We measured a range of objects, pre-industrial and machine-made, in areas not heavily subjected to wear: tabletop thicknesses, turning diameters, drawer-side thicknesses, etc. Using digital calipers, measurements were made at multiple points on each part and catalogued. The goal was not just to generate pages of numbers, but rather to establish some general guidelines – surface tolerances, variations in pre-industrial versus industrial pieces. We sought to define how irregular hand-prepped surfaces were, on average, and how this compares to those made using machines. To minimize the potentially confounding factor of warpage in our handmade test pieces, we also drew from a selection of Victorian and late Federal furniture to represent the machine-made pool. All wooden objects naturally fluctuate to some...
Mike and I spent today shooting footage for our new video course. We got off to a slow start because we’re wading into new teaching territory. This course is, as I’ve mentioned before, essentially designed to be rehab for the jig dependent. It is a series of exercises (that leads to a final project) focused on skill building. It’s about developing dexterity instead leaning on devices. Today, we shot a lesson that involved knife carving in the round and I’m telling you… this exercise is worth practicing. My first attempt was pretty pathetic, I have to confess. The next exercise, which involved precise layout and chopping with a chisel, went a lot better. And that’s the way practice goes: You...
“The fire is the main comfort of the camp, whether in summer or winter, and is about as ample at one season as at another. It is as well for cheerfulness as for warmth and dryness.” – Henry David Thoreau, The Maine Woods (1864) My family hiked to a remote, backcountry lean-to in early October, at the peak of fall foliage. We spent a few days exploring, canoeing, talking to squirrels, and soaking in the solace of the wilderness – doing all of our cooking (and coffee making) over a wood fire. And keeping that fire going required some work. Baxter State Park allows the gathering of dead and downed wood to burn, so I brought along that quintessential tool...
This latest video in our “Getting to Work” series is all about the use of crosscut saws. Mike discusses the miter saw, backsaw, handsaw, frame saw, whip saw, and even some other specialty saws that get only occasional use in our shop. If you’re new to hand-tool woodworking, it’s important to get comfortable with crosscutting in various circumstances – you’re going to be doing a lot of it in your work.
The spring-pole lathe operates on a very simple principle. A cord is tied to the tip of a sapling fastened overhead, which connects to a treadle on the floor after wrapping around the workpiece. As the treadle is depressed, the work rotates toward the turner to engage cutting, also pulling the sapling down into tension. When the treadle is released, the sapling snaps the treadle back up into position, ready for another cut. This back-and-forth pumping enables the turner to cut 50 percent of the time. Although it’s not as efficient as a continuous-motion lathe, I wouldn’t call this work slow. It’s hard to do any hot-dogging with foot power, but a steady rhythm does get the job done. One...
