Does anyone know of good resources, either Internet or books, where I
can learn how to build furniture using only (or mostly) hand tools?
TIA

Goodness, the list is long.....

First, get the to the Galoot site. This is where an international
group of people who ejoy using, finding, and talking about hand tools
gather. There are some people who make their living working with hand
tools, and lots who are very high quality amateurs. The discussions
and archives and pictures are a tremendous resource.

Lurk under the porch for a while, listen to the conversations, and
then start asking for help and information. You'll be amazed at what
you get.

URL is http://people.iarc.uaf.edu/~cswingle/archive/faq.html

Otherwise, get some good quality hand tools, learn how to sharpen,
adjust and use them, and start making things. Start small, make your
mistakes and keep going. It's a lovely way to work.

Old Guy




On Nov 17, 9:12 pm, Ben wrote:
Does anyone know of good resources, either Internet or books, where I
can learn how to build furniture using only (or mostly) hand tools?
TIA

Old Guy wrote:
Goodness, the list is long.....

First, get the to the Galoot site. This is where an international
group of people who ejoy using, finding, and talking about hand tools
gather. There are some people who make their living working with hand
tools, and lots who are very high quality amateurs. The discussions
and archives and pictures are a tremendous resource.

Lurk under the porch for a while, listen to the conversations, and
then start asking for help and information. You'll be amazed at what
you get.

URL is http://people.iarc.uaf.edu/~cswingle/archive/faq.html

Otherwise, get some good quality hand tools, learn how to sharpen,
adjust and use them, and start making things. Start small, make your
mistakes and keep going. It's a lovely way to work.

Old Guy




On Nov 17, 9:12 pm, Ben wrote:
Does anyone know of good resources, either Internet or books, where I
can learn how to build furniture using only (or mostly) hand tools?
TIA


I'll be checking that site out myself,
but I'd like to reinforce something in
Old Guy's post.

There are a ton of techniques you can
learn, from books, the Web, possibly
from a friend, but nothing is going to
encourage you more than learning how to
sharpen tools. Especially hand tools. A
lot of folks farm out sharpening of
powertool edges, but hand tools lose
their edges so fast, it's impractical to
do so.

And nothing is more frustrating than a
dull edge.

--
Tanus

This is not really a sig.

http://users.compzone.ca/george/shop/

On Sat, 17 Nov 2007 19:12:35 -0800 (PST), Ben
wrote:

Does anyone know of good resources, either Internet or books, where I
can learn how to build furniture using only (or mostly) hand tools?
TIA


Adam Cherbini's blog and magazine writings are always interesting to
me. He uses zero power tools.

http://www.popularwoodworking.com/blog3/

---------------------------------------------
** http://www.bburke.com/woodworking.html **
---------------------------------------------

And he usually starts a project with a tree or log and goes from there to a
finished project! I used to really like watching his program (pbs took it
off in my area), but i dont think i would attempt some of the things he
does...all with hand tools...no electrical powered tools of any kind.

Skip
www.ShopFileR.com


"samson" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 17 Nov 2007 19:12:35 -0800 (PST), Ben wrote:

Does anyone know of good resources, either Internet or books, where I
can learn how to build furniture using only (or mostly) hand tools?
TIA


You might check out the Roy Underhill's "The Woodwright's Shop" on tv. He
uses only handtools, including a spring pole lathe.

S.

Tanus wrote in :

I'll be checking that site out myself,
but I'd like to reinforce something in
Old Guy's post.

There are a ton of techniques you can
learn, from books, the Web, possibly
from a friend, but nothing is going to
encourage you more than learning how to
sharpen tools. Especially hand tools. A
lot of folks farm out sharpening of
powertool edges, but hand tools lose
their edges so fast, it's impractical to
do so.

And nothing is more frustrating than a
dull edge.


Many times when I've been using the hand saw I sharpened myself, I've
felt like posting a gloat here that says "I have a sharp saw. I
sharpened it myself." Boy is it an enjoyable tool now.

Puckdropper
--
Wise is the man who attempts to answer his question before asking it.

To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm

On Nov 18, 2:13 pm, "Michael Faurot"
wrote:
Ben wrote:
Does anyone know of good resources, either Internet or books, where I
can learn how to build furniture using only (or mostly) hand tools?

Here's a couple of books I have found to be helpful and intersting,
on the topic of hand tools:

1) Hand Tools -- Their Ways and Workings
Aldren A. Watson
ISBN: 1-55821-224-8
http://www.amazon.com/Hand-Tools-The.../0393322769/re...

2) Selecting and Using Hand Tools
The Editors of Fine Woodworking
ISBN: 1-56158-783-4
http://www.amazon.com/Selecting-Usin...ilding/dp/1561...

The illustrations in Watson's book are really great and help with
understanding the bits being decribed about each of the various hand
tools discussed. Each chapter in the book covers a specific type of
hand tool. There's 31 chapters and they cover a wide range of tools.

Selecting and Using Hand Tools is a great collection of articles from
the magazine Fine Woodworking and covers a number of different hand
tools, but not as extensively as Watson's book. I found this
book most helpful for learning how to sharpen and tune hand saws.

--

If you want to reply via email, change the obvious words to numbers and
remove ".invalid".

Well, I joined the Galoot list and I'm ordering these books to start.
Great info, all, thank you.

"Skip Williams" wrote in message
...
And he usually starts a project with a tree or log and goes from there to
a finished project! I used to really like watching his program (pbs took
it off in my area), but i dont think i would attempt some of the things he
does...all with hand tools...no electrical powered tools of any kind.


Took it off in my area too... watch the 2006 season on the PBS site.

http://www.pbs.org/wws/schedule/26season_video.html

"Ben" wrote in message
...
Does anyone know of good resources, either Internet or books, where I
can learn how to build furniture using only (or mostly) hand tools?
TIA

Tage Frid's series isn't a bad place to start
http://store.taunton.com/onlinestore/item/070880.html

Chris Schwarz, editor of Popular Woodworking magazine has taken the magazine
in the direction of rediscovering the old handtools technologies. I
recommend that as a good magazine choice.

Roy Underhill's books are interesting too but from my personal experiences
with him he'd be the first to tell you, tongue in cheek, that he's more into
"crude woodworking" than "fine woodworking." Generally it's sturdy and
functional but unrefined. What are you interested in?

I like the reprints of old books such as The Handyman's Book, The Complete
Woodworker, and the Practical Woodworker. These books are the source of some
of the items presented in Popular Woodworking and Underhill's books and his
The Woodwright's Shop program.

Look for books by Graham Blackburn and David Charlesworth too.

Wandering off into the weeds for a moment...

There is lots of information out there... you can go back to original
sources or look for modern interpretations of the old stuff. The modern
interpretations often imply that you need to spend big bucks for the best
handtools while the original sources aren't that demanding. Another aspect
of this modern/original split is your general conceptual aptitudes. If you
generally need explicit plans and directions to do and make things the
modern sources may be better as they often spoon feed the information and
specify explicit dimensions and angles. If you're the type that can go from
conceptual sketch directly to finished product then the old works may be
more appealing where parts are made to fit relative to each other with
little more than general dimensions and proportions given. Handtools lend
themselves to the latter whereas power tools thrive on the former...

Depending where you live you may be able to hook up with a good club. Here's
an unabashed plug for my club ;~) http://midhudsonwoodworkers.org/,
http://www.woodworker.org/, http://woodworkerorg.blogspot.com/

John

Look forward to seeing you there....

Old Guy

Ben schreef:
On Nov 18, 2:13 pm, "Michael Faurot"
wrote:
Ben wrote:
Does anyone know of good resources, either Internet or books, where I
can learn how to build furniture using only (or mostly) hand tools?
Here's a couple of books I have found to be helpful and intersting,
on the topic of hand tools:

1) Hand Tools -- Their Ways and Workings
Aldren A. Watson
ISBN: 1-55821-224-8
http://www.amazon.com/Hand-Tools-The.../0393322769/re...

2) Selecting and Using Hand Tools
The Editors of Fine Woodworking
ISBN: 1-56158-783-4
http://www.amazon.com/Selecting-Usin...ilding/dp/1561...

The illustrations in Watson's book are really great and help with
understanding the bits being decribed about each of the various hand
tools discussed. Each chapter in the book covers a specific type of
hand tool. There's 31 chapters and they cover a wide range of tools.

Selecting and Using Hand Tools is a great collection of articles from
the magazine Fine Woodworking and covers a number of different hand
tools, but not as extensively as Watson's book. I found this
book most helpful for learning how to sharpen and tune hand saws.

--

If you want to reply via email, change the obvious words to numbers and
remove ".invalid".

Well, I joined the Galoot list and I'm ordering these books to start.
Great info, all, thank you.

dvd's http://www.lie-nielsen.com/catalog.php?cat=519
http://www.popularwoodworking.com/GeneralMenu
http://www.woodworking-magazine.com/blog/