Hand Planes – Thorough Advice Needed for New Woodworker
ashiyatl
| Posted in Hand Tools on
Well I tried to modify this post about ten times, but couldn’t get past the filters, despite the fact that this is in no way spam. So, after an hour of working on this post, I decided to attach it as a word doc. Sorry for the inconvenience. Looking forward to hearing all of your thoughts.
Replies
Here's the Word file contents
I apologize in advance for the length of this post. I have a lot of questions. Please feel free to answer any of them individually. For this reason, I've numbered my questions so everything remains coherent.
Here's my situation. I quickly realized it would quickly prove worthwhile for itself to get tools and make my own furniture, so I did. The problem now is that I'm discovering that there's still a lot it seems like I don't have and the source of the water is dwindling quicker than my wish list.
To give you an idea of what my goals are, here are my current and near-future projects:
Picture frame - current
Hall Table - current
Modern style vanity/makeup table
Bookshelf
Surface refinishing of older furniture
Here's what I've got so far, so that you folks might be able to tell me where I chose right and where I could do some returning and pick up any essentials I might be missing. Forgive my a moment while I preface my situation, and I promise I'll get to the relevant parts about hand planes quickly. I've placed numbers in bold where I have questions, which I've added to the end of my post.
Cutting Tools:
12" miter saw - . Mainly I purchased this because I'm about to finish my basement, and I didn't want to cut hundreds of studs with a circular saw, but I also want to do some picture framing.
Table saw with gravity rise stand - Read so much about the necessity of a table saw, I bit the bullet. Now, however, I'm realizing that the table is still too small for ripping large panels of hardboard (large picture framing).
1
I had purchased a worm drive, but I took it back when I got the table saw to cut down on some costs.
Jig saw - I don't have a band saw, and I thought this jig saw might fill the gap for some smaller cuts since I took back the worm drive.
2
Chisels - half inch, three-quarter inch, one inch
3
Note: I currently own no hand saws
Abrasive Tools
RO/Direct-drive sander - took back my belt sander after accidentally rounding some corners and being largely unimpressed with the skil sander's abilities. I originally had the bosch RO-only sander, but in foregoing the belt sander and not wanting to put another two hundred into the bosch belt sander, I decided this might be the best of both worlds.
4
3M Sanding Blocks
Small kit of files and rasps
Clamps:
6 12" quick-grip bar clamps, 6 18" quick-grip bar clamps, 6 spring clamps, and 6 small vise-type ratcheting clamps.
Four 36" I-beam clamp
Four 48" I-beam clamp
Four 24" parallel bar clamp
Four 36" parallel bar clamp
Four 4" C-Clamp
5
Planes:bailey block plane
6
My Questions:
6
I would love nothing more than to go pick up a great shoulder plane, smoothing plane, and maybe a bench plane, but I don't know if what I'm doing will really justify the cost to get a good set of planes. Here's the options I'm considering, but please feel free to add additional suggestions if there's something I haven't thought of. Should I just bite the bullet and get them? If I don't have the planes listed above, how do I go about smoothing the rabbets in the frame or the dadoes in the bookshelves for joinery? Will sandpaper and the sanding block do the job? If not, which ones should I get first?
5
Based on what I read in the clamping articles, in order to achieve optimum clamping pressure, the I-beam clamps seem to be a must, at least for someone who doesn't have a ton of clamps. I also picked them up them because I got an offer I couldn't turn down on them. However, do any of my projects necessitate this may clamps this powerful?
Parallel bar clamps - These things looks awesome and not having to use cauls all the time seems nice, but even with my discount, I have about three hundred in these 8 clamps. Did I need them?
Do I need some woodscrew clamps? Toggle clamps?
4
Is the dual-action sander worth 230? I know I need something more powerful than a RO sander as my only tool, so should I keep it? Should I get the RO-only sander and put 200 into a belt sander? Or, should I get the RO-only sander and use hand planes for smoothing out everything the RO can't handle?
3
On a side note, is this array of chisels sufficient for now, or should I have opted for a set that had a 1/4" or 1/8" included? Which applications typically necessitate each width?
2
Should I hold out on a jig saw and get a band saw? My issue is that most of my woodworking takes place in an apartment storage-unit type garage with no power. I get my power from either a generator, for the big tools, or from a long extension cord, for the smaller tools. I discovered recently my generator is causing too much voltage drop on the miter saw, which is a 15A tool. I recognize the immense benefit of a band saw, but a large-floor standing really isn't an option right now. So for me, the question is this: Is a high-end jig saw going to be more beneficial than a table-top type band saw?
1
I love this thing. However, if it means I still need to get lumber and build infeed/outfeed supports and table extensions, I don't know that I can justify the eight or nine hundred I'll have tied down in it. If I were to take it back, could I make do with getting another worm drive, a saw guide plate, a locking straight edge, and some hand planes to fair the edges after ripping the hardwood with the worm drive?
Thanks for reading. Looking forward to hearing all of your thoughts.
small shop
Check out Fein tools. I think they solve a lot of problems for a small area shop.
Suggestions
First, remember that different folks will have different preferences about how to approach a task. So, opinions vary, as do shop sizes, machine and hand-tool compliments, etc.
For cutting sheet goods, I prefer to use a track saw - essentially a circular saw with a guide rail that is clamped to the sheet being cut. I use a Festool TS-55 and rail for this purpose, along with their vac, but there are other brands that are less expensive.
Picture Frames - Again, there are lots of ways to approach this. My preference is to cut the pieces reasonably close to size, and then adjust length and angle with a shooting board. I feel I get a better fit on the miters this way. I also use the shooting board for making small boxes, so the corresponding sides are exactly the same length. I use a Lie Nielsen (LN) low-angle Jack plane with my shooting board. The low angle works better on end grain than a higher-angle frog, and the LN has enough weight to work reasonably well on the shooting board:
View Image
Planes - Which ones to get depends on how you approach basic tasks and whether you prefer to be a mostly hand-tool guy or a mostly machine kind of guy. A decent #4 smoother is a good first choice. If you plan on thicknessing boards by hand, a #5 Jack with a couple of different irons sharpened to different degrees of camber (radius across the cutting edge) might be a second choice. For trimming rabbets and such, I like my rabbet block plane (again, a Lie Nielsen in my case), instead of a shoulder plane. If you want to edge joint long boards to make large panels, a #7 or #8 jointer plane will be handy. Personally, I prefer to edge joint boards on my jointer/thicknesser machine, so my #7 (and old '70s vintage Record) doesn't see a lot of use.
Clamps - the old adage is that a woodworker can never have too many clamps. Brand-wise, I prefer Jorgensen. You have a good start, but may want to add more as time goes by. That siad, never underestimate the value of cauls to spread the clamping force over a larger area. Woodscrews are handy in a variety of cases, including holding a board on end, and then clamping the woodscrew to the bench. 12" is the size I use most often.
Sanders - Here again, opinions will vary substantially. Some woodworkers don't like to use electric sanders at all, preferring to finish the face of board with planes and scrapers. Although I have both a 1/4-sheet finish sander (an old Porter Cable) and a newer Festool RO sander, in most cases I like a half-sheet RO/finish sander. If/when my 30-year old Porter Cable half-sheet finish sander dies, I'd probably go with the Bosch half-sheet, which has good dust control (my PC doesn't have any dust control). Belt sanders can be a real hazard to your work until you develop good belt-sanding skills and control. But, once those skills are developed, they can be really handy for removing large amounts of wood, smoothing curves, etc. Mine (another old metal-bodied PC) uses 4x24" belts. I wouldn't suggest anything smaller. Don't use any sander (or, sanding block) before you use a plane, however, The sander will leave tiny bits of abrasive in the wood pores that will ruin the edge on your plane iron.
Chisels - I'd suggest that you augment what you have as the need arises. Buy the best your budget will allow, and you'll be happier in the long run. That said, I have an old 3/4" Millers Falls chisel that sees lots of use when I don't want to risk damaging one of my better ones.
Jig saw vs. Bandsaw vs. etc. - You'll eventually want to get a bandsaw. Size and HP will depend on what you want to do with it. Resawing requires more HP, as you'd expect. There will still be instances, however, when a good jig saw is the best tool for the job. In your situation with limited electrical power, I'd hold off on the bandsaw. Remember, too, that a bandsaw is limited on small-radius curves. So, you might eventually want to add a scroll saw to your "want list".
Table Saw - I still consider it to be an essential tool in my shop, both for cross-cutting smaller boards, and for ripping boards to width, not to mention doing dados.
Another floor-standing machine to consider is a router table. This is particularly true for some operations in frame making. You can easily build your own. I just made the top, and use an old, heavy-duty B&D WorkMate to hold it. Mine uses a BenchDog (Rockler) lift and a PC 7518 variable-speed router.
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I made the fence myself, using 1/4" x 3" aluminum angle from Online Metals, cutting the slots and bit opening with a jig saw and (carefully) smoothing the edges with a router.
View Image
Sander
My old 1/2 sheet PC died and I went with the Festool mainly because the paper clamp system didn't look like it would stand up for 1 year on the Bosch. I've had the Festool 2-3 months now and no regrets - the dust collection is equal in both. The difference is that I expect the Festool to last 20 years - and it's more money maybe around $ 200.00 more - I can't remember exactly.
SA
Good point
My neighbor has the Bosch, and the paper retention mechanism is a little on the dainty side. I don't think it would be a problem for a "careful" person, though.
The planes and chisels will have to be lapped and honed. There are many systems for doing this. I prefer water stones myself. An 8 inch bench grinder would be helpful too. Marking and measuring tools, try squares, hammers and mallets, screw drivers and pliers. Scrapers for glue removal. Glue. Benches and vises. Shop vac and/or dust collection. Once you start this there is no end to it. A table saw and band saw are at the heart of my shop. Good luck and be safe. Read as much as you can and don’t get too complacent with tools that can cut off body parts. Get some eye protection and ear protection too.
so many great replies and so much good advice.
I love my hand tools, prefer to use them over power tools.
Unless you are doing production work, hand tools will do everything that something that has a motor will.
I have a complete set of Stanley/Bailey bench planes (with the exception of a #1). I've never purchased a new plane. I find the steel in older planes to hold an edge much longer. Most all of my hand tools were found at yard sales and group shops. Most of my bench planes were had for $20 to $50 a piece.
I've found some fine chisels, hand saws, clamps and several other hand tools for a fraction of what they cost new. It takes a little patience and determined searching...but well worth it. I also really like the idea of recycling tools that were used by other genrations of craftsmen.
I recently bought an old Disston crosscut saw manufactured around the turn of the century.. The person I bought it from told me that it was his grandfathers. His father never used it and it was still sharp as a razor...no rust and just a little tarnished from age. I paid $17 for it (he wanted $20)...new today it would cost close to $100.
good luck and don't be attached to buying new.
Including your post
Well said. Most of my power tool work amounts to the use of a bandsaw for resawing. Most all hand tools from there.
You said you have a complete set of Stanley/Bailey bench planes (with the exception of a #1).
I can recommend having a #1 as well. I suppose they are rare so are expensive. I bought my Lie-Nielsen #1 for a paper weight when I got a bit of mad money come to me from a very small inheritance after the death of a very dear person. I wanted to buy something special that would remind me of them and that I would like to have sitting around to look at. I came across this special anniversary addition plane. Their standard #1 they make in bronze as you probably already know.
Surprised the heck out of me how often I actually use it and it is just the thing for fine work , even getting that last blemish off a large surface. I can make it cut right exactly where I need to cut and no more.
Super little USER tool. Not just a pretty face.
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