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Woodworking With Hand Tools Saturday March 18, 2006 I was able to attend a class entitled Woodworking With Hand Tools at Homestead Heritage Facility near Waco, Texas. This is the beautiful shop in which the class was held, sorry for the dreary picture, Texas is getting some much needed rain. A very nice shop with lots of natural light, a wood stove in the middle and large windows to open in the Texas heat.
The class is taught by Paul Sellers, a Master Craftsman, with over 40 years in the craft. Paul served an apprenticeship in England of 5 years and 2 years as a journeyman to earn the title of Master. And he is every bit the Master of his craft in true dyed in the wool GALOOT fashion. Paul has a very easy style of teaching with a dry British wit. As indicated by the name of the class this is about working with handtools and lesson number one dealt with sharpening. Paul's sharpening is about the craftsman keeping his tool maintained with a sharp edge. His system to return a tool that is dulling from use to shaving sharp in 30 seconds or less...as I'm sure he slowed his technique on chisels down so we could see it. And it works quite well...Using a coarse diamond plate. a fine diamond plate, and a leather strop with green rouge, he produces a razor sharp edge in just seconds. We also got a short succinct lesson in sharpening saws, and gouges (including how to make a strop for any gouge). Sharpening outcannel gouges in a figure 8 pattern. (Paul's shooting board can be seen in the photo below, a nifty design!)
After sharpening we proceeded to the three basic joints...starting with a dado to accept a panel. With marking knife, square, and chisel we were taught to quickly cut a dado to accept a panel with a snug fit and of a depth to carry whatever load the panel is carrying.
This is my effort... the lesson in making such a simple joint was not in the joint itself but in the methods of work, science of wood, mechanical properties and strengths of joints, and proper usage. Next up was a dovetail joint...once again the lesson included theory, mechanics and practice with the jewel being the methods that Paul has developed over his many years as a craftsman and teacher. I don't have any pictures of this as I didn't want to get blood on the camera...I managed to slice my finger with the utility knife in the picture above. In front of Paul and all the other students I made a blood sacrifice to the wood gods... Well my wife always says I'm not thru with a project unless I bleed on it. Paul's method of cutting a dovetail is somewhat different than any I've yet encountered. Using his method I was able to cut two dovetails that weren't great but weren't as bad as would be expected using an unfamiliar technique. Yes, it is my fingerprint.... After a one hour break for lunch (their deli has a wonderful selection of lunches that you can purchase) we returned to the shop for more discussions, questions and answers and making a thru mortise and tenon joint.
Chopping a mortise....
Happy about it.....
As we practiced our joints Paul was either kibitzing over our shoulders or available for discussion at his bench. And we also had John (I'm embarrassed to say I can't remember his last name) who was Paul's assistant, who circulated thru the class with tips and advise. I would heartily recommend this class, in particular to those who wish to learn the basics, this is a good place to start... What I took away from this class...Methods of work, economy of effort, sharp tools, a studied consistent approach to the craft. Something I lack being, consistency.... What I left behind....a little bright red spot on the inner vice face and some kindling for that next fire in the woodstove.....
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