Wood Therapy

Just Swinging.....

2011-11-27T08:17:00.001-08:00

Just a heads up for those of you beginning your woodworking journey. Always, always, always know how you are going to hinge your doors before you start a project. Most of the time it dictates door dimensions, especially on overlay doors.
Please feel free to hit me with any questions regarding hinges, as I have spent a considerable amount of time decoding the mystery of the "swing".

This Guy Teaches?

2010-05-17T18:53:00.000-07:00

I had an excruciating experience on Friday at the mortise and tenon demo. I had every intention of showing the lookers on some techniques for perfectly executing this essential piece of joinery, instead I spent most of the demo showing people how to fix all of the botched joinery I unleashed upon the crowd.

Nothing like a little self torture to start the weekend off right. I mean, botching something that I have repeatedly done to more than satisfactory results? Yeah, embarrassing doesn't even begin to cover it. But all in all, the joint , no matter how horrific it looked, was dead square! I guess that's enough to not sell all of my tools, after all as they say, if it were easy everyone would be doing it.

Dovetails 101

2010-05-03T18:18:00.000-07:00

Ok, here we go, this is absolutely the one topic I spend the most amount of time fielding questions about when it comes to joinery. So I am going to try and simplify it to it's barest bones, which is how I teach dovetailing. The one thing that I eliminate from teaching this joint is the one thing that hangs everyone up when they attempt it on their own. The "rules"! Yes ,take all that you have read or any videos that you have replayed a thousand times, and just throw that away. Once that is done it will all be much easier,trust me, as we proceed the rules will be come more or less suggested guidelines.

First, this post will focus on the most important part of dovetailing, tools and specifically saws. You can learn all the techniques in the world and it doesn't mean squat without a good, no, great dovetailing saw. It is the one tool you must be willing to throw a pretty fair chunk of dough at, because bad cuts make bad joints and and good cuts make you a little lightheaded, in a good euphoric way of course. It should be filed for rip cutting as most cuts are end grain cuts. The number of teeth is going to depend on the thickness of the stock you will be cutting. 18 to 20 ppi for cutting 1/2" or thinner stock and 14 to 16ppi for 1/2'' or thicker. That is just a suggestion, I myself tend to cut multiple thicknesses both thick and thin . Both of my dovetail saws are filed 14 ppi and do just fine .

A good saw will make you a good sawyer, and fortunately there are several phenomenal saw manufacturers to choose from. Here are the names of saw makers worth checking out

Bad Axe
Veritas
Rob Cosaman's saw

Adria
Lie Nielsen
Wenzloff and Sons
Gramercy
Medallion
Eccentric Toolworks

Quite frankly a saw from anyone else not on this list will probably be money wasted, and if any saw maker not on this list is offended just send me one of your saws so I can drive it around the block a time or two Chances are I have tried your saw and am again sticking with the list. Now if you can get a good vintage Disston or Wheeler Madden, that is a whole other blog post altogether. I will tell you that my two saws are an Adria and a Lie Nielsen, both are excellent saws but completely different even though they have 14ppi filing. The Adria is smooth as silk with a shorter plate, while the Lie Nielsen is very aggressive and kick but with a longer plate. I am actually going to purchase a third finer toothed saw for handling strictly thinner material, a Gramercy or Wenzloff Kenyon.

This is all for today as I will start the actual dovetailling in the next post. I just needed to stress the importance of this "saw thing".

Tool Review: Festool TS 55

2010-04-23T09:07:00.000-07:00

Ok, for quite some time now I have managed to resist drinking the Kool Aid that is better known as Festool, or Festool Aid as I have come to describe it to my students.However for those of us with an extremely limited workspace it is a temptation that haunts my mind to the point of feeling like needing to go to confession, or counselling to some point.

So here I am, new owner of a Festool TS 55 track saw and just as I had feared it is simply "Awesome"! I got the saw and accessory kit that had clamps (my only complaint is that clamps are not included) miter gauge, track connetors and so on. You could only imagine the horror as the saw cut cleanly and accurately through every type of material I threw at it. Also appalling was the fact that I can take it anywhere with ease, especially handy on job sites. I was equally depressed at how absolutly genius it was to be able to cut a bevel on a piece of stock directly on the line the bevel needed to occur with no guess work.

So I have nearly retired my worn out contractors saw that is taking up so much valued space in my so called shop. You may ask why all of the negative connotations regarding a tool that is destined to make my work more productive and enjoyable. Why? Now I have to buy more Festool stuff! Maybe a router, or, No! A Domino,or...............

Let's Have It !

2010-03-24T17:57:00.000-07:00

As I continue to ramble on various topics I may not always hit on a subject that you are interested in. So if you want me to concentrate on a specific technique, tool, or anything just tell me. Feel free to post topic suggestions in the comment section below and I will be glad to do what i can to write about it.

I am starting a series on hand cutting dovetails with many many photos to go with it. I am going down to the shop as we speak to start, so be looking for it in the next couple of days! Thanks to those who visit this blog. I would like to get more interaction with you guys so let me know what you need!

Tool Review: Lie Nielsen No.7 Jointer Plane

2010-02-28T08:58:00.000-08:00

With a myriad of hand planes available for doing various tasks, there are really only two bench planes that are essential to working a board,.a No 4 smoother and No 7 jointer plane.

While smoothing planes are available in hoards by many manufacturers, jointer planes are not as accessible, at least ones of decent quality. Of all the No.7's I have played with one stands alone. Lie Nielsen.

Yeah I know, all of you wood enthusiasts will say " Well for that kind of money it better be good" which is a misconception. I have tried jointers that were just as pricey that did not perform as well, not even close. LN gets a bad rap for what they are charging for their merchandise, but more times than not, the criticism comes from those who have never held or used one of their products.

Fact of the matter is high quality steel, meticulous castings (I have done foundry work, it's difficult!), precision machining coupled with intense quality control makes for a tool that goes from the box straight to the board, and the No.7 is no exception. The components were incredibly crafted and dead flat. The A2 steel blade was razor sharp, but I will replace that with an O1 blade. (Just a matter of preference!).

Now the goods! See through shavings were possible immediately, and with a mouth adjustment I could take monster cuts with no problem. A very weighty tool, which is exactly what you want in any bench plane to reduce the amount of pressure needed to get the job done therefore reducing fatigue.

I tested it on American Cherry and Quarter sawn White Oak. While it excelled in the Cherry in all directions, I did experience a little tear out in the Oak, which is to be expected with a figured wood. This is just a matter of honing a higher bevel, or getting a fifty degree or higher frog from LN. My choice would be to get a toothed blade to tame gnarly woods, also available from Lie Nielsen.

At $425. one may shudder to put that kind of cake on one hand tool. But for true hand tool woodworkers, that is a mere pittance for one of the most important bench planes, or dare I say essential tools period. Not to mention the fact that it is an heirloom quality tool that I hope my kids will enjoy long after I hang up my proverbial woodworking apron!

Practice Makes Furniture?

2010-02-26T16:34:00.000-08:00

Usually one of the first questions by beginning students is " How do I get skilled using hand tools?". Which for someone starting out, dreaming of the day that all of the endless time creating mounds of wood shavings, is the first thing you must do.

I generally try to make it fairly simple. Most of woodworking involves one thing, cutting wood! Simple, right!
OK, now the majority of " cutting" is done with two tools, chisels and hand saws.Still with me? A lot of instructors will tell people to draw straight lines on a board and saw repeatedly, which is great. Exercises such as that are good, but get old fast.

So to hone your skills and not be bored, cut joints! All of the practicing is for what? To be able to do joinery, I start my Fundamentals of Woodworking class with cutting Mortise and Tenon joints, and then on to Dovetails. And most of those students are beginners or novices with hand tools. I continually tell them to " fail miserably" and be proud to do so!

The key to attaining the required skills to build anything is this.
Don't get discouraged and be patient!
Butcher dovetail after dovetail, and blow out mortises, but keep some of them as a comparison and you will be surprised how quick your skills will develop

Omissions and Revelations

2010-02-18T16:51:00.000-08:00

OK. So recently I was given quite a brow beating via e-mails and comments regarding some hand tools that in my opinion stand out from the rest of the pack. There were several, what about this saw, or this plane, and a couple of particular chisel brands that were blatantly omitted. so let me clear a couple of things up. I did recommend the Veritas saws, but did not elaborate the fact that they perform as well as most of the premium name saws at half the price In fact, I often recommend them to my students. Now Adria, Lynx and Garlick saws all performed well, but not quite as well as my Lie Nielson. The Wenzloff saw I tried did not cut like my LN saw, but I have been told that they will put any rake, set or fleam I want , so I could probably get a saw from them that would kill mine.

I did not however have a Grammercy saw when I made my suggestions, but if you know enough wood workers someone will probably have one, as luck would have it I was able to sample one.
I must say that it is a curious saw, very light in weight with one of the best grips ever!
I am not a fan of fine teeth, but this one was still very aggressive and impressive.
I have been thinking of getting a second dovetail saw lately, and this may well be the ticket!

Now the revelation! One of my blog followers asked " why not Ashley Isles chisels ". To be honest I had only become aware of AI in the last six months or so, and it was through a Christopher Schwarz review. I also got several e-mails asking the same. OK, OK enough I said, so I managed to secure a set of their round back dovetail chisels.

Ever have one of those " How did I not know" moments? Yeah, every time I pick up an AI dovetail chisel I can't figure out how I did without! First off they are beautiful to look at with the awesome Bubinga handles. ( my favorite wood ) They reek of precision, and are very light with phenomenal balance. I have never pared any joint with the accuracy and control that these allow. Truly the best chisels I have in my arsenal.( still keeping my Sorby's though )

So apparently it's in the steel! While all the buzz is in A2 tool steel, which gets as sharp as sharp can be, they are difficult and time consuming to sharpen. And we all love endless wasted time sharpening, don't we? The Ashley Isles chisels are 01 oil hardened steel. What does that mean?
It means the steel is just a little softer than A2, so they sharpen and hone considerably faster and can be ground to angles more suited to paring operations. ( think low angle block plane)

I am listening to what you are telling me (you know who you are ) or I would have never even considered to try the Ashley Isles, and to boot they are very well priced. Now there is only one problem left. Where am I going to get the cake to replace my existing chisels ( 53 and counting) with AI stuff, which are available through Tools for Working Wood.

When In Doubt......Rout!!!

2010-02-09T16:28:00.000-08:00

Most of my posts to date have been of the hand tool variety. Which by all means is a critical aspect of working with wood. So let us plug in!!!

Pick a power tool, any power tool! What one tool can replace a shop full of stationary equipment?
Router Baby!! If you can't do it with a router, you can't do it, plain and simple. Don't give me that look! This is my one and only woodworking absolute and take from someone who has ten plus routers, and can always use another.

Still not convinced? "Well allow me to retort!" (I think Q. Terantino gets a quarter for that)

Dovetails? Done!
Mortises! You betcha
Tenons. Yep.
Slotting! Groovin!
Rabbits? Hollaaa!!!
Dado's A go,
Moldings. Uh-huh.
Sizing panels, Yes!, even sizing panels! I know very Billy Mays like, but let's call it like we see it, the router is the proverbial veg-o-matic of power tools.

Now, a plunge router is always a good starting point. Very versatile, but can be top heavy for certain tasks. I would suggest a fixed base/ plunge base combo kit so all of your "bases" are covered.

As brands go, I don't know what to tell you. I literally have one of every brand! But do check out Bosch, Milwaukee, older Porter Cable, and if you can stomach the price tag (worth twice the price!) get a Festool !

Now go forth and rout!...and don't look back. You won't be sorry!!!!

NAME DROPPING IS NOT A FELONY..........A MISDEMEANOR ?

2009-12-04T17:38:00.000-08:00

With a resurrection of hand tool usage in the last few years, it should come as no surprise that the number of hand tool manufacturers is also on the rise. The obvious upside to this is that all of a sudden there multiple options and price points to choose from. The tragedy in this is having to weed through the seemingly endless array of poor quality tools. So I would like to help those needing some clarity by giving you my opinion on some different tools and price points.

First lets get into one of the most important tools you can never have too many of, chisels.
Low price may not necessarily mean low quality when it comes to chisels, in fact there are several brands that are more than acceptable even though the may seem cheap. Irwin/Marples chisels have done me right for years (although I hate the plastic handles). If you need wood handles Narex and Footprint chisels will truly get the job done. There are also many low priced Japanese style chisels that I find very nice. I recommend these brands for beginners that do not want to spend a fortune getting started.

In the over twenty dollar range I really like the Two Cherries chisels. They make every size and shape of chisel for any and all tasks. I especially like their mortising chisels ( a bargain at $60)
Ashley Isles is another fine moderately priced tool, and you can hardly go wrong with any Crown chisel (although I think footprint is making thier stuff now). These tools are good for the more serious wood worker.

Now the big boy chisels in the above forty squid category. Boutique tool makers are coming out of the wood work at a frantic pace, with an outrageous price tag to boot. As far as i am concerned there are only two options at this price level, the first is Lie Nielson, an American tool works making outstanding tools well worth the price for the serious wood enthusiast. My personal favorite although is Robert Sorby. There is just something magical about well produced Sheffield steel and theirs is remarkable. Holding one of their chisels you can immediately feel how substantial they are, and seem to sharpen up quicker and hold an edge longer than any of my other chisels. Either of these two brands are money well spent, and an investment in an heirloom quality tool.

Now hand saws on the other hand are different all together. Any good hand saw is going to automatically set you back $60 minimum. Many Japanese saws in this area of price and up are good purchases, but they cannot be successfully resharpened. I prefer western saws because they can be sharpened for ripping or cross cutting. Veritas makes a strangely beautiful hand saw for dovetailing or tenon work that is very high quality and at $65 each the obvious choice for beginners as well as serious wood workers.

But..... for my money no one even comes close to Lie Nielson in this category. I have a dovetail and a carcass saw from them and are phenomenal performers. If you think $140 a piece may be steep for any tool, until you have used one , then there is no debating or justifying the price tag.(they are that good)

I can sum up hand planes pretty quick.
Anant's premium planes are good for beginning to moderate woodworkers for a reasonable price.
Old Stanley planes are better for the same money.
Veritas planes are excellent premium planes with an attractive price tag.
Clifton and Lie Nielson planes are a bit pricey but worth the money if you have it.

Now.... despite any reviews of the new Stanley sweet heart planes you may have read take it from me. My new No.4 Stanley was well machined with a dead flat sole! It required no honing or tuning up straight out of the box. It is a heavy beast , which is what I want in a hand plane. The Asheville Woodworking school where I teach is outfitted with LN planes, a high quality plane for sure, but at a third of the price I could not tell much difference in the two. In fact I actually much preferred the new Stanley due to it's weight and the Norris style adjuster which allows very fine micro adjustments to the blade depth. It is a whole lot of tool for $180 (LN planes from $240 and up!)

I hope this post will be helpful to everyone and please feel free to let me know of any names that I did not drop here or of any I should pick back up!

"Hold It Now.............Hit It"

2009-07-23T18:34:00.000-07:00

Recently there has been a surge of information and articles on the simplest ( and often forgotten) of all tools, the workbench. So much in fact that every issue of every magazine I have gotten in the past few months has some sort of plan, or re-vamped design, or some lost workbench configuration from the Jurassic period.

Article after article,and blog after blog after blog about workbench this, or workbench that. It is enough to make one try to mortise and tenon their left leg to the right one in hopes that the excruciating pain would be enough of a distraction from workbench overload AAAARRRGGGHH!

All of the "experts" are soapbox happy these days telling us that if you don't have one you can't perform this operation, or that joint, in an effort to convince us that it is "The most important tool in your shop" And all I can say to that is..............They're right!!!

It took an overload of workbench mania for me to discover that what I called a"workbench" was nothing more than a closet door on saw horses. There are so many things wrong with that statement that i don't even know where to start. So let's start with this.

Woodworking broken down to it's most basic form requires one action first and foremost "The ability to securely hold your workpiece". The "only"and I mean "only" way to do this is with a workbench. About a year ago I decided that it was time to get a serious surface to do my projects on. So I researched all sorts of designs from every woodworking era I could and found that it was all in the vises. Front vises, and tail vises; leg vises; face vises and some really crazy vises.

Truth is you should decide on what type of bench you need based on the type of work you do, and which vise or vises setup will work the best for you! I do a lot of cabinetry personally, so I settled on a French - German hybrid Holzapfel workbench (May the Schwarz be with you!) which is centered around what the vises can do for you and not what the work surface itself is capable of .

So do a lot of research on this important subject and make your decision based on "your" needs because I will tell you that my work since introducing a workbench to my tool collection is much better and one hundred percent more efficient and productive. And by the way a really good way to practice a wide range of woodworking techniques is to build it yourself. I did, and already looking forward to building another one, because who says you can't have two benches or three....or four.......

Mail Order Madness!

2009-07-19T16:52:00.000-07:00

As you get started on your woodworking pilgrimage, it is all too tempting to acquire your tools from on-line or mail order catalogs.Unless you live in a remote region of the country where the Red Cross air drops all of your food and clothing to you, I would recommend against this practice.

I find it to be important to find a local shop in which to buy all or most of your tools. Not only does this stimulate the local economy, you actually get to see and hold the item you are about to purchase. And as an added benefit you get to talk to actual people with product knowledge about your potential tool purchase. It might be possible that a $20 chisel could get the job done just as well as the $50 chisel you are lusting after, and any "good" tool merchant will tell you so.

Finding a local store to shop at is also a good place to network with other woodworkers, to get advice on projects or just to swap stories about woodworking. A lot of hometown woodworking suppliers even offer classes and seminars on woodworking, wood turning, or other wood related topics.

Now I know that not all stores may carry the item you just" have to have" so the occasional internet purchase isn't taboo, but chances are that you could get a similar item just down the street.

So in conclusion " buy local" when possible, and chances are your woodworking aspirations will be a lot more pleasurable when you don't have to wait (please allow 10 to 12 business days for prompt delivery!) to get what you need!

Let's Be Rational!

2009-07-05T16:54:00.000-07:00

I have started this blog with one goal in mind. To help those who are suffering from woodworking dimentia. The inability to decide on "What tool should I use" or "Should I use a power tool or hand tool" and the ever popular "Maybe I should just turn a baseball bat on my new eight hundred dollar lathe, and club myself repeatedly, because so far that is all I can make." This blog is aimed more towards the beginning wood enthusiast, but seasoned professionals may occasionally find a morsel to use as well. So let us start with the big controversy.

Hand Tools vs. Power Tools

There seems to be a very defined line separating those who need voltage to get it done and those who like it "unplugged" so to speak. Power tools are convenient, time saving and tend to be easier to do projects with minimal detail, for the most part. With hand tools there is a real satisfaction of actually "handmade" attached to using them, but are tedious and time consuming to master. So what direction should you go in ? I say both! Keep your power tools, but slowly start adding hand tools to your arsenal, a chisel here, a hand saw there, and practice using them, before you know it you won't set up your dovetail jig to do one or two dovetail drawers because by the time you get the jig set you could have already done it by hand. Here is an example. Several years ago I wanted to learn mortise and tenon joinery and decided on a machine to do my mortises (Hollow mortiser) until I saw how much they cost. So I researched hand tool methods to do them, and went that route instead. So one honking mortise chisel and two backsaws later I was off to my so called shop to start chopping. Endless frustration ensued for the first month, and the second, third and so on. Just when I was on the verge of giving up, I decided to compare a joint I had just completed with one of the first ones I did. I was amazed and delighted at the difference in the two. I had actually become fairly proficient at it. So the point is I will use hand tools when I have a small amount of things to do (I still cut all of my mortises by hand) ,but if I have twenty or thirty tenons to make, it's time to fire up the table saw. The truth of the matter is this. You should learn to use as many types of both as possible, if you truly want to do woodworking. There are things one can do that the other cannot. Embrace both freely and try to blur the lines between the two schools of thought, because if I had to choose between my router or my dovetail saw, let's just say i wouldn't.