Daily favorites
We all have tools that we really get used to using. Here are a few that I use almost daily
The Stanley no. 6.
I have a few dozen metal planes, but I pick up this one most of the time. It's long enough to make a nice level surface and just the right weight: it carries the effort you put into it, but not so heavy that you have to work just to pick it up. I have about 5 of these with different blades and throat widths, but I really only use one of them most of the time- the one with a pretty square blade and a narrow throat.
I have a few dozen metal planes, but I pick up this one most of the time. It's long enough to make a nice level surface and just the right weight: it carries the effort you put into it, but not so heavy that you have to work just to pick it up. I have about 5 of these with different blades and throat widths, but I really only use one of them most of the time- the one with a pretty square blade and a narrow throat.This wooden coffin plane.
It has a newly narrowed throat and a blade with the corners ground rounded. Very light and good for smoothing a board that doesn't really have to be dead flat- like the bottom of a draw bottom. Will take a transparent shaving in a lot of woods.
It has a newly narrowed throat and a blade with the corners ground rounded. Very light and good for smoothing a board that doesn't really have to be dead flat- like the bottom of a draw bottom. Will take a transparent shaving in a lot of woods.Low angle block plane.
This is an old Stanley with the nice thin castings and the hollow cap that you can tuck your fingers in to hold it better. Nice wheel adjuster and adjustable throat. This is great for end grain or small patches of nasty wood.
This is an old Stanley with the nice thin castings and the hollow cap that you can tuck your fingers in to hold it better. Nice wheel adjuster and adjustable throat. This is great for end grain or small patches of nasty wood.My favorite marking gauge,
made for me by John Shortt with a Japanese blade that is the best. I moved the wedge so it wouldn't interfere with marking. This design is the easiest to use due to the long fence and hand-friendly shape that really is great. The blade pulls the fence up tight to the work and is thin enough to use for slitting veneer.
made for me by John Shortt with a Japanese blade that is the best. I moved the wedge so it wouldn't interfere with marking. This design is the easiest to use due to the long fence and hand-friendly shape that really is great. The blade pulls the fence up tight to the work and is thin enough to use for slitting veneer.Japanese saw.
I use these for cutting 1/4 inch plywood, 1 inch pine, mahogany clock parts, mitres and just about anything else. Will cut with half the teeth gone and bent blade. I use it to cut the last shoulder on a set of dovetails, but not the tails themselves because it tracks too well and I can't correct the angle once the cut is started. Great for fitting patches, etc.
I use these for cutting 1/4 inch plywood, 1 inch pine, mahogany clock parts, mitres and just about anything else. Will cut with half the teeth gone and bent blade. I use it to cut the last shoulder on a set of dovetails, but not the tails themselves because it tracks too well and I can't correct the angle once the cut is started. Great for fitting patches, etc.My favorite three chisels.
A 1 1/4 Buck paring chisel- holds a good edge and is thin.
A 1 1/4 Buck paring chisel- holds a good edge and is thin.A Ward and Payne 1 inch. The first chisel I ever bought- $4 in 1970. Holds a great edge and has a nice feel.
A 5/8 English paring chisel with a boxwood handle that Sam pieced out last year because I wore it out making dovetails.....I should probably admit here that I do not own a "set" of chisels made by a single maker, except some new Japanese chisels that were given to me recently. They are great for softwoods and pushing light cuts. The rest of my chisels are an assortment of orphans, each with its own best use.-Al
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Comment
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Comment by James Timothy Thomas on October 15, 2010 at 9:14am -
Hey Mr.Breed,
I've been doing some carving lately and I was curious if you have some carving chisels that you seem to use over and over while the rest seem to languish on the roadside?I never did go out and buy a set I just collected older ones.I do seem to go to some favorites but I also know sometimes you need that odd one. Thanks reallly good read. Tim
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Comment by al breed on September 27, 2010 at 7:06pm -
Michael- Thanks for your comment. I actually spend a good amount of time convincing people not to buy a lot of tools until they really have a need for them. With all the marketing of tools there can be a daunting amount of pressure, economic and otherwise, to get a lot of stuff in order to be a woodworker. I learned as a poor teenager that you can do quite a lot without a giant tool kit, and I still am pretty conservative when it comes to tools. That doesn't mean I'm cheap- I buy the best tool for the job when I need it, which might be an old Stanley.......or a new LN. It is very tempting to get a lot of new expensive stuff, and there's nothing really wrong with that, but the money might be better spent on acquiring skills instead.
I'm a cyclist and my bike is about 12 yrs old now. A new one is tempting, but on a good day I can still get it to go as fast as when it was new, so like you said, it's mostly hard work and training...............Al
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Comment by Michael Rogen on September 27, 2010 at 9:52am
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Al,
This is my first post here and it's a great topic to start with. To hear someone with your credentials saying that you don't own a "set" of chisels made by a single maker is very important. It just proves once again that just because you own the most expensive tool doesn't mean a thing if you don't have the skill to use them. A good vintage tool in the right hands can do some amazing things with wood and conversely the best that money can buy in an unskilled hand is just a tool. There is nothing wrong with having the best tools on the market, it just doesn't mean that it will transform your skill set. Only the proper training and alot of hard work will improve ones abilities. I believe that knowing this as a novice can save alot of time and frustration.
Tkanks,
Michael
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