“You may loan your last dollar to a friend; but never loan him your axe, unless you are certain that he knows how to use it.”
— Horace Kephart, “The Book of Camping and Woodcraft” (The Outing Publishing Co.) 1908
French Oak Workbench: The Planing Stop
Without a planing stop, a traditional workbench is fairly dining table-esque. So I was eager to get my stop installed so I could use it to finish up the rest of the parts for the bench.
I cut the 3” x 3” x 6” through-mortise in the benchtop using an auger, a jigsaws and a chisel. The mortise is 3” from the edge of the benchtop and 2” away from the front left leg.
(Side note: I meant to film a little video of the WoodOwl bits at work when installing the planing stop. No joy. I’ll film it when I make the holes for holdfasts.)
Here are Roubo’s instructions for the stop:
At three thumbs from the front, you cut through the table a mortise “c,” of 3 thumbs square, which should be perpendicular and well finished on the interior, so that the block “d” [planing stop], which you put there by force, and which you raise and lower with a mallet, does not split the corners, which can happen if it is poorly made. The planing stop should be one foot in length at least, and be of very hard and dry oak, so that it can resist the mallet which one is obliged to hit it with to make it move.
At the upper end of this block is placed a hook of iron, which is furnished with teeth similar to those of a saw, which serve to hold the wood while you work it. One should note that it is level with the top of the block, and the edge with the teeth inclined a bit, so that in the case of very thin works, one is not exposed to the risk of striking the metal hook with the sharpened blade of the plane, which would happen in the backside of the hook is higher than the front. The pin of the hook which enters into the block, should be of a square pointed shape at the end. For it to be good, it is necessary that the pin and the top of the hook not be welded, but rather of one piece which you bend with fire [forged by a blacksmith]. The teeth of the hook should protrude from the front of the block by 6-8 lines. A larger projection would be useless and even harmful, because the tip would be exposed to breaking.
My “hook of iron” was made by blacksmith Peter Ross. Like all his work, the stop is fantastically made. The “pin” or shaft of the hook is nicely tapered. I drove the hook into a stopped and undersized hole on the stop, wedging it in place.
I’ve made many planing stops, so here are some tips:
1. The walls have to dead perpendicular or slightly undercut. Any lumps in the walls will wedge the stop instantly. Check all the walls with a try square before even attempting to drive the stop in.
2. Use really dry oak for the stop – or oak that is definitely drier than the benchtop. The stop can fall out of the mortise during the winter if it’s too wet when you install it.
3. When you install the stop, drive it in with a wooden mallet. When it stops moving down, drive it out and inspect the shaft for marks on the stop. That is where the interference is. Either pare away the junk in the mortise )my preference) or plane away a little of the stop.
Next up: 100 other things I need to do. Then trimming up the front edge of the benchtop.
— Christopher Schwarz
Midwest Woodworking Wood Sale. Don’t Miss it.
This Friday and Saturday, Midwest Woodworking will be holding what is likely its last wood sale – plus veneers and most of the machinery on the shop floor.
The sale is 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. both days. Midwest is located at 4019 Montgomery Road in Cincinnati, Ohio. Here’s a Google Map.
Both Andy Brownell and I have spilled so many ones and zeros on Midwest, I hope I don’t have to repeat myself. It will be worth the drive. Yes, the wood is well-priced. But what is more important is that it is primo. Much of it is decades old, dry, stable and mild. And it has been stored flat.
Stuff from modern lumberyards (at least the ones around here) just does not compare.
Read more about the wood sale and download price lists from BrownellFurniture.com.
I’ll be there both days, sweating my hairy parts off in preparation for a 2 p.m. beer at Gordo’s across the street.
— Christopher Schwarz
‘By Hand & Eye’ Electronic Edition Available Now
You can now download “By Hand & Eye” by George R. Walker and Jim Tolpin for your computer or mobile device.
The price is $16 and can be downloaded directly from our store here. International customers can purchase the file via PayPal by sending $16 U.S. to John Hoffman’s PayPal account at john@lostartpress.com. You will then receive a link to download the file.
Because of the graphics-intense nature of the book, we are offering it in pdf format only and at an unusually high resolution. The file is more than 100mb and is free of all DRM (digital rights management) or other electronic locks.
The book is augmented by a series of electronic animations, which can be downloaded here.
About the Book
“By Hand & Eye” is a deep dive into the world of history, architecture and design. And the authors have emerged with armloads of pearls for readers.
Instead of serving up a list of formulas with magical names (i.e. the Golden Section, the Rule of Thirds) that will transform the mundane into perfection, George R. Walker and Jim Tolpin show how much of the world is governed by simple proportions, noting how ratios such as 1:2; 3:5 and 4:5 were ubiquitous in the designs of pre-industrial artisans. And the tool that helps us explore this world, then as now, are dividers.
The key to good design is to master these basic “notes” – much like learning to sing “do, re, mi.” How to do this is the subject of the first three-quarters of the book. It offers exercises, examples and encouragement in opening your inner eye, propping it up with toothpicks and learning the simple geometry that will help you improve your design.
The last quarter of “By Hand & Eye” takes these principles and puts them into practice by designing nine projects that are decidedly contemporary – proof positive that design isn’t reserved for highboys and 18th-century Philadelphia side chairs. The projects show all of the book’s design principles in full flower, and yet the projects are small enough and simple enough (for the most part) that you can use them as a way to explore the book’s concepts without risking a lot of wood or time in the process.
“By Hand & Eye” is not, however, a recipe book for better design. The principles of good design are learned through exercise and repetition, and the authors offer the critical exercises in every chapter. Reading about good design is not enough to be able to master it. You have to practice it until it becomes second nature and your hand and your eye work together as one.
“By Hand & Eye” is 200 pages long with full-color illustrations.
— Christopher Schwarz
‘I’d Rather Have a Rat in my Mouth’
Several readers have asked how far the students in my tool chest class at the Connecticut Valley School of Woodworking got on Friday afternoon.
Everyone got their lids complete. About four or five people got the dust seal on. Honestly, I think every student could have finished both the lid and the dust seal, but everyone was tired and ready to crack open a beer or try a shot of Connecticut moonshine (that is not a typo).
So we spent the last hour just yacking it up.
As for me, I had Carl “Mr. Wonderful” Bilderback assisting me this week, so I was able to finish the entire shell of the chest and get three coats of milk paint on the carcase.
At one point I asked Carl, a retired union carpenter, to give me a hand with the painting. He readily and cheerfully agreed. But then he noted that during his career he always told people he’d “rather have a rat in my mouth than paint something.”
Sorry Carl.
— Christopher Schwarz
