This past fall I took a course in hand tool woodworking offered by the San Joaquin Fine Woodworkers Association. The course was 8 weeks in length and included 3 areas of hand tool woodworking... sharpening and tool restoration, cutting and shaping, and joinery.
We learned different methods of sharpening chisels and plane irons. The method that works best for me is using various grit sizes of wet/dry abrasives to sharpen edges razor sharp. The honing jig keeps a consistent angle and the tile slab provides a flat hard surface. Initially, a great deal of time was spent on restoring and sharpening the tools.
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| Carving Out the Bowl with a Gouge |
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| Cutting the Outside of the Bowl with a Coping Saw |
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| Shaping the Stool Leg with a Spokeshave |
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| Three Leg Stool |
The cutting and shaping competencies were learned by completing the spatula, spoon, bowl, and the three leg stool.
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| Housed Dado Joint Knife Wall |
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| Marking the Housed Dado Joint Depth with the Marking Gauge |
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| Finishing Up the Housed Dado Joint |
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| Completed Housed Dado Joint Project |
The housed dado joint was the first joint covered in the joinery phase.
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| Shaker Candle Box with Dovetail Joinery |
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| Cutting the Kerfs for the Dovetail Tails with the Dovetail Saw |
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| Completed Dovetail Tails |
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| Completed Dovetail Pins |
The last joint covered was the most difficult... the dovetail joint. Lots of trial and error... Much practice was required in the beginning to properly fit the "tails" and "pins."
The course has given me a renewed appreciation for the art and craft of hand tool woodworking. It continues to be very satisfying to master "old school" woodworking.
