Replies

1. 
   wilburpan | Jul 13, 2007 11:31pm | #1

   Just out of curiosity, why are you losing the use of your power equipment?

   I'd look at what hand tools you need based on the task you are trying to do. Off the top of my head:

   For everything:
   Good marking tools
   Clamps
   Sharpening stones

   Gluing up and flattening boards:
   Jack, jointer, and smoothing planes
   Rip and crosscut saws
   Scrapers

   Dovetail joint:
   Dovetail saw, chisels

   Mortise and tenon joint:
   Mortise chisel
   Tenon saws, rip and crosscut

   Cutting groove/dado/rabbet:
   Router plane, rabbet plane, plough plane

   Cutting curves:
   Coping saw
   Spokeshaves

   Drilling holes:
   Brace and bit

   I'm sure there are things I've left out.

   
   

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   Edited 7/13/2007 4:32 pm ET by wilburpan

1. 
   tryan | Jul 13, 2007 11:35pm | #2

   I have a Minimax Bandsaw and cu300 smart that simply won't fit in my condo.  I'm moving to Breckenridge CO and haven't located shop space to adequately house my equipment.  I do have some power tools, eg, festool sanders, saw etc.  that I will be using. 

    

   -Tom

    

    Tom

2. 
   DCarr10760 | Jul 14, 2007 03:45am | #3

   Really what you need is driven by the furniture you want to make.  One thing I don't see on your list is any way to make dados beyond saws and chisels, so if you don't want to invest in dado planes or a No. 46 you will want at the very least a stair saw and a router plane.

   Also you will probably want a fillester, either a old woody or a No 78, handy for rabbets and the occasional fielded panel.

   While you are at it a plow would come in handy (the 46 could serve).

   There's a million more depending on your direction, but I find for casework, these are the most used specialty planes.

   David C.

3. 
   AdamCherubini | Jul 15, 2007 04:02pm | #4

   The challenge you will face is cutting boards. You have two choices as I see it: go out and get yourself saws that are tailored to your body and the species and thicknesses of woods you cut most often. Or embrace saw-less (or nearly saw less) woodworking. If you have any amount of outside workspace, you'll be surprised what you can get accomplished riving wood to shape. My advice is to do the latter. This is very instructional work.

   Adam
   P.S. you may be 50 tools short of efficiently building cases by hand. If you want to know what tools are required to build furniture by hand efficiently, have a look at the tools 18th c cabinetmakers had. I published a list from 1708 (Inventory of Charles Plumley). Or have a look at "The Toolchest of Benjamin Seaton". Williamburg put out some little pamphlet things. One has one or two inventories from Virginia. Generally, we're talking about 30-70 planes (most are moldings) at least a half dozen saws, 2 dozen chisels etc Those big tool chests weren't for show.

   
   

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   Edited 7/15/2007 9:10 am ET by AdamCherubini

1. 
   prosopis | Jul 16, 2007 12:19am | #5

   Hi, Adam,

    

   Just curious, are you suggesting riving dry hardwood boards to rough dimension?  Is that what you do in your shop?  I know you are very knowledgeable about historic woodworking methods, and I don't know half what you do, but that sounds pretty risky to me.  Store bought hardwood is expensive, and I can see myself easily ruining a $70 board.  There must be more to this than what you explained in your post.  Can you say a little more on this?

    

   Regards,

   Randy 

1. 
   AdamCherubini | Jul 16, 2007 03:49am | #6

   Hi Randy,You certainly can do that (rive dry boards) and I have. There are instances when this works fine. Generally, I have nothing against using a hatchet on any piece of material that deserves it! Splitting is often faster than sawing. When the inevitable waste is acceptable (I think that's what you were eluding to when you mentioned risk) splitting, even dry boards, can be the best alternative.But that's not what I'm recommending (sorry I didn't make this clearer and thanks for the question). I think its a great experience and great fun to split a log open and make something out of it. You could make saw horses as I did in one of my articles, you could make a chair. I made a shave horse a couple years back using Roy Underhill's directions. It was a heck of a lot of fun and its a great shave horse.Adam

   Edited 7/15/2007 8:52 pm ET by AdamCherubini

1. 
   prosopis | Jul 16, 2007 09:33am | #7

   Adam,

   OK, I can see what you're saying.  I suppose if the board had very straight grain and I didn't need every square inch of it, I might figure that splitting would be a reasonable risk.  If I had to go 100% non-electric I would probably save my nerves and make a two man frame saw for ripping and pay the kid next door to run the back side of it when needed.  Realisticaly, though, I think our friend is going to end up hauling his wood out to the far side of the parking lot so he can use a circular saw for his big rip cuts.  That's what I'd do.  I don't think he is as restricted to the hand tool only regime that you are.  It sounds like he is just trying to keep his shop small and his work quiet.  His neighbors are going to love him when he's making a set of 8 chairs and he gets to banging on the mortise chisel for two days straight!  They may buy him an electric router so he can finish quicker. lol. 

    

   Best Regards,

   Randy 

4. 
   Napie | Jul 16, 2007 09:16pm | #8

   Take a look at Aldren Watsons book, "Hand Tools".  It might give you some insight.

5. 
   MikeHennessy | Jul 17, 2007 03:47pm | #9

   Here's what I would add to your list:

   Spokeshave(s)
   Rabbet plane
   Jointer plane (make a wooden Krenov-style for extra credit) ;-)
   Small plough plane
   Router plane(s) - optional, but nice, especially a small one
   Card scrapers
   Brace & bits
   Misc. files/rasps
   Coping saw
   Bow saw(s) -- optional, but nice
   Molding planes, as needed

   You don't say what chisels you have. Besides a set of butt and paring chisels, I'd add a few gouges and some mortisers (and a nice mallet)

   Mike Hennessy
   Pittsburgh, PA

6. 
   JulianBE | Jul 19, 2007 04:29pm | #10

   tryan-

   I'm trying to reduce the amount of power tool work I do for several reasons, among them that I work when our kid is napping or sleeping.  Once I had some time for woodworking and the power went out.  Initially, I was dismayed, but after a few minutes my eyes got used to less light, and I spent one of the quietest and most relaxing sessions in the shop.  The more you work by hand the faster (and better) you get.

   One of the most valuable tools I have is a scrub plane (the Veritas one).  This remarkable tool allows me to buy my wood rough.  Cut pieces to length, and then the scrub, jack, and jointer will allow you to mill them true remarkably quickly.  The scrub can also be used with the grain, say on the edges of a board that is too wide.

   Milling by hand has transformed these operations for me.  Milling is faster by machine, but your machines have to be good, which mine aren't.  Instead of feeding boards into noisy machines whose work I'll have to correct anyway, the milling is now an enjoyable part of woodworking.

   Adam Cherubini inspired me to learn to sharpen my saws - a real eye-opener!

   Julian

7. 
   trackersoft | Jul 19, 2007 04:59pm | #11

   We are leaving for Breck tomorrow -- I think you need to let me take all those power tools back to Texas and store them for you!!

   A friend of mine has a shop down the road in Buena Vista. He makes large wood sculptures for a living. You might want to work some deal with him. About 40 min drive.

   Scott

1. 
   tryan | Jul 19, 2007 06:08pm | #12

   Heh, enjoy, it's beautiful up here this time of year.  I'll go ahead and keep my tools in Colorado thank you very much! 

    

   -TomTom

8. 
   steamtrain | Jul 21, 2007 01:42am | #13

   Tom:

   You have a saw.  I would suggest you go to EC Emmerich (a quality German hand plane manufacturer) and get their dovetail plane.  If you plane a bevel on a piece of long stock you use that to guide your saw in cutting the angled sides of the dovetail slot.  The dovetail plane can be used to cut a sliding dovetail slot.

   Regards,

   Matthew Holbrook