Yesterday, Thomas Lie-Nielsen and I finished teaching a weekend class that introduced the students to handplanes – how to sharpen, tune and use them. Curiously, the class wrapped up a couple of hours earlier than usual, and we’d covered more material than in the last eight classes.
What changed? We steered clear of a full discussion of the silly debates that circle around the forums, woodworking clubs and blogs – selecting tool steel, chipbreakers, bevel-up or -down tools and sharpening media (for starters).
So instead of a technical discussion of the different tool steels available, we told them that all of them work and that keeping them sharp was more important than their molecular composition. Chipbreakers (or back irons) are one of five primary strategies you can employ to reduce tear-out. Here are all five. Use them as you like. What’s the most important strategy? Sharpness.
Instead of getting into a detailed explanation of cutting geometry, clearance angles, wear bevels and the like, we explained the simplest sharpening strategy that will work with all tools, from paring chisels to high-angle smoothers. And that what was more important than the angle of attack was that blade was wicked sharp.
Oh, and about sharpening, the message was this: Making tools dull is way more fun than making them sharp. All the sharpening systems work (including using a cinder block). The more important message about sharpening media is that you should pick a system and stick with it for at least a year before considering a change. This is what I call “sharpening monogamy.”
Our goal with presenting the information this way was to inoculate these new handplane users so they didn’t feel the need to learn everything a metallurgist and machinist knows before flattening a board. If we’re lucky, when these 26 woodworkers see these debates raging on a messageboard they’ll shrug their shoulders, close the browser window and head to the shop.
— Christopher Schwarz
Personal note: I have exactly 103 messages in my inbox that require a response. I am going to be out of commission for about two weeks, and I will be particularly slow to respond to messages. I apologize in advance for the inconvenience. If you have questions about an order through our store, John will be happy to help you at john@lostartpress.com.
Since I announced the two discounted classes I’m teaching in 2015 for young adults, I’ve received many offers of assistance – everything from cash to tools to food.
First off: Thank you. Your generosity is much appreciated.
After discussing these offers with the owners of the schools, we are creating a mechanism for how you can help. For those who wish to help with the class in England with the New English Workshop, we will post details on how you can help there shortly. You can register to attend the class here.
Tuition: If you wish to sponsor a student taking the class, you can send a check made out to the Roger Cliffe Foundation. You can send the check to me (so I know who is donating what) and I will forward them all to the school. My address:
Christopher Schwarz
Lost Art Press
26 Greenbriar Ave.
Fort Mitchell, KY 41017
Simply write in the memo section of the check that the donation is for the Hand-tool Immersion Course. This donation is tax deductible. If you have any questions about donating tuition money for students, contact Paula Bueno at the Marc Adams School at 317-535-4013.
Tools: If you would like to donate some of your tools to the class that will be given to the students, you can send them to me at the same address above.
Note that unlike a tuition donation, tools are not a tax-deductible donation. Below is a list of the tools we hope to supply for all 18 students with details of what we are looking for in the tools.
Tool Kit for the New Anarchist
Planes
No. 5 jack plane, such as a pre-war Stanley with a clean iron (no rust) and a tight chipbreaker.
Low-angle block plane, such as Stanley 60-1/2 with a clean iron and movable toe piece.
Wooden rabbet plane (skew or straight iron). Wedge needs to work.
Large router plane, such as Stanley No. 71 or No. 71-1/2.
Card scraper.
Boring
Hand drill, sometimes called an “eggbeater,” such as a Millers Falls No. 2 or 5 with a 1/4” chuck and intact chuck springs (i.e. the jaws are spring-loaded and work).
Brace with a 10” sweep. Good chuck with its springs still intact and a tight pad.
Striking
Bevel-edge chisels with wooden handles (1/4”, 1/2” and 3/4”).
16 oz. hammer with a wooden handle. Striking face should be smooth and slightly crowned.
Square-head joiner’s mallet.
Marking/Measuring
12” combination square that is square, locks tight and has clear markings.
Marking gauge. The metallic ones, such as the Stanley No. 90, are preferred.
Sawing/Rasping
Backsaw with a 10”- to 14”-long blade. Straight sawplate, comfortable wooden handle and little or no rust.
Coping saw that takes pin-end blades and locks tight.
10” cabinet rasp (older and sharp is better).
A few people have asked if they can donate food or tutoring assistance during the class. I’m going to try to come up with a plan for those aspects of the class early in 2015. So stay tuned.
If you have any questions about helping out with these classes, drop me a line at chris@lostartpress.com.
During the last 10 years, my students have gotten younger and younger each year. When I started teaching, most students were retired and well-off. These days, most of my students are younger than me – including many in their late teens and 20s.
Many of them make great sacrifices when it comes to taking classes in handwork. Most can barely afford the tuition. Many have young families to support. And a fair number are scraping by with poor tools.
I remember what that was like. I took my first woodworking class when I was 24, and the only way I could swing it was because the class was at a publicly funded university.
For 2015, I am teaching two classes – one in the United States and one in England – that are aimed at helping young adults get started in handwork. I have worked with two schools – the Marc Adams School of Woodworking and the New English Workshop – to produce a special (almost crazy) class for new woodworkers. I have slashed my teaching rate to almost nothing; and the schools have slashed the tuition. So these classes will be a small fraction of a normal one-week class. We are also arranging for accommodations that will be free or almost free – camping in some cases. And we are going to attempt to cook communally as a class to save money.
But the money and the “stinky hippie” part of the class is only a small part of the story. This will be a class that will begin when you register and commit to the week. We’re going to work with all of the students before class begins to help them build a basic tool kit made up of high-quality vintage tools that we will tune up during the class. After tuning up the tools, we’ll learn to use them to process stock (we are attempting to get the wood donated), and then we will build a simple and stout tool chest.
I call it the Tool Chest for New Anarchists. It will be nailed together much like a six-board chest, but is based on historical examples that have survived more than 200 years.
So when the class ends, you will have a chest that is full of sharp tools that you know how to use to make all the basic woodworking joints.
And you will likely need a shower. Or at least a delousing.
The class in England will be July 13-20, 2015. The Marc Adams class will be Sept. 28-Oct. 2, 2015. I’m telling you this now so you can get your ducks in a row. Ask for time off. Prepare an opportune disease. Or whatever it takes to allow you to attend. Registration for the class in England is already open and costs £95.00 for the whole week (go here for details and to register). I don’t have final details on the cost for the Marc Adams class yet.
I’ve posted the day-by-day activities below.
Note: You can be any age to take these classes, but be prepared for long days, odd smells and puerile behavior (mostly by me).
— Christopher Schwarz
Registration and Building your Tool Kit. Once you are registered and have committed to the class, we’ll help you build an inexpensive tool kit before you arrive. Some of the tools will be vintage (we’ll help you find them). Some will be from the home center. All of them will be good enough to last you a lifetime without upgrading.
Day 1: Tool Restoration and Sharpening We’ll fix up the vintage tools in your kit and sharpen everything using inexpensive sharpening media. By the end of the day your tools will be ready to work.
Day 2. Wood and Handwork You need to know wood intimately in order to work it with hand tools. This day will be a crash course in understanding wood from a joiner’s perspective – stuff you will never find in books. At the end of the day we’ll use that knowledge to begin processing the rough stock for a tool chest.
Day 3. Basic Joints We’ll begin building a tool chest using rabbets, dados and nails – when properly made these chests can last 200 years. You’ll learn about fasteners and how to use them properly. How to understand and use glue – it’s a complex topic. And you’ll learn to use a smoothing plane so you’ll never have to buy sandpaper if you don’t want to.
Day 4. Details and Finishes We’ll add details to the tool chest using curves, bevels and mouldings – all made with simple hand tools. You’ll learn to install hinges and locks. And to apply a simple oil-varnish blend finish that we’ll make on-site. This beautiful finish requires no spray equipment or expensive brushes. Just a rag, a Mason jar and a paper bag.
Day 5. Advanced Joinery We’ll begin cutting dovetails so you can have sliding tills in your chest. And we’ll cut a mortise-and-tenon joint to make you a wooden try square. At the end of the day, you’ll load up your razor-sharp tools into your finished tool chest and head back home ready to build almost any piece of basic casework.
I’m teaching two classes in building the Knockdown Nicholson Workbench in 2015 (details on the locations to come) and needed to prepare a list of materials and tools for the students. Because I received an S+ in “Sharing” in kindergarten, I am also posting it here.
Hardware
Ductile mounting plates for 3/8” x 16 threaded rod. You need 16. Available from McMaster-Carr.
High-strength steel cap screws, 3/8” x 16 thread. You need 16. Available from McMaster-Carr.
Plain steel 3/8” flat washers. You need at least 16. Buy a pack of 100 from McMaster-Carr.
Plain steel split lock washers, 3/8”. You need at least 16. Buy a pack of 100 from McMaster-Carr.
No. 10 x 1” slot-head screws (for attaching the mounting plates). You need at least 32. Buy a pack of 100 from McMaster-Carr.
No. 8 x 2-1/2” wood screws to assemble the ends. A box of 50 should be fine. Here’s a link to the square-drive ones from McMaster-Carr.
No. 8 x 1-1/4” wood screws for attaching the interior apron bracing. You’ll need about 20. You can also buy these from McMaster-Carr.
Wood For a 6’ or 8’ bench, I recommend you buy four 2x12s that are 16’ long. Buy yellow pine or douglas fir, whatever is available in your area. Buy the clearest, straightest stock in the pile. (And if there’s another 2×12 there that looks good, grab it too.) This will allow you some waste and to cut around knots, shakes, pitch and ugly. Note that this does not include the shelf – add a 2×12 x 16’ if you want a shelf. Yes, you will have leftover wood.
You will also need 1×10 material for the interior apron bracing. For a 6’ bench you can get one 1×10 x 8’. For an 8’-long bench, get two.
Tools You’ll need basic marking and measuring tools, plus screwdrivers, a handsaw, a cordless drill, chisels and a block plane. Here are some of the specialty tools that will make your life easier. Plus:
9/16” socket set to assemble and disassemble the bench.
I’m building a dovetailed campaign trunk from start to finish – including all the hardware – and talking about a wide variety of hand-tool topics, everything from sharpening to hand joinery to not bleeding on the wood.
The seminar is Saturday and Sunday at Francis Parker School, 6501 Linda Vista Rd. San Diego, CA 92111. The seminar starts at 8 a.m. Saturday. You can still register here online.
All attendees receive a copy of “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest” (signed in thumb blood) and the book’s companion DVD.
