I am getting into woodworking, starting an online hand tools school. First Semester you make a workbench, a marking gauge, bench hooks and a Japanese style toolbox. Waiting for my saw to come in Thursday, but I got the things I needed to tune up this Plane I got. Got my first shavings tonight.
My coworker's neighbor was a carpenter. When as a laddie he would wander to his workshop he'd ask him "what are you doing". The reply would always be the same: "A plug for the asshole of the asker" He also received some life advise: "Never, ever, never become a carpenter!" And that's what he became, a carpenter. Unfortunately for him he was in a small town before the internet and had a heck of a hard time getting stuff sold at decent rate. Today I'm seeing very great margins for handmade wooden products as long as you get the quality right and find something to specialize in. Also, my robotics teachers tell me that wood is one of the most challenging materials to work with robotics! I have a great respect for carpenters. My father told stories from his youth of these master carpenters who would build a log cabin without taking any measures, being so experienced they could gauge the measures just so with bare eyes. I know this is more about knife making but I thought you might find the making of the handle technically interesting, 6:00 onwards. Then there are the various regional differences in traditional log corners. I suppose this is called 'joinery'. And the good old 'devil's fist' and some other wooden puzzles. Wood, it's an amazing material. Excited for you!
Very cool! I am just getting started, but I have a good friend who has done woodworking for 15 years both hand, machine, CNC and now into metalwork CNC. So I have a good person to bounce things off of. Unfortunately he moved out of the area a couple years ago right around the time we bought our house and I had a place to do this stuff. The stay at home order has freed up some money that was spent on gas and eating out for hobbies. I suppose a lot of people are doing the same thing, based on the number of people at Lowes and Home Depot.
Don't forget there are some very cool wood working ideas that don't involve -building- something... Yeah i am ok with a hammer and a fence. I can't even think about what that guy does. Marquetry seems like something different and cool to get into. Maybe bring it into the 21st instead of the 13th century.
Very cool on the woodworking! There's a woodworking store/school in my area called Woodcraft where I recently bought my dad an in-person class for Christmas that he really enjoyed... I want to take a class too, once things open up enough to allow in-person classes and such again. But it's good to know that there are online options too!
So beautiful! I swear if I won in lottery I could just spend the rest of my days in some Japanese tranquil garden estate pretending to be doing amazing woodwork but mostly just feeding the carps.. Who am I kidding, I'd be building robots and the whole house would be up to ceiling with servos and CNC machinery. One more thing - decorative carving. And when you know carpentry you're never going to be in that "gee no one is selling a wardrobe of the right dimensions" pickle!
Both of those are amazing. I have watched quite a bit of Ishtani stuff, Japanese joinery and woodworking is absolutely amazing. I really love the impossible dovetail too. Tonight I got started on my workbench. Got the legs cut, starting on joinery tomorrow. Got one of my chisels sharpened, I thought this was cool photo of the sharpened one versus the one from the factory. If anyone is interested, this is the program I am following: https://www.handtoolschool.net/ This is the intro video for the orientation semester that I am on.
Got my first tenon cut tonight. Pretty proud of it, it fit with no chisel work. Cut the mortises last night on all four of the legs.
Between several things over the past few weeks I have not had much time to work on this. Finally got some work done today. Hopefully getting the 2nd apron done tonight.
Nice work Gihzmo! I took up woodworking a couple years ago. No formal training, just stuff I learned growing up, YouTube, and trial and (many) error(s). A few of my projects pictured:
Really really pretty stuff! I want to make cutting boards, but currently I have nothing but hand tools, so right now I am going to focus on doing the lessons and getting skilled up. I think I am going to make a mallet out of some of the scrap 4x4s that I have and maybe add some hard maple on the ends for the striking surfaces. I want to either do a breakdown wedge mallet where you can knock the handle out, or one with the wedges holding the handle into the top.
Dont forget to plan for a wood vise for that table as they come in very handy. Side note to make the vise better. Put the vise screw rod in the middle of the clap area and two guide rods with one at each end of the clap.
Good info. I love Rex's stuff, one of the few channels who actually tries to do great things with very little capital and focusing on skills. I am going to go viceless for a while. I have 2 holdfasts coming, and I am planning on putting in a crochet as well for more stabilized vertical work holding.
pegboard clamps are okay but they are only as good as the material of the table. Nothing quite so frustrating as pressure clamping something together only to come back after 24 hours and find a crack in your table and a ruined piece.
Vises and the above dogs are not for clamping, but rather for work holding. These wonder-dogs are great as a replacement for a tail vise on a work bench because they can adjust to any size board, assuming enough dog holes, and apply enough pressure to hold work. Use clamps for clamping.
