On Mon, 2 Aug 2010 17:31:25 -0700 (PDT), busbus wrote:

On Aug 2, 7:09*pm, "
wrote:
Somebody said it best within this thread
that Galoots Rule and the people way back when didn't have the luxury
of having a bunch of tools and they put out some really nice stuff. *I
*do* have a number of decent hand tools (chisels, some decent Stanley
planes, an okay dovetail saw and a Japanese saw, squares, marking
gauge, etc.) to go along with the few power tools I have.

That's an argument for Neander vs. Norm. *OTOH, I'm more of a Tim. *;-)


I am starting to think I am more of a Neaderthal. I guess! I have
played with hand cut dovetails and even though they sort of look like
a three-year-old cut some of them, I really liked it. I think I like
the PROCESS the most. I love the quiet, too. It was just relaxing.
Does that make me a neander? Maybe it does...I haven't really, really
thought about that before but maybe you are on to something...

Ayup! Neander, you are.

To each. *I don't feature doing mortices by hand. *Dovetails? *You gotta be
kidding me. *


Oops! I guess I answered that one already! )

;-)

Basically, that is the real meat behind this question: what kinds of
things should I start building that would be practical and will help
me get better. *I think it is probably a common thing that people go
out and buy a new tool without learning how to fully use the ones they
already have. *In fact, I am willing to bet that many times, a new
tool is not really necessary and other tools can do what you want to
do. *It may not be easy and sometimes, I bet, it is really difficult.
I wonder how much money we all spend to get a cool new tool that is a
one-trick pony and is used infrequently (although, it is nice to have
whenever the need arises).

Tools are my only vise (no decent vices, though). *My real-retirement (I've
already done it once plans include a lot of woodworking. I have a very good
income, plus retirement income, and I'm at the point in my life where expenses
are going down, so can easily afford tools. *I like working with them, so they
get bought while I can. *Sure, I have a lot of tools I don't know how to get
the most out of yet. *That's the fun; learning.

I have an okay vise I got for $20. As far as vices...well...need to
ask the wife.

Well, we always have to ask the wife.

Maybe I am a cheap b^st^rd but I don't have the money at this point in
time. I think I need to learn how to do things right at first then
move on to the toys. Who knows! LOL!!! I think no matter which way
ya go, it is a slippery slope.

I've been there. I think we all have. Yes, it certainly is a slippery slope.
Pilgramige to Woodcraft (Birmingham) set for this weekend. ;-)

On Aug 2, 8:49*pm, "
wrote:
On Mon, 2 Aug 2010 17:17:00 -0700 (PDT), Robatoy
wrote:

On Aug 2, 7:09*pm, "
wrote:
*I like working with them, so they
get bought while I can. *Sure, I have a lot of tools I don't know how to get
the most out of yet. *That's the fun; learning.

I like admiring a nicely made precision tool. Nothing feels as nice as
a fresh routerbit cutting a clean profile along the length of your
favourite, hand-picked piece of cherry. Dominos rule!

Haven't brought myself to the point of making that leap. *Yet. *You @$$#%@@
hooked *me on a couple of FesteringTools, though. *I'm hoping to "get by" with
a MorticePal.

*wringing my hands with diabolical glee*

I bought a box of 1000 dowels a few years ago. I used them all. A 'one-
hole' Stanley dowel jig and super-sharp drill bits. Brad points. So a
Domino is a natural jump, because you can't always use cookies......
and there is this guy in this newsgroup who has published a few shots
of a chair he made....and I'm challenged....and I now have the time.

On Aug 2, 8:58*pm, Robatoy wrote:
On Aug 2, 8:49*pm, "
wrote:





On Mon, 2 Aug 2010 17:17:00 -0700 (PDT), Robatoy
wrote:

On Aug 2, 7:09*pm, "
wrote:
*I like working with them, so they
get bought while I can. *Sure, I have a lot of tools I don't know how to get
the most out of yet. *That's the fun; learning.

I like admiring a nicely made precision tool. Nothing feels as nice as
a fresh routerbit cutting a clean profile along the length of your
favourite, hand-picked piece of cherry. Dominos rule!

Haven't brought myself to the point of making that leap. *Yet. *You @$$#%@@
hooked *me on a couple of FesteringTools, though. *I'm hoping to "get by" with
a MorticePal.

*wringing my hands with diabolical glee*

I bought a box of 1000 dowels a few years ago. I used them all. A 'one-
hole' Stanley dowel jig and super-sharp drill bits. Brad points. So a
Domino is a natural jump, because you can't always use cookies......
and there is this guy in this newsgroup who has published a few shots
of a chair he made....and I'm challenged....and I now have the time.

That'd be ST... you know who you are..... (a response to a few
requests off-line)

On Mon, 2 Aug 2010 17:58:58 -0700 (PDT), Robatoy
wrote:

On Aug 2, 8:49*pm, "
wrote:
On Mon, 2 Aug 2010 17:17:00 -0700 (PDT), Robatoy
wrote:

On Aug 2, 7:09*pm, "
wrote:
*I like working with them, so they
get bought while I can. *Sure, I have a lot of tools I don't know how to get
the most out of yet. *That's the fun; learning.

I like admiring a nicely made precision tool. Nothing feels as nice as
a fresh routerbit cutting a clean profile along the length of your
favourite, hand-picked piece of cherry. Dominos rule!

Haven't brought myself to the point of making that leap. *Yet. *You @$$#%@@
hooked *me on a couple of FesteringTools, though. *I'm hoping to "get by" with
a MorticePal.

*wringing my hands with diabolical glee*

mutter-mumble-mutter

I bought a box of 1000 dowels a few years ago. I used them all. A 'one-
hole' Stanley dowel jig and super-sharp drill bits. Brad points. So a
Domino is a natural jump, because you can't always use cookies......
and there is this guy in this newsgroup who has published a few shots
of a chair he made....and I'm challenged....and I now have the time.

That's why I went for the MorticePal. Someone here talked it up and it looked
pretty good for the money. ...and there was a sale on the accessories, so I
just *had* to save money. I needed a plunge router to go with it, so hello #1
FesteringTool.

Robatoy wrote in
:

I like admiring a nicely made precision tool. Nothing feels as nice as
a fresh routerbit cutting a clean profile along the length of your
favourite, hand-picked piece of cherry. Dominos rule!

The feel of a tool you made that way yourself is right up there also. I
was tempted to post a gloat that I had a sharp saw, and I did it myself.
(Needs a little touchup now... A swipe or two with a file on each tooth
will do it.)

Puckdropper
--
Never teach your apprentice everything you know.

busbus wrote in news:97f9b4ae-5495-41e4-bc13-
:


Holy heck!! A Domino?! That is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay outta my league!

Dominos would be perfect for your purpose! Plane stock, rip to width, and
then cut to length. For more of a challenge, make smaller dominoes with
the bumps in them.

You've got to have 81 of them (double 9) to play, so there's lots of
practice to be had.

Puckdropper
--
Never teach your apprentice everything you know.

On 8/3/2010 9:33 PM, Puckdropper wrote:
wrote in news:97f9b4ae-5495-41e4-bc13-
:


Holy heck!! A Domino?! That is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay outta my league!

Dominos would be perfect for your purpose! Plane stock, rip to width, and
then cut to length. For more of a challenge, make smaller dominoes with
the bumps in them.

You've got to have 81 of them (double 9) to play, so there's lots of
practice to be had.

Dominos and a box to hold them are one of the projects in the Incra Jig
book--he can get the book, and for 35 bucks he can get the baby Incra
from Rockler, then he can build a router table to hold it . . .

dfg

On Jul 30, 9:32*pm, busbus wrote:
Hello,

who really cares if that part doesn't fit so well."

Who cares? You cares - or should. Really, the shop layout and
accouterments should offer you practice in as fine a woodworking as
you are able. I learned and practiced various techniques building
boxes to hold my precious and semi-precious tools using whatever wood
I had and found along the way. More often than not, each was made of a
collection of wood species and, yes, even some bits of hardboard,
plywood or particle board.

Boxes that were designed only to hold that one tool and keep it high,
dry and sawdust free while not looking too bad upon the shelf. Yes, I
finished each - had to learn that, too.

Shelving is another area that would provide opportunities to hone your
skills. And, then, nifty parts boxes to hold all that crap you're
holding onto for a project well-intended if not ready to build today.

The wood species is relatively immaterial. Over time, you'll likely
"find" a piece of this or a scrap of that so as to experience several
varieties as you go.

Oh, yes, little gifties are great. Give someone the bird (feeder) you
designed, built and finished yourself. Last year Lowes was selling
miniature (3.5"??) "Vise Grip" knockoffs for a buck ninety-eight. I
used the router to create a cavity in some scrap Walnut and made
little boxes that just fit the tiny tools and gave them to neighbors I
like.

Big Projects are just lots of little projects well-hung together.

"Hoosierpopi" wrote in message
...
On Jul 30, 9:32 pm, busbus wrote:
Hello,

who really cares if that part doesn't fit so well."

Who cares? You cares - or should. Really, the shop layout and
accouterments should offer you practice in as fine a woodworking as
you are able. I learned and practiced various techniques building
boxes to hold my precious and semi-precious tools using whatever wood
I had and found along the way. More often than not, each was made of a
collection of wood species and, yes, even some bits of hardboard,
plywood or particle board.

Boxes that were designed only to hold that one tool and keep it high,
dry and sawdust free while not looking too bad upon the shelf. Yes, I
finished each - had to learn that, too.

Shelving is another area that would provide opportunities to hone your
skills. And, then, nifty parts boxes to hold all that crap you're
holding onto for a project well-intended if not ready to build today.

The wood species is relatively immaterial. Over time, you'll likely
"find" a piece of this or a scrap of that so as to experience several
varieties as you go.

Oh, yes, little gifties are great. Give someone the bird (feeder) you
designed, built and finished yourself. Last year Lowes was selling
miniature (3.5"??) "Vise Grip" knockoffs for a buck ninety-eight. I
used the router to create a cavity in some scrap Walnut and made
little boxes that just fit the tiny tools and gave them to neighbors I
like.

Big Projects are just lots of little projects well-hung together.

Good ideas Hoosierpopi, as I recall having problems keeping my tools
organized. My need to organize and store led me to build my first cabinets
as a younger carpenter. Honestly, they were not properly built as I didn't
have any good mentors, or I failed to seek out help -arrogance is not such a
good thing :-(

I built some tool storage cabinets that were too large to move (should have
sectioned them). I used some crappy drawer slides that didn't work well in
the long term. Cost was a big item so I used A-boy Fir and CD plywood. I
had no cloo about building raised panel anything, so I just put plywood
doors and drawer fronts on everything.

I had only one contractor table saw, a "skil saw", one small router, one
stapler, one B&D "ScruGun", and a 10" Makita miter saw. And of course some
hand tools (not many). BTW, when I was working around other framers, they
thought I was rich cuz I had tools they didn't have!

But every shop, home or industrial, needs proper tool/supplies storage.
Some bigger shops are not so well organized, and others have taken time to
use their trade to get their acts together because it is more efficient
generally easier.

With the help of the internet and woodworking groups, it is now much easier
to find information on what you want to do. You can also find local help at
cabinet shops where some might be more than willing to guide you if you have
a problem. (hobby shops like woodcraft will gladly guide you into buying a
tool but most who work there haven't done more than craft stuff).

The main thing is to have fun, isn't it?

Have a good day,
woodstuff

On 8/2/2010 8:11 PM, Robatoy wrote:
On Aug 2, 8:58 pm, wrote:
On Aug 2, 8:49 pm, zzz
wrote:





On Mon, 2 Aug 2010 17:17:00 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:

On Aug 2, 7:09 pm, zzz
wrote:
I like working with them, so they
get bought while I can. Sure, I have a lot of tools I don't know how to get
the most out of yet. That's the fun; learning.

I like admiring a nicely made precision tool. Nothing feels as nice as
a fresh routerbit cutting a clean profile along the length of your
favourite, hand-picked piece of cherry. Dominos rule!

Haven't brought myself to the point of making that leap. Yet. You @$$#%@@
hooked me on a couple of FesteringTools, though. I'm hoping to "get by" with
a MorticePal.

*wringing my hands with diabolical glee*

I bought a box of 1000 dowels a few years ago. I used them all. A 'one-
hole' Stanley dowel jig and super-sharp drill bits. Brad points. So a
Domino is a natural jump, because you can't always use cookies......
and there is this guy in this newsgroup who has published a few shots
of a chair he made....and I'm challenged....and I now have the time.

That'd be ST... you know who you are..... (a response to a few
requests off-line)

That'd be me I guess... Made four of 'em actually, with enough wood waiting in
the wings for about four more... as soon as I can find the time! Workin' on
some drums right now though; gotta get those outa the way first. Those
interested in the aforementioned pics can find 'em here (somewhere):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bbqboyee/sets/

--
"Our beer goes through thousands of quality Czechs every day."
(From a Shiner Bock billboard I saw in Austin some years ago)
To reply, eat the taco.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bbqboyee/