Woodworking
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Let's talk about power tools, hand tools, joinery, and workshops, and most importantly, what you're building.
I'll kick it off with a project that I'm preparing for. A little backstory first: I got into woodworking a little bit about 15 years ago, and started making small things in my basement with some basic tools, and had a great time with it, but it never materialized into anything more. I had job-site table saw, some basic hand tools, and a very basic understanding of the craft in general, but I always enjoy working with my hands so I had a good time. In fact, the workbench that I've been using for my leather business for 11 years was originally purchased for my budding woodworking hobby that never really came to fruition. And to make a long story short, I recently took a furniture design class as part of my bachelors degree program, and fell back in love. So much so that I'm applying to grad school in a few months to pursue a Masters in Fine Arts in Furniture Design and Woodworking.
My father-in-law very generously surprised me with a digital subscription to Fine Woodworking, and I was flipping through pages of project plans and landed on a tool chest that will be perfect for me on a number of levels. Since I'll potentially be working in school wood shops for the next several years, I'll need something to transport and house my tools, and a handmade tool chest to keep my hand tools organized and secure will be the perfect thing.
Anyways, I thought I'd create a thread where we can share projects we're working on, tools we're excited about, and just general discussion of all things woodworking!
Here's the tool chest that I'm going to build:
It has a lot of build features that require a bit of skill that I don't yet possess, but I'm down to try. Right off the bat, I can see dovetails, through mortises, and mortise and tenon construction, and it's going to push me beyond my current skill level, which is how we grow. I've always felt like knowing how to hand-cut dovetails will truly make me feel like a woodworker, but I've yet to attempt them. And to be perfectly honest, they were quite intimidating until I started watching YouTube videos. I think I'm ready to give them a try now. I ordered some new chisels and some other hand tools to make it happen and I think I'm going to start in the next couple of weeks. I'm so excited!
What are you working on?
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Love it! I did some simple boxes for storage (using dovetails). I enjoy working with wood although I am not very talented. To me, it’s creating something myself that fascinated me at first. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time to develop my skills and build more but will happily follow this thread.
I love tools and started building a solid base of hand and power tools. -
Highly recommend this follow on insta. https://www.instagram.com/takuwoodcraft?igsh=MXZrd2Y0Ynl3bGY5Zg==
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@seawolf Nice thread! enjoy and appreciate all things handmade. probably not what you had in mind but my dad (born and raised in the Azores) is a pretty good woodcarver/sign maker and made my sister and I matching key holders of the Portuguese good luck rooster. Most prized possession in the house.
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@flannel-slut That's rad! A prized possession for sure!
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Nick Padulla is one of the most talented woodworkers on the planet, and I highly recommend watching some of his videos. Here are two that show the breadth of his skill:
The most insane workbench ever:
A sculptural bench with bent wood. Absolutely incredible.
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@seawolf just watched the bent wood video. Incredible indeed
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Promise I’ll stop spamming the woodworking thread with sculptures but couldn’t help but share the below clip
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C7lvyhaioOR/?igsh=MXhoM2d1NHo5azd3MA== -
@flannel-slut First of all, that sculpture is insane. So much talent.
Secondly, who asked you to stop spamming the woodworking thread? That's what it's here for!
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Not the most conventional tool, but a shop apron is absolutely a tool. Having some of my most-used hand tools at the ready is super important, and rather than buying something that already exists that I'd likely be unhappy with, I decided to make my own fully custom apron.
This was nearly 80 hours of labor, and a shit ton of leather!
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@goosehd We'll see how it goes when I actually start using it. I have a project planned to start in the next couple of weeks, so it'll get lots of use very soon. I may add some pads to the shoulder straps because the apron will get heavy when it's loaded up with tools, and it'll be good to spread that weight out across the shoulder straps and waist straps.
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@seawolf That’s crazy skills looks amazing
I’m trying to find someone who can make a thick piece of leather that can hang down off my belt to protect my Jeans from getting destroyed by my tool belt ,the best thing I’ve managed to come up with is some gaffer tape and a IH badge to cover the damage so the tape doesn’t rip at the cotton. It’s super annoying it last for about 1hour before it falls off and have to do again .
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@Mister_Brue Thank you!
Any thing specific you would have changed?