Just a few of the Lie-Nielsen tools from my Anarchist’s Tool Chest (there will be shinier LN tools on hand for you to try out next Saturday – as well as the fine folk from LN to answer questions).
Comments are now closed. A reminder that Chris will answer the as-yet unanswered ones later tonight or tomorrow.
It’s time for Open Wire, our almost-every-Saturday woodworking question and answer session! Next week, however, Open Wire will be in-person only at the Lie-Nielsen Hand Tool Event here in our shop. So if you have questions and can’t make it to next weekend’s shindig, ask now in the comments section below.
Note: Brevity is appreciated.
Note 2: Chris has an afternoon engagement, so he’ll circle back to later questions after comments close to answer any I’ve missed…or that I’ve willfully skipped (i.e. most chair questions, or queries about the amount of chromium in a 5/8″ rounding plane plane).
About 2012, Ty Black and I developed some leather pockets for the inside of tool chests that would hold important stuff. One held a block plane. The other held pencils, pens, knives, 6” rule and other skinny things that could get lost in a tool chest.
We never intended to make them for sale, but after more than a decade of using them in our shop, I realized that other woodworkers would find them as useful as we do.
We enlisted our clothing designer, Tom Bonamici, to create canvas versions. And we had Sew Valley (here in Cincinnati) stitch them for us. They are made of the same great canvas we use for our waist apron and tool roll. (So you can be all matchy-matchy.)
We have just received our first shipment, and they are available in our store. They are sold individually, or as a set with a modest discount.
Years ago I used to make all my sticks with the 5/8” Ray Iles rounding plane. I think I must have had a bump on the head at some point because I cannot remember when or why I stopped using it.
Last year I bought one from Classic Hand Tools in the UK, and I quickly remembered how well it worked. When set with care, it can be used to shave sticks and tenons. And you can do it in a jiffy if you spin the stick with an electric drill.
There are other places that sell them, such as Workshop Heaven and Tools for Working Wood (plus some other small suppliers in the UK). If the tools are temporarily hard to get, Ray and his crew will make more.
The video above shows how I use the tool to create long sticks and tenons. It was shot by our new assistant editor, Kale Vogt. Kale is an enthusiastic chairmaker, and you’ll see a lot more of her in the coming weeks.
As per the usual, I buy all my tools with my own money. Nobody sponsors us. No affiliate links. No legerdemain.
— Christopher Schwarz
For other tips on making chairmaking cheaper, read these entries.
“The Anarchist’s Design Book, Expanded Edition” is now a free download for everyone. You don’t have to register, sign up for dumb marketing or give up your email address. Simply click here, and the book will start downloading to your device.
If you want to read more about what is in this book, click here. We will continue to offer printed copies of the book. I love physical books, and this one is particularly nice, with its premium endsheets and bookmark ribbon.
This is the fifth book of mine that I have made free as a download. Here are links to the other four (if you are interested):
The following is excerpted from “The Essential Woodworker,” by Robert Wearing. In our opinion, “The Essential Woodworker” is one of the best books on hand-tool usage written in the post-Charles Hayward era. Wearing was classically trained in England as a woodworker and embraced both power and hand tools in his shop and in his teaching. The book is filled with more than 500 hand-drawn illustrations by Wearing that explain every operation in a hand-tool shop. His illustrations are properly drafted, drawn in perspective and masterfully clear.
Wood is porous and, depending on the atmosphere, will absorb or give out moisture causing it to expand or contract (Fig 215). This cannot be prevented, and allowance must be made for this movement in the construction of the table top. The amount of movement in length is negligible.
Fig 215b. Making shrinkage buttons. (Top) Traditional method using short-grain offcuts. (Bottom) Using long-grain offcuts.
If the top is screwed directly to the frame it will either split due to contraction or bow due to expansion. This is the most common cause of split table tops. The problem is overcome using shrinkage buttons to secure the top. The mortices for these were discussed on p. 76. Buttons on the long sides must have room to move in and out so their mortices need to be only slightly longer than the buttons. Buttons on the short sides or ends need room to move sideways in the mortices which must therefore be longer.
To make the shrinkage buttons there are two possible methods (Fig 215b). The traditional method is to use short grain offcuts. Produce to thickness and remove a rebate. Then saw off the button. Repeat the process as required.
Fig 216.
Using the more common long grain offcuts is the second method. Produce to width and thickness, bevel or round corners, saw out a rebate and then saw off the button.
Fig 217.
Having made the required number of buttons, lay the table top flat and cramp the frame onto it. Check that the overlap on all four sides is correct. Make an improvised depth gauge and carefully drill into the table top.
Fig 218. Metallic buttons that allow wood movement.
The thickness of the buttons should be such that, when withdrawn sharply from the mortice, they will snap down against the table top. In other words, the length X on the button must be very slightly less than the length Y on the rail in order to obtain the vice-like grip (Fig 219).
