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I think we were lulled into the myth that power tools are more accurate than
hand tools. In some cases this may be true but machines still need to be tuned and
maintained to retain their accuracy. My question is—how accurate do you need
to be? One of the characteristics of wood is that it is always taking on and losing
water via the humidity in the air. A freshly dimensioned board can change over the
time it takes to eat lunch so why pull out the calipers and micrometers to check
dimensions? I think people feel that they can compensate for a lack of experience
by trying to work to ultra-high tolerances to ensure success. I once had a student
who was concerned when making a tabletop that one corner was thicker by 0.004"!
That is the thickness of a piece of printer paper.
The machines I choose to keep in my shop save me hours of hard labor but in
the end, I could drop them all and still be able to woodwork.
THE POWER OF THE HOBBYIST
I hear many woodworkers describe themselves as ‘only a hobbyist’ when asked
about what they do in the shop. The part I take exception with is the ‘only.’ Hobbyists
think for some reason that they aren’t as qualified as a woodworker if they are
not making money at it. I happen to think that some of the best woodworkers are
those who don’t have the pressures of running a business looming constantly over
their heads like a dark cloud. When I made furniture for a living I was constantly
stressed about finishing one job and lining up the next one in order to make ends
meet. Being a hobbyist allows you the freedom to explore new things and try new
techniques without worrying about putting food on the table. You can spend time
actually mastering skills. And if something doesn’t work out you can drill a hole in it
and call it a birdhouse.
About three years ago I started experimenting with axes—not juggling them while
they’re on fire but using them as a way to remove material quickly. It took some time to
learn how to sharpen and use axes but after some blood (literally) and sweat I worked
it out. Now I use axes quite often in my shop. The point is, I would not have had the
time to try this new (to me) technique if I were woodworking for a living. I would have
stuck with my same old techniques because you don’t get paid to experiment.
HAND TOOLS—A LOVE AFFAIR?
The majority of the tools in my shop do not have a motor on them. I do this because
I enjoy using them. I’m not intrigued by the romance of them. I don’t care who made
them or when. I pick tools that get the job done.
Hand tools produce little dust and noise, which makes them perfectly suited for
small, in-home spaces or for people who don’t want the constant din of motors
running. After spending 14 years in the Canadian Artillery, the last thing I want is
more noise.
Many worry about the learning curve associated with hand tools. But believe
me: If you can set up a router to cut a mortise you can use hand tools. What you
do need to do, however, is practice using them. But once you produce your first
gossamer-thin shaving with a well-tuned hand plane, you’ll find the time to make
more. And then you’ll no longer have to sand machine marks out of your projects.
I wonder if anyone thinks fondly about the next time they have to sand something?
I doubt it. Your family will miss you but they will know where to find you.
PROJECTS FOR THE SHOP
The projects in this book were selected to help you get into using hand tools.
There are jigs and fixtures, shop furniture, and storage projects that will help you
get started. Each project has its own set of skills that will add to your repertoire and
each skill is transferable to almost any other project you can dream up. The mortise
and tenon joint you cut for the saw bench and bent is the same joints you will use
time and time again to make furniture.
The other advantage to starting with shop projects is if they don’t turn out with
perfect-looking joinery, no one will see it but you. A small gap in a joint reveal or a
bit of planing tear-out can be tolerated in a shop project. The key is to learn from
those oopsies and do a better job next time.
Please note that this is not the only way to woodwork. This is the way I woodwork.
But I feel that my techniques will get you good results. The techniques and projects
in this book come right out of my own shop. These techniques are not new; in fact,
many of them are thousands of years old, though we all but abandoned them a
century ago when machines became all the rage.
Over years of practice I separated the wheat from chaff and have come up with
a way to woodwork that makes it easy and enjoyable. So let’s stop talking about
woodworking and head into the shop to make something.
In order to understand, you must do.
A SPACE
TO WORK
