For thousands of years our ancestors have crafted wood by hand, using
the most rudimentary hand woodworking tools, and achieving amazing,
intricate and artistic results. In bygone days, especially early in the
last century and the late19th century, it was an era of supreme
craftsmanship. These skilled and dedicated craftsmen built not only
beautiful furniture and houses, elaborate horse-drawn carriages and
functional implements, but also crafted mighty seagoing vessels with
tall masts and beautiful lines - all by hand and without the aid of
power tools or the fancy array of smart attachments available in today's
modern world.
Hand woodworking is an age-old craft that has seen
a steady revival in recent years - partly because it is an eco-friendly
method of working, and partly because it is deeply satisfying to work
raw wood with nothing more than the skill of your hands, the sweat of
your brow, and the sharp cutting edge of a blade.
The trick to
working wood by hand is to take it slowly. Don't be in a hurry. One
thing our ancestors had in their favor was time, as the world moved at a
slower pace back then. In modern times, we have been programmed for
instant gratification - we want everything "yesterday". But if you're
considering hand woodworking, you're going to have to accept that it is a
slow although richly rewarding process. Ease into working with hand
tools slowly. Take your time and don't allow yourself to get frustrated.
Start a simple project. Get some lumber and start planing, making
joints by hand, and sand and finish the project by hand.
Hand Tools
The
essence of working wood by hand is good quality hand tools. You are
also going to have to learn how to sharpen your tools as sharp tools are
crucial to this traditional process. Knowing how to sharpen your tools
is like learning how to tune a fine musical instrument. The skill comes
with practice, over time.
The beginner hand woodworker needs a
basic set of tools such as a set of high-quality chisels, a jackplane,
and a good crosscut saw. Later on, as your skills progress and you
tackle more ambitious projects, you will need to add a fillister plane, a
hand ripsaw, a double-toothed mortising gauge, and a good set of
mortising chisels to make mortise and tenon joints. Many, (and probably
most) of these tools will not be found in your local hardware store, so
you'll have to do a bit of digging around. Some can be found in antique
shops, but most can be found online. There are a handful of companies
out there specializing in manufacturing quality hand tools for
traditional craftsman.
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