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It’s no secret by now that I enjoy hand planes. I enjoy finding old ones and bringing them back to life. And I finally scraped enough pennies together to buy a new Veritas® Low Angle Smoother and Veritas® Medium Shoulder Plane (more on those another day).

Now I enjoy working with my hand tools but I’m not shy about using a power tool when I need to. But I’ve found that there are a lot of power tool users that have never experienced or don’t understand how hand tools can make their woodworking better. Hand tools (especially planes) can add a level of craftsmanship you often can’t get from power tools alone.

So, I started a couple of threads on WoodNet. One is for the power tool user. The other is for mostly hand tool users.  I want to know your thoughts for a seminar I’m giving in October. The title is, “Why You Need Hand Planes in Your Workshop.”  Click here for details on the seminar titles and calendar.

Please chime in with your thoughts. If you’re mostly a power tool user, chime in here on the Power Tools forum.

Hand tool user?  Chime in with your opinions here on the Hand Tools forum.

I would appreciate your thoughts so that I can make the seminar fun and educational.

Come visit The Annual Woodsmith Store “Tent Sale” Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, September 23 through the 25th. It’s a yearly tradition of great savings, free seminars, and a lot of fun!

This year’s event will take place inside the Woodsmith Store. All your favorite woodworking vendors and suppliers will be on hand along with factory reps and personnel. Super one-time only deals will be available from different manufacturers. Be the first to see the new tools and latest woodworking gadgets for 2007.

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Try to forget the obviously exclusionary nature of their slogan and you soon realize that Steel City Tool Works is out to “steal” away a big piece of the market with their brand new, full line of woodworking machinery. From what I saw at IWF in Atlanta, the goal is to hit the ground running with the introduction of 35 new tools ranging from dust collection to bench grinders to table saws.

When I first saw the steel gray and black paint scheme I was reminded of another manufacturer of woodworking machinery. That may have been done on purpose, but I doubt it. They made no secret that quite a few of the people working for Steel City formerly worked for the competition, including Delta, Powermatic and Jet. But they’re not out to copy anyone. Their goal is to offer quality machinery without all the gimmicks.

When asked what it is that they hope will set them apart from the competition, the answer was — service. All of the tools are backed by a full, 5-year warranty and they promise to deliver the best customer and technical service and support possible.

From what I could see, they’ve made a good start. Look for more on Steel City Tool Works in future editions of Workbench magazine.

Got tools you want to get rid of?  Got tools you’d like to buy at bargain prices?  Then you need to come to the Woodworkers’ Swap Meet on Saturday, September 9 from 8:00am to 1:00pm sponsored by the Des Moines Woodworkers’ Association.

If you’ve got tools to sell, you need to fill out this form.  You can also see a sampling of tools that will be for sale on page 2 of this form.

Click here for directions to the Woodsmith Store.

Here’s a few of the new products (and their features) at IWF 2006 in Atlanta:

The Porter-Cable 342 1/4 Sheet Palm Grip Finishing Sander has improved ergonomics and a new rubber palm grip that reduces vibration. Dual dust ports allow you to hook up either a 1″ or 1-1/2″ dust hose. Or leave the dust canister in place. The canister is more durable than the old cloth dust bag.

Also from Porter-Cable is the 343 Random Orbit Sander. It has many of the same features as the Finishing Sander, including a new top cap design that allows you to get inside to clean and service the unit without having to totally dissasemble it.

Then there is the Delta 17-950L 16-1/2″ Drill Press. The “L” stands for….laser. This drill press was actually introduced in January, but I got my first look at it this week. It’s bright laser crosshairs highlight the drill point. And the table is one of the first that is actually designed for woodworkers. It includes T-slots, a removable insert and it tilts from 0° to 45° forward and 0° to 90° left and right with positive stops at 0°, 45°, and 90°.

Finally, I haven’t had a chance to stop at the Bosch booth yet, but I’m looking forward to seeing Bosch’s Litheon® tools — a new line of lithium ion powered cordless hand tools. These tools are great for the woodworker, homeowner and professional thanks to a complete line of 10.8-volt and 36-volt tools that Bosch claims is the most advanced lithium-ion battery technology available. The Bosch PS20-2 is a 10.8v drill/driver that offers 80 inch/lbs of torque in an extremely small package.

Every once in a while, something arrives in my email box that makes me smile. This morning, my son sent me a link to this web site:

The Manbottle Library - Laws of Physics

There are certain laws of nature in life that we can’t avoid.  My two favorites are:

Law of the Workshop:
Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.

Law of Probability:
The probability of being watched is directly proportional to the stupidity of your act.

 

For more shop humor and a great woodworking web site, see:

and go to this link for some great stuff that’ll put a smile on your face.  And while you’re there, check out his extensive web site.

There is no other magazine out there quite like ShopNotes. Through the years, I’ve used plans from ShopNotes to build workbenches, tool stands, and jigs for joining, detailing, and finishing my furniture projects. My first workbench was from Issue No. 24. I cut my first box joints using a jig from Issue No. 8. And I recently started building a spokeshave featured in Issue No. 84.

In the latest issue, due on newsstands in the next week or two, there are several projects I’m looking forward to, including:

Dream Shop Project: Table Saw Workcenter
Upgrade your contractor’s saw by building this custom workcenter. With a large worksurface, loads of storage, dust collection, and a handy built-in router table, you’ll be able to handle any project. Plus, there’s an optional table for extra outfeed support and even more storage.

Weekend Workshop: Heavy-Duty Workbench
This workbench has it all — a rock-solid base, large top, and it’s inexpensive to make. All you need are a few sheets of MDF, some “two-by” stock, and a handful of hardware.

Best-Built Jigs & Fixtures: Palm Router Fluting Jig
Adding flutes is a great way to dress up a project. This shop-made jig makes it easy to rout consistent flutes quickly.

Plus these great Departments: Readers’ Tips, Router Workshop, Materials & Hardware, Jigs & Accessories, Shop Shortcuts, In the Shop, Setting Up Shop, Mastering the Table Saw, Ultimate Garage, Q&A, & Sources

It never ceases to amaze me how creative some woodworkers can be. This article highlights the skill of Pat Acton:

Sioux City Journal: This Matchstick Museum marvels

Pat is making a name for himself by creating projects from matchsticks. Thousands of matchsticks. The detail he can achieve is incredible and fascinating.

Pat displays his work at the Matchstick Marvels Museum in Iowa. It’s interesting to read about his childhood and his techniques for working with matchsticks.

Got a story to share? Know of a woodworker with special talents? Post your comments by clicking the “Leave a Comment” link below.

My first experience using a hand plane was pretty lousy. I think I was 11 or 12 years old and was in my Dad’s basement shop. I had seen my Dad use a block plane to adjust the fit of a door, but this plane was much larger. I think it must have been a Bailey/Stanley No. 4. In any case, when I tried to plane a scrap piece of lumber, it grabbed and gouged the wood. It resisted any attempt to get a smooth shaving. Knowing nothing about how to “fettle” and sharpen a plane, I was frustrated and never touched a hand plane until much later in life.

Have you had a similar experience with hand planes? See this thread and get lots of experienced help from the woodworking community: WoodNet Forums: Planing Techniques

Whether you learn from the “experts,” or you learn from personal experience, there is almost always two sides to every story.

For example, several weeks ago, I posted a link to an article about Western Back Saws that was originally published in Woodsmith. The two back saws that were profiled are top-of-the-line saws designed for those seeking a hand tool that will last a lifetime. Several good points were made for why these types of saws may be worth the extra expense.

But then, a few days after that post, I got an email from Paul Sellers, who started his professional woodworking career in 1965. Paul is now the director of woodworking at the Homestead Heritage School of Woodworking in Waco, Texas. He’s also written several woodworking articles for Woodwork magazine, among others. Read the rest of this article »