Popular Woodworking 2006-08 № 156, страница 73
THANKS I like to get any glue squeeze-out off my work as soon as I see it. This scraper lets me put a lot of pressure on the edge with my left hand, while pulling with my right. The one in back is about five years old, and replaced the one in the front which has been sharpened so many times there's nothing left to use. I keep it around even though it serves no purpose other than to remind me of my age. Huey had two favorite tools that had a big effect on how he works. I was watching a segment on Sam Maloof when I spotted him using this tool to shape his Maloof/California style pieces. I found it, tried it and was sold from day one. It is the Shinto rasp. While it comes with a handle that can be attached to the rasp, I choose not to use it. I use the rasp to shape about 90 percent of the work on my cabriole legs. I also found that it's great to use to thin those slightly thick tenons. Because of its shape it's easy to work tight to the shoulders. It is my shoulder plane — don't tell Chris! The second tool is a router bit. I know — what is so special about a router bit? I am referring to a top-mount bearing, pattern bit. I always keep this set up in my router to cut to my created patterns. I use it to produce aprons and have used it to produce drawer divider profiles for a block-front chest. It's also my tool of choice to make the cuts for shelving. When I was new in this, at that time a hobby, I had an old dado blade where the actual blades cut slightly deeper than the chippers. Hey, even the chippers had their own heights. I decided that it would be easier to instead cut those dados with a straightedge and a pattern bit. Not only that, but when you are cutting a stopped dado there is less cleanout to fit the joint. Sentimental Tools Curiously, there was a lot of sentimentality about tools for one of the most mundane woodworking chores: scraping excess glue. One of my personal favorites is the only hand tool I have ever managed to wear out: a Hyde scraper/prybar. It was one of the first tools I purchased and it is my main glue squeeze-out cleanup tool, but it also has six or seven other uses. It's great for taking apart things and removing moulding without doing much damage, opening paint cans and using as a shim/wedge/lever. When I realized it was too far gone to sharpen any more I headed to the hardware store to get a new one, and surprised myself when I started to worry about what I would do if I couldn't find one. Fortunately, it's still available (look in the paint department) and costs less than $8. Ellis Walentine, a woodworker and the WoodCentral.com web master, also had an all-purpose scraping and prying tool that he made from an old kitchen knife. The kitchen knife I found so useful was a broken off, very stiff steel knife, sharpened along one edge and across the end. I used it to pop glue off things, pry paint cans open, sharpen pencils, pry mouldings off — more like a mini Wonder Bar. It was a great in-between tool to have around. I cut off the handle at about 4 " long, and the blade was probably about 6" long and 11A" wide. Sadly, it was lost in a fire. Apparently, there is a connection between editing and having the perfect scraping tool handy. Cambium Press founder John Kelsey's favorite is: A $5 plastic-handled 12" chisel that I ground to a bullnose shape and use for scraping mouldings and digging crud out of the most unlikely place s. I have had it for 30 years and it doesn't look like I will need another any time soon. A Word of Caution Of course we need to include a safety reminder - a warning of what a seemingly inexpensive purchase can set off. Consider this from Schwarz: On a sunny Spring day I stumbled on my 'Best $20' item at an antiques fair in Burlington, Ky. It was a 100-year-old Stanley No. 5 with rosewood knobs and a $12 price tag. I immediately paid the hippie who was minding the booth and took the plane home. The following woodworkers provided their input in the preparation of this article. • Paul Anthony is a woodworker and editor of our "Tricks of the Trade" column. • Rob Cosman is an author, teacher and DVD host. His web site is robcosman.com. • Bob Flexner is a wood-finishing guru, and author of "Understanding Wood Finishing" (Reader's Digest). • Glen Huey is a furniture-maker, author, DVD host and contributing editor to Popular Woodworking. His web site is woodworkersedge.com. • John Kelsey is the founder of Cambium Press, and a former editor of Fine Woodworking. •Frank Klausz is a cabinetmaker, teacher, author and frequent contributor to Popular Woodworking. Visit his web site at frankklausz.com • Kerry Pierce is a furniture-maker, author and frequent contributor to Popular Woodworking. • Ellis Walentine is the host of the internet woodworking forum WoodCentral and former editor of American Woodworker. Visit his web site at woodcentral.com. It turns out that when buying things from hippies, the first item can be a 'gimmie' — it's the next dose that costs real money. I tuned up that plane and that ignite d a slumbering passion for hand tools. Since then, I've squandered a large portion of my children's inheritance on hand tools both old and new. That plane, which I still use all the time, turned out to be the most expensive 'good deal' of my entire woodworking life. PW popularwoodworking.com I 71 |
