than ideal for planing a wide board or a glued-up top planing face grain and puts more stress on the blade. Block because they can follow slight irregularities in a plane blades chatter less because their bevels face up, not board’s surface and still make a long, continuous down, as is the case with most larger planes. Bevel up, the thin shaving, the gold standard in smoothing work. blade’s tip has additional support from the plane’s body. Longer planes require a board to be fl atter in order to Planing end grain using a low-angle block plane requires make continuous shavings (fl atter than need be, quite less force than using a standard-angle block plane. often), so these planes are less practical to use in Block planes have more uses beyond planing end grain, preparing wood for fi nishing. Fine-tuning a smoothing though. They’re very comfortable to hold in one hand for plane can really pay off: on many woods, you can shaping parts and chamfering edges. A pocket plane is easy make a surface so smooth that little or no scraping or to carry around in your apron. sanding is required.

Block planes are designed for cutting end grain, such as the Smoothing planes take the place of power sanders. stile of this door frame. Their compact size also makes them They’re used for making a surface ultra-smooth and perfect for planing with one hand. ready for fi nishing.

Planes: Match the Size to the Job 11

008-016_T5220.indd 11 7/30/14 1:43 PM No. 51⁄2 No. 8

No. 51⁄4 No. 6 No. 5 No. 7

Jack Planes Leveling Planes “He’s a jack of all trades, but master of none.” That Leveling planes are long, wide, and heavy. They expression perfectly describes a jack plane, and helps have two specifi c purposes: straightening edges and explain the origin of its name. A jack plane is longer than fl attening large surfaces. Accuracy is the goal in both a smoothing plane, so it’s not as effi cient in smoothing a situations, and that requires a plane with a long, large top because it takes more strokes to cut down to the fl at sole. low spots. It’s shorter than a leveling plane, so it’s more Types. The leveling plane most often used these diffi cult to use in making an edge straight or truing a days is the No. 7, more commonly known as a jointer large surface. But it can smooth or level reasonably well. plane. As its name implies, a jointer is best suited for Types. The classic jack plane is a No. 5. Its blade is 2 straightening edges prior to joining them together. A in. wide, the same as a No. 4, but its body is about 5 in. No. 6 plane is the same width as a No. 7, but about longer. A No. 51⁄2 is longer, wider, and heavier than a No. 4 in. shorter. The No. 6 is best suited for leveling the 5. Like a No. 41⁄2, this additional mass makes it easier to majority of a large surface. It’s commonly known as a plane diffi cult woods. The No. 51⁄4 is shorter, narrower fore plane (because its used before a smoothing plane, and lighter than a No. 5. It was designed for youngsters which fi nishes the job) or a trying plane (because learning to work wood in shop classes, and is often it makes a surface true and fl at). A No. 8 plane is a referred to as a manual-training plane or a junior jack. behemoth: it’s longer, wider, and heavier than a No. 7. Uses. You can smooth or level with a jack plane–it Uses. One plane, either a No. 6 or a No. 7, can be just takes a bit longer than using a more specialized used for jointing and truing, although having both is smoothing or leveling plane. If you sharpen a jack plane’s ideal. If you have only one, it’s best to have two blades. blade with a pronounced curve, this tool is perfect for Jointing requires a blade that is sharpened dead straight hogging off a lot of wood fast, in any situation. A jack across; truing is most effi ciently done with a blade that’s plane is also useful for evening joints, such as a table leg sharpened with a slight curve. A No. 8 is so large that and rail, because this operation combines both leveling it can be a bit unwieldy, but it’s the perfect plane for and smoothing. jointing a long, wide edge, and useful for big jobs such as fi tting an entryway door.

Jack planes can both level and smooth a surface. They’re Leveling planes are used to make edges straight, such as useful for evening up one piece with another, such as this these two boards, which will be glued together. Leveling breadboard end on a tabletop. planes are also used to make large surfaces fl at and true.

12 Planes and Chisels

008-016_T5220.indd 12 7/30/14 1:43 PM Starter Set Recommendations Journeyman Th ree-Plane Set This is a good starter set for a woodworker who wants to really enjoy what hand planes can do. Each plane has a specialized purpose. The low angle block plane excels at cutting end grain; the leveling plane (which can be either a No. 6 or a No. 7) joints edges and fl attens a large surface; the smoothing plane (either a No. 4 or a No. 41⁄2) can make wood look so good that it hardly needs a fi nish.

Apprentice Two-Plane Set A No. 5 jack plane and a standard-angle block plane will serve you well in most situations. You’ll fi nd dozens of uses for the block plane, taking off a little bit here or there on your projects. With the jack, you can do everything a smaller or larger plane can do, such as straightening an edge, smoothing a surface, or evening up a joint. The job will just take a bit longer.

Cutting Angles Cutting angles affect the amount of effort it takes to same angle as a bench plane: 45-degrees. A low- push a plane. The lower the angle, the easier it is for angle block plane cuts at about 37-degrees, which is a blade to cut wood fi bers, particularly end grain. an improvement. Block planes are often touted as having lower Why choose a block plane for end grain? Here’s cutting angles, but do they really? The answer for a the real reason: its blade won’t chatter, because it’s standard block plane is, no. Even if you sharpen it supported right down to the tip. at the fairly low angle of 25-degrees, it cuts at the

Standard Low-Angle Bench Plane Block Plane Block Plane 45-Degree 45-Degree 37-Degree to 40-Degree Cutting Angle Cutting Angle Cutting Angle

Unsupported Solid Support Tip of Blade For Blade Tip

A standard block plane has the There’s extra support for the tip of Some block planes cut at a very same cutting angle as a bench a block plane blade. It’s less likely low angle. They’re easier to push plane. That’s because the block to chatter than the blade of a bench through tough wood. plane’s blade is fl ipped over, with plane when you’re up against really the bevel up. tough wood, such as end grain.

Planes: Match the Size to the Job 13

008-016_T5220.indd 13 7/30/14 1:43 PM by Tom Caspar Choosing a Block Plane adjustability enables fine work

love my power tools, but there’s one old- fashioned hand tool that I turn to almost Ievery day in my shop—a block plane. When I need to soften the edges of a freshly milled board, I pick up a block plane. If I must shave a miter that doesn’t quite fi t, I put a fresh edge on my block plane. There’s a block plane in my tool belt when I go to trim a sticky kitchen cabinet door in the summer. It’s clear: A block plane is a tool of a thousand uses. Utility and Cabinetmaker’s Block Planes In the past, every carpenter and handyman owned a block plane. Dozens of models were readily available. Many were light weight, inexpensive utility planes designed to cut softwoods.

Veritas Low Angle Plane Two innovations make the Veritas low- angle block plane from Lee Valley Tools Setscrew stand out from the rest: a traditional English mechanism that’s a combination lateral lever and depth-of-cut adjuster, and two setscrews that keep the blade from shifting side-to-side. Add to Setscrew that an extra-thick blade with a huge bed for support and you’ve got one terrifi c tool!

Combination Adjuster

14 Planes and Chisels

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