One of the great things about woodworking is the journey of figuring out, refining and improving your own methods. I find this process particularly gratifying with hand tools, though it certainly exists with power/stationary tools as well.
My family (wife and daughter) needs me to make an aquarium stand/cabinet, and it needs to be done right away as we are all impatient to set up the tank. While the tank isn’t huge – only 29 gallons, I want the cabinet to be very strong. I came up with a very simple design that includes a bunch of M&Ts for strength.
At various points in the process over the last few days, I was reminded of little learnings – incremental advancements I’ve made over time in my techniques and working methods. Things like how to best set the blades in my bench planes; how to best scrub glued up panels; how to best mark and cut M&Ts. The details of what works for me are perhaps of little use to others as there are many paths to the same ends. But finding your own path sure is lots of fun.
I was reminded of all this again last night in the shop as I was cutting some tenons: I’m a decent sawer, but I like my tenons snug, and find a paper’s thickness can be the difference in snug and sloppy. Therefore, I cut ever so slightly to the waste side of the wheel gauge lines fully expecting some slight paring to get a piston fit. While I sometimes need the shoulder plane or block rabbet, I most often find my chisels are the best bet for these paring duties. When I started out, I would put the stretcher in the vise with the tenon pointing to the ceiling and try to shave the sides; it gave me fits trying to keep the cut smooth and the cheek square. Then one day, I put the piece in the vise horizontally – i.e., with the cheek I’m paring parallel to the bench top and the floor – and lo and behold the job was much easier and the results much better as far as smooth and square. That’s a lot of words to explain a very small thing, but I guess that’s my point – tiny epiphanies pile up and can be taken for granted.
Replies
I liked your post and can relate to it, except I've never managed to discover "the best" way to do anything -- only "another way" that may work better in a given situation, and mayby not so well in others. It's nice to have as many of these as possible in one's bag o' tricks, IMHO. ;-)
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
Yeah, I guess I didn't mean "best" in any sort of literal sense. I meant more like "current best" or at least "better than the old way." LOL
Thanks for your post.
Edited 10/12/2007 12:20 pm ET by Samson
I hate it when somebody comes up after all the sweat and tells you a better, faster way to do it. Should have been there in the planning stage. Oh well, the knowledge may be good for something down the road.
Kind of like coming to the realization that, after gluing the extension jamb on a cheap 5/8" finger jointed and veneered jamb with back-beveled edges and a poor installation, it would have been a whole lot easier to make new jambs (maybe even 5/4!!) to fit the opening and hanging them yourself. Thanks to the plumber for chuckling that little inspiration my way...a day later.
Samson,
Greetings from a fellow child!
Like you, I love to play and find out stuff. It's even better when the finding out is a bit directed by other blokes playing away in a slightly different fashion. We are all copycats (but so many cats to copy).
I been doing tenons a lot lately also; but gradually gravitating to the large shoulder plane, rather than a chisel or file, to perfect the fit. I tried both those latter methods but in the end discovered a large shoulder plane does it for me. Who knows why?
Also this week I been doing chamfers, large (5/8" wide) and small (3/8" wide) with a spokeshave. I tried the block plane but prefer the drawerknife followed by the spokeshave because it's quick and easy to change directions with the grain (and to see exactly where you're cutting).
I like them variable chamfers, although 2 years ago I would have asked where the large 45 degree router cutter was, as it does smooth not lumpy. Ha! (slightly) lumpy is good, I have doscovered.
Then I been playing with the lambs tongue carving of the chamfer stops. This, of coure, is chisel lessons; but also an excuse to buy a set of Aurirou needle files..........
This is what we evolved on Earth to do. Play, not work. :-) Halleluyah!
Lataxe, in second childhood.
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled