Hand Tool Skills download book

Book: Hand Tool Skills

Author: Asa Christiana (editor)

Pages: 120

Format: PDF

Language: English

ISBN10: 0000000000

- Quick Tips
- New Tools
- Fundamentals
- Essential Gear
- Basic Skills
- Core Techniques
- Hand-Tool Projects
It’s always surprising to visit a shop and see lots of machines but few hand tools in use. I have to wonder how they build anything. I’d be much less efficient without my collection of sharp chisels, or without a handplane to fit doors and drawers to a fine gap. On the other hand, I understand how frustrating hand tools can be, especially dull ones, which can do damage surprisingly quickly. The trick is to learn to sharpen them effectively, and to understand the critical tune-up steps for each one. These days, with better and better tools available, many tuned and sharp enough to work right out of the box, the pleasure of hand-tool woodworking is even more accessible. And pleasure is the best reason to try these tools. Nothing in woodworking compares to the feel of a plane smoothing a surface, or the smell of the gossamer shavings floating to the floor. Romantic, maybe, but the tools you use and how you use them are a big factor in how much you enjoy the craft. I use machines for their brute strength milling wood, and hand tools for the fun stuff: fitting joints, polishing surfaces, smoothing curves, and shaping all sorts of details. Buy a good block plane and try something as simple as cutting a bevel along an edge. You’ll appreciate the quietness, the smooth feel of the cutting action, the shine of the bevel as it catches the light, and the way you can easily refine it as you work. And that’s just one small use for that plane. Give hand tools a try and you’ll discover whole new worlds and ways of working.
— Garrett Hack is a contributing editor.