Supporting Tip: Mark which side of the line will be the waste side. The waste side is the part you don’t intend to keep.

This isn’t about measuring as much as it is about marking. Marking exactly that which we want to keep is the best way to assure things fit when we assemble our project’s parts. If we don’t observe this however, it can render our careful measurements powerless. The fitment of our work is what we honor the most.

The lines we mark give clear meaning to our layout. We should always put the lines on as clearly and accurately as we can, and have them represent to us the part we wish to keep. This way if we are called away and return to look at our project later, we don’t ever have to remember what the lines mean.

It’s been argued that you can take the line, split the line and so forth, but those techniques are fraught with problems when you really think about them.

If you saw to the line and take the line, how much over the line did you take? Is there room here for a mistake? Will we always remember to compensate for the saw’s kerf? Will we always be sure? Will it make things too short? Mistakes happen with this method more often than not.

Some have said split the line. If we draw a line with a pencil, the pencil will blunt as it draws, so what then is the standard width for this line? Does it really, truly stand for the part of our project, which we intend to keep? Again, what if the saw can take a kerf wider than the line? How do you split that? I’ve seen people advocate for this but too much is left to chance. Why risk it? Woodworking doesn’t have to require that we be lucky.

Remember that many things we saw are not finished off the saw, the saw is a rough tool, and usually leaves behind rough marks. Often, these marks are so rough that we can’t do further accurate layout on that surface, until after we smooth it up. It is rarely a finish surface in woodworking with few exceptions. It is a better practice to saw a short distance from the line on the waste side, particularly when the saw is coarse.

We must leave room on our work to smooth this rough surface, and we can’t do it if we split or take the line. We can sand, plane, chisel, even use a shooting board or a spokeshave to the line to obtain a smooth and accurate finish. It just depends on how we need to shape that line. More often than not, taking the line will leave you little room to smooth, let alone solve a problem if one occurs.

Good work practices are very important to consistency, so it is always good to be an early adopter of such practices. When showy woods can run from $20.00 to over $100.00 a board foot, we can’t afford to condemn wood to chance. We need to know where we are cutting for the best fit possible.

Depending on the level of accuracy the line needs to represent, we can use chalk, chalk line, carpenter pencils, sharp or fine pencils, even a marking knife with possibly the line darkened or lightened after we strike it, but the line should stay and represent the working limit.

With pencils, a harder lead can help. HB hardness is common; 2H hardness if you can find it works better. Sharpness is everything in a pencil, so be sure to maintain it while working. Red pencil leads show up well on dark woods and are more durable than white. Ballpoint pens will endure layout work, but depending on the project or position, can leave a mark in some woods that could be hard to remove later. Gel pens are good for marking light colors as well, but can be both expensive and fragile. Marking knives actually scribe lines that are more usable when they are slightly dull.

Remember that with dovetail layout, one joinery-sawn board lays out the other. On the board being laid out second, the lines can only be placed on the part which you intend to keep. This is true in many cases when working in joinery, and in joinery, fitment is everything.

Working to the line always allows room to trim if we still need. And all the lines can easily be removed once we have fitment and move towards the finish.

When accuracy in lay out matters, surface quality matters. It encompasses both the initial dimensions as well as the finish dimensions, and one is often used to lead to the other. Being squared up or at a specific angle can matter to the layout line placement. A shooting board can help us arrive at the right fit and finish when working to the line, both in the layout and the finish of joinery, as well as miters and butted boards that will require precise fitment.

Finally, remember as we lay out our work that we orient the placement of our lines so as to keep them where they will remain on the part of the work we intend to keep. This may mean we will need to orient the work so we layout from one or two reference surfaces only, (another good practice) and that the lines will work with the tool or machine that does the cutting, or which hand we use to work. If you like to saw to the right or left of a line for your waste, keep that in mind as you lay out. Think of what the tool will need for accommodations and the boards will arrive at the size needed consistently.

Practice consistency. Work to the line and rest assured that our best work has been done. These tips will help anyone create anything faster and with higher accuracy. The lines? They can be straight or curved. Anything you can imagine. This is a major part of building anything we can design. The bridge from what we imagine, to what we make become real. Now we can create!

Happy Woodworking!

Here are some considerations for bringing high quality to woodworking.

1. Layout tooling is a very big deal. Accurate layout is the first phase of getting where one wants to go.

The subsequent work with tools will diminish this accuracy, so starting as high on the accuracy scale as possible is beneficial. Good layout tools and the skills to use them help provide the ultimate in fit and finish, whether you are going to make a Morris Chair, or a William and Mary Secretary.

Any cut is meant to be to the line, so what quality should be the line? What a line is to a framing carpenter is different to the fine woodworker. This can mean choosing well for quality squares, rulers, straight edges, protractors and bevels that hold their angle. Marking gauges, compasses, curve layout tools. Finally, honing the skills that help you to use them all comprehensively.

Joinery is a huge factor in woodworking. How joinery fits is key, and how good it looks is desirable. Layout is the second step after truing the boards. Always mark the face, waste, and which side of the line to work to.

Remember, a pencil will blunt as you use it, so knowing when to resharpen it, or to use harder leads, a pen, or better, a marking knife (where the line can then be darkened with a pencil or lightened with a chalk pounce) is important. Red pencils can be helpful on darker woods.

2. Sharp tooling. This means that any woodworker must find their path to high-level sharpness for themselves and perfect their ability to provide it to their tools. There is more than one way, but being perfect with one is all that is needed. Saws, Planes and Chisels depend on sharpness. There isn’t any compromise.

3. Quality edge tooling is a combination of edge holding, stability, and ergonomics.

If any tool will not retain sharpness adequately for its needs, consider upgrading its cutting edge. If it is a chisel, replace it. If it is a plane, narrow the problem to its fault. If it is the iron that is failing, replace it. If it is the sole or the adjuster, perhaps you can repair it, and sometimes it isn’t worth the bother.

Even vintage tools can be replaced cheaply enough when you consider the value of your time and what you prefer doing with it. On some old tools, fettling never ends, but if the tool is good, fettling takes well. Do consider any tools’ usability in ensemble with the sum of its parts. If you have to fight a tool to make it perform, upgrading it could be worth consideration.

The better a chisel feels in the hand is a bigger part of how well they do the work than one may think. Too, consider its task. This can also mean that sending a paring chisel to do a butt chisels job can be fraught with peril. Peril you say? Yes, peril. Tools need not be expensive, that’s fine, but consider the specific purpose carefully. Compromising with tools often requires greater skill. Consider next the cost of wood per board foot. What is the cost of your board? Common Walnut runs $7.00. Curly Mahogany runs $100.00 per board foot. Wannabe tools and compromises are risky when a wood stretcher or replacer isn’t available. It always happens when you are almost done.

There are different types of chisels for specific purposes. (e.g. pairing, butt, bench, skew, dovetail, etc.) There are different planing bevel angles required for specific outcomes. It is important to learn these differences what, when and why, as they affect ease of use and finish quality. Remember to observe these differences in different materials and under changing circumstances.

On bench planes, there are also different plane iron sharpenings, mouth openings, and chip breaker settings, if offered, that can inter relate to one another. Some planes are purpose made for specific tasks, like a jackplane, which for it’s usual task wants a radiused iron and an open mouth. Or a smoother that likes very sharp irons sharpened square to the sides and a closed mouth. We have to set these planes up for the outcomes we want them to help produce. Our ignorance of these understandings isn’t something wood will abide.

A thicker plane iron is inherently more stable than a thin one. Some will argue this but I won’t. This has great influence on finish quality. On planes with thin irons like the old Stanley planes, thin irons are aided and stiffened by the cap iron, but depending on the type of work the plane is doing, the cap iron setting cannot always provide stiffness nor it’s connected chip breaker to the correct proximity for both or either to help stabilize the iron.

Modern plane and blade makers have bypassed this concern by supplying a thicker iron that usually overcomes the issue. If the iron is working, then nothing is broke. If the iron chatters or won’t cut well at any mouth setting or depth of cut, consider upgrading it, particularly if using most any vintage plane.

Sharpness is everything, always. Dullness is at the root of most problems with either the tool or the wood. Perfecting the ability to sharpen adequately for the tool to work outcomes that are favorable from the wood is any woodworkers goal.

4. It’s the 21st century. Most woodworkers can buy S4S lumber anywhere. This can save you some time, but it still isn’t ready for fine work. It still has room for improvement. Is it square and flat? Are there grain issues? Is there twist, wind, cupping? S4S often is not fully seasoned or acclimated before it is planed. Time has been given to allow the board to move some more, so choose carefully. Since these woods are so obtainable, do feel free to use them if they help get you where you want to go, but leave the challenging boards at the store. If you like the idea of getting started on a project and you lack a full kit, choosing these woods carefully can really help get you going.

A good first saw for working in S4S lumbers could be a16 inch-ish long, sharp western backsaw or Japanese equivalent is important. If Japanese saws seem right to you, consider the Ryoba.

5. A Jointer plane need not be top of the line, but one should have one, and it should be capable of accomplishing the tasks of flattening and straightening. If you can’t true the work, you can’t expect anything else. It is probably more important to have than a smoother. Any of the jointers from wood to infill can bring this, but in the end, if they can’t, woodworking suffers. For fine work, absolutely zero layout is worth doing if the wood surface has not been properly prepared in advance.

6. Make or Buy. A shooting board is one of the tools that take woodworking accuracy, fit and finish further, and most woodworkers will find the need for this accuracy, both fit and finish somewhere along their journey. It brings qualities to the final outcome similar to that of the jointer planes. It can help you bring finish dimensions to your work that you may not yet be able to achieve free hand. There are other jigs that help. A good bench, because workholding is a big part of refined crafsmanship. Clamps, guides, what-have-you, the list can go on, depending on your desired outcomes.

There is a corollary to 3,4,5 and 6: If number 2 is not observed, nothing else matters. This means, even low price can be high quality if one can make it sharp and it can stay work-sharp.

7. Tooling isn’t everything. Develop yourself. Knowledge is but one thing, ability is another. One is schooling the other is practice. They are parts of the puzzle. We too must be sharp.

Train your brain and body to do this work well.

Learn and practice only the best techniques. For best results, sawing is with the grain first, then across it. Chisel across the grain first, then with it. Observe ergonomics, posture matters.

Observe the outcomes and results from your tools and trust what you observe over what you read in books. This will show one fastest, where improvement is needed or not.

Learn grain reading and what the do’s and don’ts are with grain, including the long, the short and wood movement, as they are hard fast rules. Learn to be patient, let wood move by allowing it to acclimate. Make your big cuts to true it and let it rest. Then after a few days take it to final size, check that it is ready and then work only what you can fit. Preparing all your wood before you work it can allow movement to occur that you can’t correct. It happens. Wood grain is the decider.

Don’t work wood when tired. Woodworkers are not high quality when tired. It’s about safety and the final outcome.

Always consider the safest way to do anything before starting. Consider also what can happen if safe practices are not followed, before starting. Shortcuts are throat cuts.

Have I left a lot out? Yeah. Probably. This is a lot to build on, in ensemble.

Remember, It isn’t just high quality from what we are willing to pay. That is only part of the puzzle for some of our success. Success in woodworking is an ensemble of qualities, from both tooling and technique and the boards themselves.

Happy Woodworking!

Dick wrote that what he had accomplished was good enough for “rural work” but in reality, he was a very talented user of hand operated tooling, and knew what he could accomplish with the woods he had access to and the kind of durability he needed from them. Rural work did not mean he quit refining the quality of his workmanship, it meant he built the way he did so as to provide utility, endure hard use and inclement seasonal conditions.

Colonial Williamsburg Photo

Hand tools are also very highly regarded as the go to tools for fine work. Work on pieces where tolerances are exacting, or the sizes of the pieces are so small or thin where powered tooling would make it difficult to work safely or accurately.

The biggest misgivings that people who don’t use hand tools have when I have spoken with them about them have been based in what they are unsure about. Not knowing what a tool will do, how to maintain sharpness, and how difficult the application of the tool to the task will be. In other words, to some, hand tools are either Greek to them, or they seem too hard. The philosophy of “seem” is different than the philosophy of “is”.

Colonial Williamsburg Photo

Other times it’s a production issue, but unless we have commercial obligations, most woodworkers are not having production issues. Most woodworkers have the shop machines they need to handle all the heavy lifting, and for the most part are usually not in a production environment. Never the less, some hand tools are quite productive, and are in some cases the only way to do certain things. Those who eschew machinery, are not concerned with any production issue. I know a few furniture makers who are asked on occasion to build commissioned pieces with hand tools only.

Colonial Williamsburg Photo

Sometimes we are afraid to try something we are unfamiliar with, or dismiss something because we don’t know much about it. On the other hand, nothing ventured, nothing gained, and it never hurts to try. I am saying, try them, you will be pleasantly surprised what they can do! They are much easier to work with than you might have imagined.

Colonial Williamsburg Photo

Epiphanies often happen for woodworkers who are new to using hand planes when surface qualities that compare to 600-grit sandpaper smoothness happen in one swipe of a plane blade. Better still, the wood is not burnished and will take stains and dyes really well. Other times the ease of using a hand tool shines when a task is accomplished without noise, projectile sawdust, or without complex jigging and fixturing. It is even more impressive when it happens with great ease and in less time than you thought it would. Hand tools offer a lot of premium advantages to woodworkers if they try to learn their ways.

Colonial Williamsburg Photo

Woodworking is an evolved tradecraft that can trace it’s linage to the use of hand tools. While machines have taken the place of hand tools for many mundane and laborious tasks today, there are still many places where hand tools can shine, and even do the best work possible. We are making a bunch of parts and sub assemblies, then putting them together; we can create them any way we like. Layout for what you want to make, and remove all the material that doesn’t belong to what you are making. Depending on the task, often the hand tool makes an outcome as easy as drawing or pointing. When you look deeply into certain tasks, hand tools offer the most direct way.

Colonial Williamsburg Photo

In 1976, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation produced a documentary about how musical instrument making was done in colonial times. It featured the use of hand tools in a cabinetmaker’s shop of the era. It is about the making of a spinet harpsichord and a violin. There are a large number of hand tools, even some very specialized tools used, different timbers and materials used, and woodworking techniques described in the movie.

This video is just a taste, Video 1 of 6. If you navigate to the following six links, you can watch The Musical Instrument Maker of Williamsburg in it’s entirety on YouTube.

Video 1 of 6

Video 2 of 6

Video 3 of 6

Video 4 of 6

Video 5 of 6

Video 6 of 6

Many woodworkers may not be interested in making musical instruments and that is fine, but the film will show many different techniques which can be employed to do very fine woodwork with hand tools. Nearly any of these techniques are transferrable to any project where hand tools are used to accomplish the work. Are there skills you wish you had? Are there techniques you would like to employ on the work you do? This documentary may offer the right inspiration.

Colonial Williamsburg Photo

Some of the tools and techniques shown and described in the documentary are:

• Wood bending, using both boiling and steaming methods.

• Properties of various wood species and how reading these variable properties for specific purposes is important.

• Many applications for gluing using hot hide glue.

• Special fixtures for work holding during sawing with fret and coping saws.

• Fixturing for chiseling and carving processes.

• Special techniques for clamping odd shaped items with various forms of joinery.

Colonial Williamsburg Photo

• Techniques for clamping curved work.

• Techniques for clamping and molding woods to the contour of shaped forms.

• Techniques for clamping with various shaped cauls.

• Techniques for clamping with go bars. (A wooden bar that fits between the work and the ceiling to provide clamping pressure.)

• Techniques for clamping with string.

• Special fixturing for gluing curved work.

• Layout techniques for various styles of joinery as well as for use with curved work.

Colonial Williamsburg Photo

• Sawing veneers by hand.

• Planing with toothing planes to avoid tear out to the wood fibers.

• Planing with violinmaker’s planes for thicknessing and finishing tight areas and creating special contours and radiuses.

• Paring and carving operations with chisels and gouges utilizing many different approaches and techniques.

• Methods for sawing, filing and gluing with ivory.

• Many different views of various scraping scenarios throughout.

• Curved purfling inlay work with ebony and holly.

Colonial Williamsburg Photo

• Router plane usage for fixed depth work.

• Shaving curved and straight work with drawknives and spokeshaves.

• Sawing and chamfering the finished edges of holes.

• Layout and planing for fitment to contoured surfaces.

• Marquetry, the lay out, sawing of multiple colors at once, scorching for color toning, and fitment as an inlay.

• Finishing with shellacs, varnishes and polishing out with rottenstone.

• Layout for drilling with awls and various styles of bits, the reaming of holes for proper sizing, and finished edges with chamfers.

Some other things that the film exposes us to, are how different materials are chosen for the specific qualities they have. Strength, appearance and sonic resonance are a few qualities that make the wood adequate for use when none of the other qualities are required.

Colonial Williamsburg Photo

Of note in the film were the many ways the craftsmen fixtured the various forms of work, so as to be able to work with tools safely, ergonomically and accurately. The sharpness of their tooling made the work look as though it was effortless. In reality, it is as easy as it looks if tooling is sharp. Sharp tooling does make the work happen with a lot less effort than one might imagine, and achieving high levels of sharpness on hand tooling is not hard to learn to accomplish.

Colonial Williamsburg Photo

Many of us learn by seeing things done, and it helps to have an explanation as we watch. My hopes are that seeing this documentary sparks interest and imagination. Perhaps it will show a path to finer woodworking to those looking for a way. This documentary helps outline many ways we can utilize hand tools, jigs and fixtures to aid in accomplishing fine workmanship that would be otherwise very difficult to do with power tools and shop machines. Have a look at each of the six videos and see if it doesn’t reveal a trick or two of the versatility hand tools can offer!

Happy Woodworking!

Richard L. Proenneke Photo

For most of us, this was our introduction to Dick, and his life. It is one of the only films ever made that shows the process of making a cabin in the wilderness, using only hand tools. It is a real gift.

Dick was a man whose life took him to a lot of places and exposed him to a lot of things, and those things may have been instrumental in helping shape his abilities for life in the wilderness. Born and raised in Iowa, he joined the US Navy and was a Navy carpenter, a rancher, diesel mechanic and heavy equipment operator.

He originally went to Alaska to start a cattle ranch, and wound up commercial salmon fishing and working as a mechanic. He spent the final years of his working career in and around Kodiak Alaska at the naval base there, until a work accident nearly cost him his eyesight. His life in the ranching business probably helped him understand nature and wildlife on an intuitive level, and his life as a carpenter and mechanic probably prepared him with the self-sufficiency needed for the next phase of his life. He retired at age 51 to Twin Lakes, living as a naturalist, nature cinematographer, and scientific observer in the remote Alaska wilderness.

In 1962, Dick made his first trip to Twin Lakes Alaska, part of what is now Lake Clark National Park, and lies 40 miles North of Lake Clark, 100 miles West of Kenai and about 350 miles West of Anchorage. This area is full on bush country, and only accessible by floatplane in summer, ski plane in winter.

He was originally introduced to the Twin Lakes area, by friends he made while working at the Navy Base at Kodiak. A retired Navy Captain and his wife, Spike and Hope Caruthers, who had a cabin there, invited Dick to the area, and loaned him the use of their cabin. Dick in turn loaned the use of a camper he had to the Caruthers in the Kodiak Area.

Dick set out to live in a way similar to Henry David Thoreau, as he had written about in “Walden” as a test of his personal life and values. During July 1967, Dick spent time harvesting logs At Twin Lakes, from a small stand of spruce near Spike’s cabin, and on May 21, 1968, he returned to Twin Lakes to build his own cabin, where he remained for the next 16 months. He may not have known at the time, but that first stay would evolve into where he would live for the next 31 years. It began as a test to see what he was made of, and became his home.

He lived in Twin Lakes, off savings from his retirement, from payments received for meteorological and wildlife research, photography he did for the National Park Service, and from showings of the film footage he shot in and around the area.

In 1999, Dick returned to the States to live with his brother in Southern California, Returning only once for a short visit during the summer of 2000, to dedicate his Cabin to the National Parks Service. The cabin is now maintained in the state Dick left it, as a historical site and museum.

Among the many things Dick was, he was a very talented woodsman and woodworker. The first forty minutes of the largely autobiographical video “Alone in the Wilderness” depict him building his cabin from the spruce logs he felled the year before. The video is also interspersed with shots of him doing the other things that make up his life at Twin Lakes.

Let’s have a look at Dick and the tools he brought with him to Twin Lakes, as he builds his cabin, furnishings and living accessories. For many, this is an excellent opportunity to see a trained carpenter from the old school, go about his work with hand tools, and without drawings. Knowing what he wants to do, seeing it in his minds eye, using his skills and developing the materials available right there at his cabin site.

This video is just a taste of the first movie in a series of three, Alone in the Wilderness. If you navigate to the following links, you can watch excerpts of Alone in the Wilderness, Alaska Silence and Solitude and The Frozen North on YouTube.

Alone in the Wilderness

Alaska Silence and Solitude

The Frozen North

Only the first video, “Alone in the Wilderness” depicts Dick doing any woodworking, but I highly recommend watching all three, or even purchasing the videos from DickProenneke.com. If you are like me, you’ll watch them many times.

One of the first things you’ll notice is that Dick has to prepare the cabin site. He clears the brush and lays down a gravel base that he hauls from the lake. Next, he hauls the logs one by one from where he has them stacked to the cabin site. How does he do it? Look closely, he isn’t just dragging them on the ground. He has logs laying crossways in the trail. Dick fashioned an old school skid road.

Among the tools he brought in to build the cabin as well as for survival was a 36 to 40 inch one man tree saw, with teeth filed for softwoods which were predominant in the area, a metal frame style tree saw, a double bladed axe and a hatchet. He has a splitting maul for firewood as well. There is also a shot of him filing an adze, an adze that he was also shown to use like a light sledgehammer when building sawhorses. He uses a drawknife for debarking, flattening and shaping his logs, poles and rough lumber.

Something worth noting about Dick’s axe. He chokes up on the handle often to shave shape and carve. He relies on it for a lot of tasks. He even uses it while hunting. It is hard to see his axe in any shot when it is not in motion, but if you are used to seeing what a good axe looks like, the area near the blade has been filed down to a thinner profile.

Richard L. Proenneke Photo

I am originally from logging country in the Pacific Northwest. We know that many new axes will chop nearly as well as a sledgehammer. The cutting edge is simply too blunt, and when swung, the axe bounces off the tree better than it cuts. You would think it dull, but no. Its cutting edge is just too blunt, and the axe can’t penetrate into the wood fibers to cut cross grain.

What was often done to a new axe by their new owners, was to file or grind that area just behind the edge down some and use a shallower bevel angle on the edge. If you relieve this shoulder a bit, the axe will cut into the wood and not bounce off the wood as you chop. It also makes the blade a lot more versatile as we can see from Dick’s skill with it. This is physical work. Dick knew he needed his tools to work for and with him.

It appears he has at least four handsaws. One is a ripsaw, which he used to resaw logs into planks. He claimed he could rip a log 5 inches in diameter by 42 inches long in 15 minutes. That is not a bad pace when you have a lot of ripping to do, so it was likely in the 4-6 ppi range. There is a shot of it leaning against the planks he had cut. It looked like a 26” Disston D-8.

Dick commonly used both hands on his saw when it was stable to do so, but I couldn’t see a thumbhole on this saw. In the places we see dick cross cut, the saw looks like a D-8 also, but it doesn’t look discernibly different than the crosscut while viewing on the fly. If I am wrong about two D8’s then Dick is using his Rip Saw for some of his crosscuts, and this is doable. He likely dressed most all his sawn edges with his planes anyway.

There was a short cross cut saw, a short panel saw, with no back that looked to be approximately12 inches long, and with what looks like an aluminum handle, as a well as a keyhole saw, used to saw the elaborate latch and lock he made for his Dutch door. It was also likely used to saw out the crescent on the outhouse door as well as make the wooden spoons he carved.

His edge tools appear to include at least a framing slick and gouge, a, block plane and a number 4 Stanley smoother He made many of the handles for tools that needed them from spruce on site, such as the handles for his framing chisels. He likely had more chisels and gouges than just one of each in his kit; likely some of the bench chisel style variety.

There was also what was called a “thin bladed wide chisel” he was shown using to split logs to make boards from for framing windows and doors. It did not appear to have a wooden handle. He struck it with his claw hammer. Something similar to this chisel was seen fitted later with a long wooden handle for chiseling holes in the lake ice for fresh water during the freeze. He had what looked like a wide-bladed, small cold chisel like chisel, likely a brick set, which he used to tack Oakum Moss between the logs while insulating the cabin

His sharpening tools appear to include files, which while not shown would have to include saw files, perhaps a Lansky puck of Carborundum, which he used on his axe, hatchet and drawknife, and likely some other Carborundum stones, which were popular for sharpening in that era.

His drilling tools appear to include a brace, but all we ever see is the collet of that brace while he is drilling handles he made on site for his large augers. It is likely he has a number of bits for his brace, and the large augers we see him use in the timber framing, He likely made the handles for his large augers for a couple reasons. In addition to the leverage he gains, they negate the need for additional braces with different sweeps.

Richard L. Proenneke Photo

His striking tools appear to include a large framing claw hammer, a smaller claw hammer in the 16 ounce range that he used to tack the tarpaper and visqueen on his roof. He made a large wooden mallet carved from spruce. There is also a Crowbar available to him up there, often used for un-boarding boarded up windows for weatherization in winter.

Layout tools include a one-foot combination square, a folding ruler, a tape measure, a chalk line, what was likely a 24 inch level, a pair of dividers and carpenter pencils.

Dick made wooden hinges sawn from seasoned spruce stumps, and made dowel like pins for various joinery needs. He applied glue with a brush in some of these joinery applications. It is hard to say which glues, but they were used outdoors as well as in. In other cases he fashioned round mortises, where a tapered pin went into a hole, much like what was used traditionally in Windsor chairs, but I never saw any tooling that would taper a hole. My guess is that Dick shaved the pins with a drawknife and or whittled them so there would be a friction fit.

Richard L. Proenneke Photo

He made many accessories for living from tin gas cans, so there was likely a pair of tin snips or two but we never see them. There was at least one pair of vise grips and perhaps a pair of pliers. He made baking pans for his beloved sourdough, the starter that he got from Mary Alsworth, Babe Alsworth, his friend and bush pilot’s wife. He made wash basins, other tools for the kitchen. Carrying pans, tin totes and trays, for packing sand, gravel, cement mortar and stones. He made a pail with bail for carrying water from the lake, and covered storage for dry goods.

Dick even made hinges for various doors from these tin cans and nails. From the looks of other metal work for the stove and pipes, as well as flashing and 55 gallon drum usage, he likely had a hacksaw as well. For those without a cutting torch, a cold chisel will take the top off a 55-gallon drum too.

There was also a round point shovel, which he used for gardening and cutting moss for his roof. A hoe he used for mixing mortar for his fireplace and a pointing trowel for cementing the rockwork on the fireplace.

Amongst the tools Dick made were saw horses, a planing horse, which like a Japanese planing beam, had a stop on one end he could plane against. He made a number of different ladders. The spruce mallet, the handles for his augers and framing chisel and gouge. There was also the pack frame for carrying his moss for the roof, which I suspect may have later became the lid to his underground root cellar.

He also made jigs to help make things. The frame he built around the tin box he used to carry mortar and rocks. He made support forms for his rock fireplace chimney and a support form for building its arch. The snow shovel was cut from a 55-gallon barrel, and the bottom of a 55-gallon barrel was used for his cement mixer. He had a shop storage area adjacent to the outhouse where he kept dry wood and his tooling as well.

He made his furnishings. A bunk bed, dining/writing table, chair(s) and benches. He had seating inside and out. He made a couple tables and a carved a bowl from a burl he sawed off a tree. A wall mounted paper towel holder, cabinet next to his bed, various shelves for his dishes, utensils and cooking spices. A kitchen counter appears to have been made from 3-4 planks. He hung his cast iron frying pans on the wall or stored them in an animal proof cache he built outdoors. Even had the use of a cutting board, but did he bring that in? He likely made his snowshoes.

Unfortunately the videos never show all the tools he was seen to use all at once. The logistics of doing this, even as minimally as it was, was something that required a lot of thought and planning. Dick clearly had done his thinking and knew what was needed to use with what was at hand in the Alaska bush country. He had a good friend in Babe Alsworth, helping to fly in the things he needed. Dick was a resourceful man who knew his way around tools and how to use them productively to get what he needed made under a very tight schedule. The Alaskan spring, summer and fall passes by in a very short five months.

What is a self-sufficient craftsman? Fine craftsmanship does not have to be French polish. Is what Dick made rustic? Sure, but it is as durable as the land and stood the test of daily use over 30 years in unforgiving country. If you were wondering what tooling you really must have in your kit, if there is to be nothing other than human power, now you have a good idea.

Richard L. Proenneke Photo

Know that even though there is power from gas and electricity, these tools and skills can still be of great help to us. If you were wondering what skills you need to develop to use them, this too is a good overview. If you need help learning to use tools, and gaining knowledge for building with them, there are many, many titles in the Woodworks Library, which will help address this. Please feel free to go in and have a look around. If you have further questions about these tools and skills, you can also contact me.

If you are interested in some of this tooling, there are some links to many great new and used tool vendors on my Woodworks Tool Source Links page. For some of the specialized timber framing tools, two vendors come to mind. Caribou Blades is a maker of many fine tools for building and surviving in Bush country, and they are truely bush tools, made off grid in the remote bush country of British Columbia, Canada. Scott and Aki have been living this way since 1997. They have been doing “green” since before it became cool. Their tooling is primarily made in the same way Dick made things, from recovered steel, and local woods. Probably the greenest way to go if that appeals to you, and you support people who like Dick did, are living a simplified life, off the grid in a green way. Alternatively, Barr Quarton of Barr Tools also forges up a fine line of timber framing and woodworking tools in Northern Idaho. Both are highly recommended.

The three documentaries about Dick Proenneke and his life are available for purchase from Bob Swerer, the producer of the videos at www.dickproenneke.com They are all wonderfully produced, well narrated and well worth a watch. There are two books, “One Man’s Wilderness”, which is available from Amazon, and “More readings from One Man’s Wilderness”, that is either available from Amazon, or as a pdf download from the National Park Service, Here.

I understand there may be a third book in production from Dick’s journals that will fill the gap between the One Man’s Wilderness of 1968-69 and 1974-1980 where “More Readings” takes over.

Finally for video to go out on, there is a 15-minute clip that depicts Dick in his twilight, in 2000 when he returned to Twin Lakes to dedicate his homestead to the National Park Service.

I hope you enjoy these videos and woodworking insights from Dick, to the world.

“Too many men work on parts of things. Doing a job to completion satisfies me”.
Dick Proenneke

Happy Woodworking!

As many woodworkers have learned, shooting boards are one of the magical epiphanies of woodworking, along with sharpening, planing, good layout tools and good technique! I have been amazed with them ever since my granddad showed me how to use his when I was a kid. After all these years, they are still really cool! Many woodworkers have learned that I take no shortcuts when I make shooting boards, I pay attention to every detail. Every board I make must live up to the rigors of quality woodworking, delivering high craftsmanship, to any woodworker, using any plane. It’s built to last.

There will be two vendors, both Infill Plane Makers exhibiting in the WIA marketplace, who will be using Evenfall Studios ‘Deluxe Shooters’ under their infill miters.

Daed Toolworks Photo

Raney Nelson of Daed Toolworks, an Infill Plane Maker from New Jersey, will be exhibiting his infill planes along with Matt Bickford of M.S. Bickford, maker of 18th Century British Molding Planes. This will be Raney’s and Matt’s first WIA conference as vendors, and I wish them both the very best of success.

Raney has been using my ‘Deluxe Shooter’ shooting board in the manufacture of infills as well as other woodworking projects for a long time now. He will be bringing his “Deluxe Shooter” along to demo his miter planes on.

Raney is a huge advocate of shooting boards and has made some very specialized boards for various projects he has built. As such, in his infill making, it has been important for him to flesh out some important infill miter designs. Please feel free to ask Raney any shooting board questions you may have.

Marcou Photo

Phillip Marcou of Marcou Planes, an Infill Planemaker from New Zealand will be coming to WIA to exhibit his planes with Fred West. Phillip has been an Infill plane maker for many years now, and this will be his first trip to WIA.

Many people already know Fred West as one of the Admin Staff over at talkFestool, a woodworking forum for Festool users and including, believe it or not, Hand Tools! Fred is a very enthusiastic woodworker and supporter of many toolmakers. He is a great guy, and we all thank him for helping to get Phillip to WIA this year! Fred will be bringing his Evenfall Studios ‘Deluxe Shooter’ along to demonstrate the Marcou M12 Mitre Plane.

All of these guys are absolutely great people and are very happy to let anyone try out anything they like including the Shooting Boards. Please feel free to ask them any questions you may have!

I also want to thank Ron Brese of Brese Plane, and Jameel Abraham of Benchcrafted for their support of my Shooting Boards at many past woodworking events. Both Ron and Jameel have used my Shooting Board extensively and I am sure if you ask them, they would also be more than happy to field any questions about them that you may have. Unfortunately this year, Ron was unable to get one of his great Shooting Board Planes ready for exhibit in time for WIA this year, but he will have some amazing new Stainless Steel Planes along that you’ll want to check out!

Jameel will be exhibiting two of the finest woodworking vises ever devised, as well as plans for Roubo style Benches. Jameel’s must-see this year is the new “Shaker Bench”, a collaborative design that Ron and Jameel worked up earlier this year. Photos are on Jameel’s Benchcrafted blog. Jameel tells me that complete plans and scale drawings for making this new Shaker bench are forthcoming, but will not be ready for WIA. Be sure to ask him to get on the list for plans to this breathtakingly awesome bench!

For those who want to do a little more homework on my shooting boards, the Features and Specifications page will flesh out a lot of the details that explain my passion for high quality, longevity, and high accuracy. You can read what Chris Schwarz had to say when he took a ‘Deluxe Shooter’ for a test drive. If you like, my current line up complete with pricing and links to detailed descriptions of each item is available in the Woodworks Store.

Please feel free to Contact Me if you have any questions at all about my Shooting Boards and Accessories, or if you would like to buy one and need a quote for purchase. If you are reading this after the date of the event, It is never too late to place an order, 24/7-365. I’d be happy to get a quote to you and make you a shooting board. For those of you going to WIA, have a great time! For those unable to attend, you can still make any weekend a skill building weekend. Check out a few books in the Evenfall Studios Woodworks Library.

Happy Woodworking!

Here’s a photo of a pair to draw to. The shooting boards, shown here in left and right-handed models. You could almost call them V-Twins, but darn it, somebody already thought of that…

Back in late March 2009 I revealed I was going to be making a shooting board with an accurately calibratable fence, which can be fixtured in six positions. Woodworkers found this very interesting! I want to take a moment to say thank you to all who have purchased one. It has been a warm and well-received response from the woodworking community. I plan to continue making them, and even have a few ideas to accessorize them as well.

If you are a left handed woodworker, No Problem! I can make a shooting board that works for you. Same price as right handed, just let me know.

The first weekend of May, woodworker and furniture maker Jeff Miller sponsored a Lie-Nielsen Hand Tool Event at his shop in Chicago. From what I understand, it was quite the event.

Infill Plane Maker Ron Brese, www.breseplane.com and Toolmaker Jameel Abraham, www.benchcrafted.com/ were both in attendance as exhibitors.

Jameel and Ron with Angie of Lie-Nielsen
Cian Perez Photo

Ron and Jameel have been working together on Infill Plane designs and other cool tools in collaboration with other toolmakers. Ron approached me about a shooting board for his beautiful infill miter plane, which he is soon going to be adding to his infill offerings.

The Brese Infill Miter
Cian Perez Photo

The Brese infil miter on the Evenfall Studios Shooting Board
Cian Perez Photo

Those who made it to the event were able to see Jameel’s bench, featuring the Bench Crafted “wagon style” Tail Vise and the New, soon to be released Bench Crafted Leg Vise Hardware, as well and Ron had the full offering of his Infill Line, and featured his prototype Infill Miter on one of my shooting boards.

Ron’s planes, Jameel’s bench and bench accessories
Cian Perez Photo

Cian Perez was at the event and offered me the use of his stellar photos, showing the shooting board, Ron’s Beautiful Planes and Jameel’s great bench and bench hardware. Some of you may know Cian from his wonderful and super useful How-To Guide, woodworking link sites: The Neanderthal Braintrust, and The Power Index. Thank you very much for offering me the use of your great photos Cian!

I can’t thank Ron and Jameel enough for taking my board along to the show, and if you follow the link to Benchcrafted’s website above. While you are looking at all the cool things Benchcrafted offers, Jameel has a schedule of where he and Ron are exhibiting. They are both great guys, and top craftsmen who are always willing to answer questions and offer great insights. Get out and meet them if you can! Be sure to visit Ron’s website as well!

Jameel demonstrates Ron’s Infill Miter
Cian Perez Photo

The ‘Deluxe Shooter’ Shooting Board with six fence positions, and there are two shooting boards that are completely similar to this design, with fewer, but the most needed settings for most woodworking requirements.

If you would like to place an order, it is pretty simple to get started. Just navigate to the Evenfall Studios Woodworks Store, either here or at the top of the page, and use the shopping cart. Checkout is easy and your order comes straight to us. Shooting Boards in either Left or Right hand models are the same price. We also sell extra fences, and a Board Lift Bench Hook that matches the lift of the shooting board for when you shoot long boards. Just let me know what you would be interested in.

The product line continues to evolve, just peek into the Store from time to time and see what’s new.

Also while you are here, remember it is woodworkers safety time.

So much has been said, all of it is good. For my part, I just want to remind you of this one important batch of thoughts.

Mindfulness is everything. Your brain is the most important safety device you have. Keep your mind in the work. Watch what you are doing. Think about how you do it. Know where your flesh and clothing is in relation to the cutters and tooling. Short cuts are throat cuts. A clean work area is a much safer work area, so clean up frequently and often. If it seems unsafe or risky, trust your instincts, it probably is. If you are working with a hand tool, fixture the work piece. If you are using a power tool or shop machine, jigs, guides and guards are important.

The one time you bypass a safe practice, you invite the perfect storm to find you.

ACHTUNG

Alles touristen und non-technoschen lookens peepers! Das machinen
control ist nicht fur der fingerpoken und mitten grabben. Oderwise
ist easy schnappen der springenworks, blowen den fuses, und
poppencorken mit spitzensparken. Der machine ist diggen by experten
only. Er ist nicht fur geverken by das dummkopfen. Das rubbernecken
sightseenen: keepen des cottonpicken hands in das pockets. Relaxen
und watchen des blinkenlights!

Thanks for everything, and please work safe!

Happy Woodworking!

Yes, I am talking about shooting boards.

Shooting boards are one of the gateways to fine woodworking. Sure, there are many gateways, but the shooting board, in its different configurations guide the cleanest edges and end grain cuts to the finest accuracies, the most spectacular fit and finish, and it puts this capability in the hands of any woodworker.

I have always enjoyed woodworking jigs, and have made a number of shooting boards over the years. I have thought about many different designs for a long time. I’d have one that did this, but not that, and wish I had one that did that too, but then, that method can become a stack of shooting boards, and most of us don’t have the space for that. It’s true; there are some very specific types that are meant to cover specific uses. Others are great for general work, but the worry over wood movement and long-term accuracy causes some folks to question how much energy to put into the making of their own.

I decided to try designing a shooting board, using a design that encompasses the many qualities that I felt most woodworkers would most desire and need in a basic shooting board. Reinforcing as many strengths as I could, while diminishing the weaknesses where possible, and offer it for sale to woodworkers who may be interested in a shooting board that can cover a lot of fine woodworking situations, yet may not want to build one of their own. If you are interested in purchasing a shooting board, I’d be happy to build one for you. Please see the details at the end of this article.

My design is a shooting board with pivot fence. Made from Baltic Birch for durability, and stability in most any climate. It’s adjustable and calibratable for square as well as the 15, 22-1/2, 30, 45, and 60-degree radials. The base measures approximately 14-3/4 inches square. The plane chute is 14-3/4 x 2-3/4, and 1/2 inch below the base to assure a firm squaring registration with most any maker’s planes. The fence, 11-1/2 long by 1-1/4 wide, is positioned 3 inches from the back edge for planing stability in the chute, leaving a full 11-1/2 inch surface for the work piece. The base has been sanded to 150 grit overall to improve traction on the bench and work piece. The Chute has been sanded to 400 grit. The Shooting Board has been finished with Watco Teak Oil, a user repairable finish, and the Plane Chute has been waxed to aid smooth shooting operations.

Steel T-Nuts, counter bored, pressed and epoxied into the base provide 5/8 inches of steel threading to assure accuracy and lasting structural integrity through years of adjustable use. The cleat hooks the unit to the bench with four 1/4-20 flat head socket cap screws tapped directly into the base, and countersunk into the cleat for a very sturdy connection.

A dust groove runs along the left side of the chute to help assure that dust and shavings don’t foul the shooting plane’s accuracy during use. The chute is checked to assure it is coplanar with the top of the jig, and corrected before it leaves here.

Steel Button Head Cap Screws with Brass Knurled Knobs assure a long lasting, secure, comfortable way of adjusting and fixturing the fence. Under both knurled knobs, a brass washer protects the fence from wear. The fence has a small-elongated slot machined on the calibration side that matches the pivot radius, so the fence can be calibrated to the drafting squares accuracy in any climate or wood moisture condition.

Fence calibration is easy and inexpensive with $4.00 Drafting Triangles available from nearly any good office supply store in their drafting supplies section. The 8-inch 45-45-90 square and 12-inch 30-60-90 drafting triangles assure the best registration. Other angle finders such as adjustable drafting triangles and various styles of protractors and protractor squares can be employed to find the other angles as well.

Here the fence is being calibrated to shoot in the square position. Simply loosen the fence fixturing knobs. A 45-45-90 Drafting Triangle is positioned between the fence and the sole of the shooting plane. The shooting plane is positioned with the toe end at the fence, and the plane sole is pulled firmly against the left side of the plane chute. The fence is then positioned so that there is a tight fit of the triangle between the sole of the plane and the fence, and the fixturing knobs re-tightened. You can also use machinist squares, combination squares, and vernier protractors with rulers from the edge of the chute. THe accuracy of your set up tooling is transfered to the jig. It just takes a few seconds. This assures total shooting accuracy every time you use the Shooting Board, any season of the year.

Here the fence is being calibrated to shoot in the 30 degree radial position. A 30-60-90 Drafting Triangle is positioned between the fence and the sole of the shooting plane. The same procedures for squaring the fence are repeated.

Here the fence is being calibrated to shoot in the 45 degree radial position. A 45-45-90 Drafting Triangle is positioned between the fence and the sole of the shooting plane. The same procedures for squaring the fence are repeated. This is the woodworking secret to perfect mitered corners, perfectly squared ends, perfected dimensional accuracy in layout.

Here a Lie-Nielsen 62 is engaged in shooting square the end of a board, the angle cut on the fence near the knurled knob is used to shoot at any angle other than square. Simply flip the fence over so this angled portion faces the work piece and recalibrate.

Here is a look at the fence, sole, chute relationship, where the wood if engaged would be being pared square by the shooting plane. A fine adjustment and a sharp blade is desirable.

This is a look at the hand position, fixturing the board to the hook portion of the Shooting Board. A firm grip on the side of the plane body near the blade bed pushes the plane forward while holding the plane against the left edge of the chute.

The Stanley #4 is a viable shooter when sharp. Here is it shooting the end grain of Panamanian Rosewood Veneer. Veneer can be trimmed long grain and on any miter angle using this method. Starburst or mitered veneers anyone?

The Shooting Board can shoot Long Grain to 11-3/4 inches.

As shown, the Plane Chute measures 14-3/4 by 2-3/4, which will accommodate Lie-Nielsen’s #9 Iron Miter Plane and 62 Low Angle Jack, the Veritas Low Angle Jacks, as well as other Infill and wooden miter and non-miter planes. Any of the Stanley Bailey and Bedrock planes are suitable for use, and a even a block plane, particularly a low angle one can also be employed if the wood isn’t too thick.

For the best results when using a plane for shooting, the soles should be square to the sides of the plane body, the iron sharpened to the equivalent of an 8000 grit waterstone and stropped. The side and sole of the plane waxed and the iron set for a thin shaving of .001 or less.

When shooting, a firm right hand grip on the plane on the side of the sole positioned near the plane bed at mid-plane, with the shooting board firmly hooked against the bench or fixtured in the face vise. The left hand fixtures the work piece against the fence.

In order to reduce the possibility of tearout, consider making your first cuts to the work with the index finger only of your left hand between the work piece and the fence near the plane chute, so as to skew the work towards you at a slight angle. Take a few passes with the plane here, so as to relieve a slight amount of material at the back of the area being squared. Then place the work piece full against the fence and shoot the edge, stopping when you have planed to the area you relieved. With experience, you will be able to determine for yourself when this method will be most helpful.

When shooting angles other than square, it may occasionally be helpful to fold an eleven inch strip of 320 grit sandpaper cut 1-1/4 inches wide in half, lengthwise, and place it between the work piece and the fence to help resist slipping. This is particularly helpful when working steep angles.

I am offering this shooting board (the deluxe shooter model is shown) for sale in right or left handed versions at $130.00 plus shipping and handling. There are Shooting Boards available starting at $100.00, please have a look in the Evenfall Studios Online Store. These jigs are craftsman made by me, built for accuracy and longevity. Meant to be a durable, serviceable tool that helps promote the ability for any woodworker to work at the finest levels of woodworking accuracy.

Custom offerings are possibilities! Please feel free to email me and discuss your needs. We also have some accessories available for the boards, such as taller fences, and a bench hook board lift that matches the shooting board height, as an aid for leveling long work is also optional and made only if ordered. Please feel free to inquire about these and other custom options.

To place an order, have a look in the store at the various models we have available, and simply click to order. Your order will be placed via a Paypal Shopping Cart System. We’ll reply with an invoice for shipping soon after. For purchases, we accept PayPal which also handles most major credit cards, and United States Postal Service (USPS) Money Orders. Online ordering is preferred.

To contact us via email, just click this “Contact Me” link, which will take you to the contact page, or use the “Contact” navigation button at the top of this page, to email me and place your order.

I hope you enjoyed a look at the shooting board, and as always, your comments are welcome as well!

Happy Woodworking!

The Woodworks Library is a collection of woodworking books, which includes a number of topical books that are not specifically about woodworking, but are related to, and of possible interest to woodworkers.

There are a number of ways to get to the Woodworks library, and likely one of the easiest if you have already found yourself here reading this is to look into the upper margin of this web page, and look for the row of “Brown Blocks” up there that have listings printed in them.

They are all links to other pages related to this site and the one you want is the fifth one from the left entitled “Library”. Clicking that link will take you to a Library Interlink page that will either link directly to the top of the “Library” and it also contains a “Clickable Topic Index” that allows you to navigate directly to the top of the list for 15 different kinds of Topical Content found in the “Library”

Also if you rather the direct link to the Library is: http://www.evenfallstudios.com/woodworks_library/woodworks_library and in a pinch if you have not got a bookmark handy where you are, you can get to the “Woodworks Library” by using Google. It is the Top Link at Google if you use the name as the search term.

A new feature of the Woodworks Library is improved navigation. There are 15 sub topics in the Library and a clickable index at the top of the Library to quickly navigate to each of the topical sections you want. It is a lot faster than scrolling, but you can do that too. There is also a return to the navigation link at the bottom of each topical section.

Additionally, as I mentioned earlier, I copied the navigational index that is in the Library, to the Library interlink page here at Woodworks, so you can go direct to topic from the library interlink page as well.

There have been a large number of book additions to all the topical areas of the Library. Highlights include a Copy of Moxon in Woodworking, as well as many other great texts, from joinery to farm woodworking. The Carpentry section has many great books that will outline most any thing you want, from how to use every way possible when laying out with a carpenter’s square to how to build stair cases. The Understanding Wood section has seen some Forest Product Labs additions on adhesives and wood hardness, and some older texts about glues from a century ago.

There are a lot of new texts on files and saw filing in Hand Tools. If you ever wanted to know what there was published on the use of many files, it is in there. Some interesting texts on sheet metal work in Blacksmithing, Understanding sheet metal work has a lot of application outside the direct application. Books on drafting and lay out in Blueprint Reading, several new additions on painting and finishing, a new topic that includes books on leather work and upholstery, and well as a host of historic texts in the Furniture and Design section, for helping study period furniture, even a book containing a lot of Chippendale’s original drawings.

The Shop Machinery section has a book on the basic operation of most all shop machines that is very applicable to the basic operations of today’s machines. Not much has changed. The books even include a lot of operator tricks. There is also a new book in there regarding the set up of Shop Machinery when run off of a central belt system with leather belts. The Turning section gained a few new-old texts that will be of interest to those who want to know how turning was approached 150 years ago.

The Machine Tools section gained some great machine shop references and there is are some large files in there so prepare for the page loads to take some time. Some of what is in the Pattern Making section may be good information to the machine works as well.

There is so much more there than I have mentioned, and like a good movie, I don’t want to destroy the adventure of allowing you having a look for yourself. So please, feel free to venture over to the “Woodworks Library” whenever you like. It is 100% Free 24/7 and contains a lot of information to help you become a more complete woodworker.

Happy Woodworking!

It may seem funny to have thought about tape measures as much as I have. As a life long woodworker, and over 25 years of civil construction and surveying experience, I have literally worn out a bunch of measuring equipment from using these tools all day every day. After using tapes in dirty environments where I took well over 100 measurements a day, daily and weekly, I have learned what I value and what has risen to be the best for me. I am just sharing what I have learned with you.

When you are buying a tape measure, there are several available features that you can consider. For shop use, furniture making and cabinet making, you will rarely need a long tape, but the long tapes have features that enhance accuracy. They come with 1-inch wide tapes, which are easier to read for eye relief, harder to distort and are more rigid. Often the 1-inch tapes include more rivets on the hook, which lend themselves to resistance to wear and stretch. Unless you need a shorter tape for handy reasons, I recommend the bigger tape just for its added stability.

Consider the hook of the tape measure. The hook can be worn, bent, or the rivet holes that hold it can be stretched. This can unwittingly induce errors, and many people are simply unaware of this frailty of tape measures. Lufkin has several models with 1-inch wide tapes that include four rivets on the hook. They are the only maker I have ever encountered that installs hooks with four rivets.

All the four rivet Lufkins I have tested and compared have always compared exactly to Starrett steel rulers, even after *very* extensive use, and are trusted most exclusively by surveyors and engineers, meaning, I feel they are trustworthy in your woodworking shop also. I also have a Lufkin twelve footer that is a useful length, as accurate as any when new, but it uses 3/4 wide tape, and has only 2 rivets attaching the hook to the tape. It is accurate when new and well cared for, but I don’t expect its accuracy to be as sustainable as the bigger tapes. I limit its use to the “Handy” instances.

Getting back to tape measures in general, even when trying to be careful, The hook can make any measurement not taken from an edge inherently inaccurate, because the hook will not allow the tape to lay flat on the surface of what it is measuring. When the tape cannot lay flat, it induces an error through forcing a trigonometric path that is like a hypotenuse length, which is not the actual surface; it is instead an independent path above that of the flat surface one. While usually subtle, this is similar to the error induced when you measure from an edge but are not perpendicular to the edge when you read the tape.

That gap we see can equal measurement FAIL.

Speaking of the devil, from the hook on, any measurement pulled which is not perpendicular to the edge of the board will introduce a trigonometric error, which is going to pivot from either edge of the hook. It also can induce a Parallax error when the marks are not right on the surface being measured. Either way, it is slight, but can be enough to be annoying in fine work, especially when the error can become cumulative.

Just when you think you understand all the gremlin’s and their ways, the side to side curve of the tape, which is designed to stiffen it, holds the markings up off the surface being measured by about 1/4th inch, on a 1 inch wide tape, and unless the user is careful to push the marks on the tape down flat to the wood, this too can induce a parallax error when marking.

As an exercise, grab your tape and pull out 2-3 feet. Lock it, and hook it over the edge of the bench. Now examine how flat it lays, and how close the markings are to the surface it will be measuring. See? The tape case itself holds the tape of the surface at least 1/4th inch. It can twist, bend and flex and it needs pulled taught and laid flat to be usable at all. You really need to apply more English to it than a cue ball in a game of snooker. I’ll not even discuss how often I wish I had a third hand or wish I didn’t have to use it upside down and backwards.

For those who wonder, what I mean by parallax error is this. I am referring to parallax in terms of visual perception, particularly related to instruments. We all have a strong eye, which we favor over the other. We do this via habit, we do not think about it. Interestingly, we have two eyes though, and one can tend to throw the other one off when we are looking at a single point at close range when we need to do something precisely.

What this means, is that when we look at the markings on a rule, unless we are super careful, we my actually be looking at the rule markings from a slight angle. In order to measure anything with total accuracy, the measuring tool must have its marks absolutely flat to the surface being measured, the closer to the surface, the better, and the rule must be viewed at a 90-degree angle to the markings. This may mean favoring the use of just one eye when you measure.

If the marks on the measuring device are not absolutely against the surface needing measured, then the difficulty in determining parallax is not being overcome, and will create difficulty for the person measuring to determine.

It is hard to be really certain if the pencil is marking perfectly on line, when it is marking 1/4 inch below the 1/32 line, it is marking for on a tape. Harder if you don’t have 20/20 vision, harder still if there are shadows in the lighting, harder again if it is a precarious situation in the first place.

In carpentry, many things can be fine with some parallax error induced; things close enough are close enough. Much of carpentry is accurate enough if you work to the eighth of an inch. A good bit more of it will forgive 1/16th. It isn’t always critical. In fine woodwork, it is a situation that can leave a board to short or long, depending on the favored eye and the side the line was meant to be cut on. It happens because when we are marking and laying out, parallax errors become cumulative. After a cloud of these errors, which are commonly as small as 1/128th in size, we can easily find we are 1/32nd or more out of alignment. Worse still, the layout is the most accurate part of the work; the cutting will rarely be as precise as the layout, especially with hand tools. This makes good layout all the more important.

Remember that at the fine woodworking level, wood is often more expensive than the tools we work it with, and we may be many surfacing and dimensioning procedures put into a board or boards for fine fit and finish on a project. When errors are induced, starting over isn’t always as simple as grabbing a new board and taking up where we left off. Care and attention to details can make or break our finished product.

Please notice in the photos. The ruler lies flat and close to the work. It can be used to measure anywhere it can fit. This is why it is useful and helpful, though not necessary to have the rulers available in various lengths. I prefer using the shortest ruler possible to measure the length needed. I use the 6-inch rules the most and as long as the measurements are shorter than six inches, they are the best fit. If the measurement I need is greater than six but less than twelve inches then I step to the next size up and so on.

The hook rule is not meant to be used laid flat, it is meant to sit on edge and have it’s hook lay over an edge to reference the measurement, but again, the marks come all the way to the surface of the work. It is the surest way to be measuring exactly from an edge and it cleared up a lot of small errors for me once I started using them.

The trick to this is learning when a steel ruler or a tape measure is the best tool for the job, and how it is liable to induce unwanted errors simply through it’s use. Some projects present these critical situations, and knowing how to overcome them makes your final product better.

Overall, this is why I advocate using steel rulers wherever possible. They are inherently more accurate than tapes not only by virtue of how they are made and what they are made from, but also by the way the way they are made forces them to be used. They are straight, flat, and rigid. The lack of flex and curvature make them inherently more accurate. It is accurate tools and practices, used with repeatable procedures, which create repeatable results. It is by this combination of virtues they are inherently more accurate, even when you are not trying to be. Consider using the tape measure with more care, and the addition of some steel hook and non-hook rulers to enhance the accuracy of your work in the shop.

Happy Woodworking!

You didn’t actually think this was going to be easy did you? Well, it isn’t always, but I think the endeavor of overcoming some of these challenges can make things better, especially if you like taking good to great. Knowing what some of the issues can be, and how to overcome them when and if they arise, can help our results better match our desires.

We learned in The Constructs of Squareness article that geometrically speaking, a right angle is 90 degrees, and if it isn’t 90, then it isn’t a right angle. Everything can be represented perfectly on paper, in CAD drawings and in theory, but in building, milling, and manufacturing there are a number of factors, which can affect the quality of accuracy. Some we have to accept, some we can learn to work with, and knowing the difference is how we approach closer to fine, if fine is the goal.

Things that affect the accuracy we use to build do vary. Goals, philosophy, materials and tooling all play a part.

Goals affecting accuracy are often production oriented, cost oriented, or what the intended use of a final product is. If the Goal is to build a doghouse, it needs done quickly, and the price of materials and labor needs kept low, then, the accuracy of squareness need only be relative. If the goal is to make a jewelry box, where scale is small and appearances will be highly scrutinized, then the accuracy of squareness becomes much more important, because the philosophy behind jewelry boxes is seeing how far craftsmanship can be taken. Close tolerance fit and finish is a very large part of how this type of work will be evaluated.

Philosophy does not always have to do with goals, but is often a party to goal-oriented work. All craftspeople over time develop an inner guide regarding the level of accuracy and craftsmanship that are acceptable for their work. Sometimes it is based on the kinds of work they most enjoy, the styles they work in, the level of patience and time they have to give towards their efforts, and if they are working to requirements which are or are not their own.

Materials are often a factor. Consider many different materials, and the methods that render them into a finished product. Casting, molding, rolling, extruding, machining cutting, grinding, all leave behind a surface quality which can affect accuracy, the very accuracy that may be needed to reach a goal. The layout work for a piece of rolled or ground steel may have a smooth surface and take place on a granite surface plate. This smoothness of the surface qualities are enhancements to accuracy.

Wood smoothness is variable, and dependent upon the state of milling it is in. Cutting marks on an 8/4 board from the hardwood dealer can easily be in the +/- .005 to .015 range, and some board surfaces can be found that are coarser than that. Saw tooth marks, planing snipe and other machining factors are the norm. It is up to us to render woods smoother with our own processes, and some woods are rendered smooth from machining processes easier than others.

Moisture content can also play a role. Beyond the limits, which the cellular structure of the wood itself inherently provides, the smoothness from our milling often determines how well we can do with the quality of accuracy we can render upon it. We can mark it for squareness anytime we like, but the quality of squareness we get, no matter how good the tool can be degraded or enhanced by the quality of the surface we are working with. This is why it is a good shop practice to sneak up on the final sizing you need as the board is milled to final dimensions, the process can become more accurate as you go.

Tooling can be a factor. Tooling is available in a number of levels of quality, and accuracy. The higher the quality, of course the higher the cost, and the level of accuracy is commonly better, yet it does not mean that lower quality tools can not be found to be, or made to be highly accurate. It should be evaluated case by case. There are budgets to consider but I’d like to advocate that when it comes to layout tools and approaches to Metrology, it never hurts to do the best you can, and buy the best tool you can afford.

Straightness is a factor, which I touched on, in an earlier article, called The Utility of the Straightedge. Too, squareness benefits from this same straightness, and angular precision is also brought into the mix. Consider a Starrett combination square. It is adjustable, blades are interchangeable on it, commonly to 24 inches, but 36 and 48-inch blades are obtainable. At 24-48 inches away from the squares head, one can begin to realize the value of having straight edges, and precision angular accuracy coming from the tool very easily. If a square with this capability were to contain error, imagine how amplified the error would become at three to four feet from the reference edge.

High accuracy in the tooling pays you. Even when wood surface quality is poor, the layout cannot be more accurate by any tool that is not accurate. The surface quality of the wood can be improved though accurate machine setups, various cutting, planing and machining methods to enhance layout accuracy, if the layout tool can “bring it” to begin with. This means finer accuracy from layout tooling is possible if layout is performed after the surface quality of wood is improved.

Certainly the doghouse we talked about earlier will not be rendered higher quality by using a Starrett precision square, but the jewelry box will suffer if the square used to lay it out was not accurate. If you choose to tool up well, then you are free to work at any level, choosing the level of accuracy you desire, and often even verify the quality of other tools you may own, so you can be aware of the quality of layout they offer, and you can account for, compensate, or restrict the tool for use where it is adequate for the work it is called upon to do.

Wood movement is often at issue, as a reason precision accuracy is not necessary, or desirable for woodworking. Most often, the argument stems from not knowing the ways which wood moves more specifically, therefore ruling out wood altogether as a material capable of high accuracy and precision. Yet those who endeavor to understand wood movement achieve very high quality, stable results from wood in as built conditions.

Here are a few notable thoughts regarding wood movement.

Select grain structure is important. If wood stability for a project is desirable, consider that quartersawn woods are more stable than plainsawn, because the board grain does not cross the pith;

Quartersawn wood orients the growth rings radially, that is, at 45 to 90 degrees to the wide surface. Wood movement is along the rings, and rings are kept short by half or greater in quartersawn boards than that of plainsawn, and the movement from moisture content expected from quartersawn is half that of plainsawn.

Plainsawn lumber deals with growth rings from zero to 45 degrees to the flat side of the board, otherwise called tangentially, it does cross the pith, and movement in these boards can be expected to be twice that of quartersawn.

Vertical, clear grain boards will be most predictable. Avoid boards with interlocked grains, variable grains, reaction woods, tension woods, and mineral deposits, as seasonal movement from moisture content in boards like these is not predictable even at equilibrium moisture. If the figure and beauty these woods can offer is desired, it is up to the woodworker to design with this in mind, and build into their project the compensations needed for these factors.

Once EMC, Equilibrium Moisture Content is achieved, and considering the common ranges of humidity for the area of the country, as well as where the wood will reside in regards to climate control or not, and whether the air handling has air conditioning which is capable of dehumidifying are other factors.

The good news is, wood movement in a climate-controlled area, such as indoors, often has very predictable movement in select, uniform grained boards. A great deal of research and observation has been conducted over the last century, dealing with the many species of woods that are used as building materials, and the data is freely available for use to the builder. Please see Wood As an Engineering Material, written by the US Department of Agriculture, Forest Products Laboratory as one of the foremost writings on this subject. There is a copy available in the Woodworks Library.

The details can be accurately worked out. Properly sawn, select lumber is also helpful when future predictability is desirable, and most boards will not shrink more than 0.2% longitudinally from green to kiln dry, so most any angle cut on the end of a board will remain accurate, as originally cut over the service life of the piece, meaning the accuracy of squareness, can be made highly precise, and can be counted on to remain that way.

Learn to familiarize yourself with the various appearances of grain in wood, and know where and when to put it to the best use. While they can be very, very beautiful, boards of any variety containing interlocked grains, variable grains, reaction woods, tension woods, and mineral deposits will not move consistently when the seasonal moisture in these boards swings. Cupping, twist, warp and wind are all plausible factors, which will affect dimensional accuracy in any direction and the best way to deal with this is to bring these boards to EMC and let them move all they want as they acclimatize.

Begin final milling difficult boards by starting a bit bigger than the intended final size. Work your way in, so as to relieve any of the stresses these boards may have, correcting as you go, so that when you have them at the final dimension, and in the realm of the target EMC, you have the best chance of knowing the future outcomes, and then design around the seasonal movement they will still require.

Once the boards have been milled to the flatness, squareness, and dimensions needed, the next step often includes joinery, and adhesives. Joinery inherently enjoys flatness, straightness and squareness as components of it’s fit and finish. The need for close tolerances is relatively high. Glues commonly call for joinery tolerances for squareness and parallelism of .002-.005 inch, for optimum adhesion, and clamping forces will not help you achieve better results from improper milling.

If the factors affecting wood movement and surface smoothness are observed, wood should be able to be worked and milled easily to accuracy approaching .001 inch, and certainly .001-.003 inch, depending on grain smoothness. As previously discussed, not every project will require this precision in every way, and it will be up to the builder to decide what works best for the project. However if the tooling you own cannot bring .001 inch accuracy, cutting tools cannot mill to accurate lines, and the bets for precision are off, whether the project would benefit from fine looking accuracy or not.

Happy Woodworking!

Ok, this is a little longish, but there is no substantial way to provide a sharpening primer in a sound bite. I’ve tried to write about what will work well overall, without getting too focused on too many particulars in any sharpening media. No matter which way you choose to go ahead with sharpening, this advice should be helpful to you overall. It’s a reasonable primer that will put you on the road with usable sharpening skills. So grab a snack and a drink, and settle in for a bit. If you really want to learn to sharpen, reading this will likely be worth your time. Your Questions and Comments are invited as always!

When it comes to sharpening, abrasives are abrasives the world around. They may have particular idiosyncrasies you need to pay attention to, but they all abrade metal. Once you choose the abrasives you feel will work best for you, you will establish your own routine for working with them. All paths are means that will lead to a similar end. Waterstones, oilstones, ceramics, particulates, sandpaper, various styles of machine sharpening etc. The steel does not care; the abrasives don’t care either, as long as the grit equivilents of abrasiveness are appropriate to the goal. Sharpness.

For the sake of this discussion, I am referring to the abrasive grits, as they correspond to the grits common to waterstones. I do this simply for the reason that waterstones are very popular, but I am in no way advocating that waterstones are the best abrasive. Most all abrasives will sharpen, and it is up to the end user to investigate the pros and cons of the various abrasives to determine the best paths for themselves. For cross-reference please refer to this cross reference chart to derive the equivilent grit for the media you choose.

It is important to keep in mind that the goal of sharpness has stages.

Coarse grits are for grinding, heavy material removal, bevel forming, flattening. Initial flattening and bevel angle forming are the biggest jobs and to aid getting the job over with, the coarsest grits should be used to get the bulk of these tasks done.

Fine grits are for honing and polishing. Once you have established bevels and flatness on the backs, you will want to polish it. Removing coarse scratches in steel with finer ones is what creates finer sharpness. Sharpness actually is where the intersection of the two planes formed by the bevel and the back meet. The finer they are polished, the sharper they will be. the act of creating the wire or feather edge happens when the bevel side of the iron or blade is abraded until the dullness has been honed away. This is required to establish a fresh edge on the tool, and can be done with any number of the different honing or grinding grits.

It is up to the sharpener to determine how dull the tool is, and select the coarseness or fineness of abrasive grit needed to restore the edge to sharpness the fastest way. This means, it comes down to how much steel needs to be removed on the bevel side to form the wire, or feather. You must determine the condition of the edge, and the fastest way to restore it. If only a lttle honing is needed to restore the edge, don’t select coarse abrasives when you begin. If a lot of honing is needed, don’t select fine abrasives when you begin, but realize you will have to polish all the way up through the grits to the fine abrasives to restore the sharpness.

It is important to get a feel for the finish your honing equipment will give you as a finish result at each stage of the work. It will aid you to learn to evaluate what is needed, where to start, how long to hone, and when you have reached what was needed. Knowing this simplifies the task and helps you save time. This is experiential– it is learned by using the sharpening tools you have on your edge tools. It is getting to know one another. Call it sharpening intimacy if you will.

A little about flattening the back. Many people take this as meaning they must flatten the entire back of a chisel or plane iron to properly complete this step. Nothing could be further from the truth, but you can be happy if you’ve the mind to. Try thinking of how a knife has a bevel on each side of an edge. Remember how we hone both sides to make a knife sharp? We are simply trying to hone both sides of a chisel or plane iron too, but we want to keep the flat side in plane with itself for the most part.

Flattening the back really only means that you only need a planar surface near the location where the bevel is, and the width of flatness on the back, or in other words how far away from the edge on the backside need be no wider than the bevel is, but you are welcome to flatten more of the back if you like, because sometimes it is easier to hold the tool on a wider surface.

Flattening doesn’t have to kill you or be drudgery, just buy a Kanaban plate and some silicon carbide grit or diamond paste and get it over with. There are a number of places that sell those items, so in all fairness to them, please use a search engine for pricing. That is the fast track to flat backs. It is more important for backs to be a planar surface, flat, than it is to have a mirror finish, but the mirror finish is what we often wind up with eventually anyway.

The bevel side too, the bevel’s actual surface, is a narrow flattened plane. It is the intersection of these two planes where the angle forms. The flatness of these two planes are what help them succeed at being very sharp, at the angle point. In fact it is difficult, maybe impossible to achieve a high degree of sharpness if this planar-flat surface isn’t present on each surface that makes up the bevel.

It is geometric, and has to respond to a couple different things all at once to be most effective. Just like you would hone both sides of a knife to restore its edge, It just happens that on edge tools, the back makes up half of the beveled edge. It is the straightness of these two planes which form a line along the intersection of these flattened and honed surfaces, and that makes this edge. It is also often helpful if this honed edge is square to the side of the blade, unless skew (an angle that is not 90 to the edge) is desired.

Guides are useful for grinding specific angles. Please feel free to use them for the heavy work. Honing and polishing are something often done quicker, which is more useful and easy if you can learn to do it free hand. Free handed, the side sharpening method is likely the easiest to learn and use. The steel does not care, the wood does not either. If you cannot do this well enough, please, feel free too use the honing guide.

I’ll add here that chisels seem great candidates for free hand honing, and I recommend it. It’s quick and keeps the tool really sharp as you work with it. Use the guide to grind though because it is faster. Avoid micro bevels on chisels to aid freehand sharpening. Never back bevel a chisel either, because the back of the chisel is important for registration in the work.

Plane Irons are another matter. I feel micro bevels can really help you here because there is a lot more metal to remove, and the honing process is more involved while getting blades in and out of the plane. I recommend using the guide all the time on plane irons, if really sharp sharpness is important to you while planing.

Back bevels can be useful for getting sharp faster on plane irons. Use them. They have other benefits on plane irons as well but I’ll cover that another time.

Remember, forming a wire or feather only means you have ground, honed or polished past the dullness, depending on how long you allowed things to dull. It means you can now stop grinding and start honing and polishing.

Honing up through the finer grits is how we remove the wire edge created by honing past the dullness. If you hone and do not create this wire or feather, then you have not honed past the dullness. The dullness is the wear on the edge that you want to remove. The wire edge is what you want. It is the indicator that you have abraded the steel enough to have ground away the dull parts. Once you have achieved this all the way across the edge, you can then begin working both sides of the bevel with the grits appropriate to the level they are currently polished, alternately, to hone the edge to working fineness.

When honing off the wire, always hone the backs of the tool with the finest grit you have previously honed the back with. It often means alternating stones from the bevel to the back, but why scratch up the back if it is already polished? Hone both sides on the appropriate grit as you work up through the grits.

While honing or polishing, never push the edge tool into the stone, always drag it. Breaking the wire edge off is easy to do and pushing the edge will increase the risk. Braking the wire edge off is equivalent to dubbing the edge. Instant Dullness. We want to hone the feather or wire off, not break it off. The end result is vastly different. Pull the blade while honing and you’ll be fine.

If you examine your backs and bevels after honing to a mirror finish and see a glint of light right at the angle point, that is a flaw in your work. It should be a complete surface with no glints of light sparkling at you, especially from the bevel angle point. Glints of light indicate dullness.

In most steels, once you have honed through the grits to the 8000 grit stone, you have honed finely enough to pare end grain pine. End grain pine is the most difficult wood to pare without crushing; it really is the toughest task an edge tool for use in wood will ever see. **(Japanese tools often use finer steels and traditionally were used in softer woods, so there may be some benefit in honing good Japanese steels slightly finer if for use in soft woods)**

There are no recognized tests of, or charts with “scales of sharpness”. The time honored test for sharpness has been and always been; if the edge is sharp enough to do the required work in the material required, to the level of result desired, then sharp was sharp enough. I personally contend that with the wide ranges of tooling, sharpening media, and woods to use them on, this test for the woodworker is still good enough to be true.

The only major corollary to this adage is concerning edge-wear. Can the sharpness last a reasonable quantity of time, so as to bolster productivity? That would depend on the environment. Is it one of production or for that of the hobbiest? Harder tooling is wonderful in a production setting where the sharpening media can match the task of maintaining it, but can the hobby woodworker go toe to toe with the price tag needed to buy in? For most of us, common tooling is just fine, and the results of adequate sharpening as shown in the work have always sufficed, once learning what is needed so as to make results repeatable has been established.

You do not have to shave off your hair! Many people contend hair popping sharpness is an adequate test for sharpness. The truth is, it isn’t. Hair is not wood, and shaving a hair from the surface of skin is is a completely different set of circumstances and dynamics happening, that actually do not require the sharpness required to take a shaving from wood.

The sharpness required for shaving is not as sharp as required for paring wood and as such is not an adequate test for pairing wood. I can shave hair with knives coming off 1000 grit abrasives. Since this is true, what if you can shave hair, should you stop honing well before you are sharp enough to do the work you need to? I was able to accomplish hair popping sharpness with spit on carborundum stones as a young kid, so I am not personally impressed with hair popping sharpness.

For woodworking, shaving hair is the equivalent of a neat card trick. Good for show, not much go. This is a long way from the sharpness we need to push a blade through end grain pine with least effort, so as to pare it. I am saying, we are aiming for and achieving a much higher level of sharpness. If you have sharpened to 8000, you are well past the sharpness needed to shave hair. (Read this as, being able to shave hair can fool you, I hope I have made that clear.)

If you visually examine the edge and see no glints of light reflecting from your edge, and you have polished to the 8000 grit level, no tests are necessary. At 8000 and after a little stropping on leather, the tool is as sharp as you will ever need, I assure you. Honing beyond here is a lot of work spent honing with a diminished work time in wood. In other word, the honing takes longer than the dulling does in this range. You can strop on leather with a little honing compound if you like for a slightly finer edge, which is sometimes temporarily helpful in softwoods. Again, if you feel the need to test, the pine is fine.

Much has been and continues to be written about sharpening, and I encourage you to study this subject, and pay attention to your own realizations as you sharpen. This here is at the heart of what you really need to know. It isn’t rocket surgery. Once you get the heavy work done, (flattening and bevel shaping) it is done forever, and “maintaining” sharpness should generally take no more than 30 strokes on most any stone as you hone up through the grits. This means, If it is taking more that 30, you chose to hone with a stone to fine for the work you need done.

Don’t let your tools get too dull before you touch them up. You can easily maintenance hone as you work. It can take less time to keep your edges in working condition if you become a fastidious maintainer. If you have to rebuild edges every time you sharpen, then you have likely waited too long, and that is a lot more work than 30 strokes of maintainence sharpening.

I need to touch on one last thing here. Bevel angles. Commonly, woodworkers like to bevel their tools so as to be easiest to push through the work. I feel there are some hard fast rules that need to be understood.I am going to touch on a common for instances.

In a nutshell, not all steels are created equal. There are trade-offs we have to learn to live with. Here are a couple.

A-2 like any Steel, has a particular molecular structure. In A-2, the hardening process forms carbide particles in the steel which has a high wear resistance. It will stay sharp longer than that of other steels, but it will require you to sharpen it at usually no less than a 35 degree bevel angle in order to maintain an edge that won’t fail. In other words, If you attempt bevels of 30 degrees or less with A-2, the effect will often result in the edge failing and crumbling. This is due to the very carbides that form to make it wear resistant. It also takes longer to sharpen than High Carbon, or O-1 Steel. As such, this steel is not the best choice for low bevel angles where paring is desired. A-2 is far better lasting where the tooling will be struck with a hammer like in mortising, or for people who prefer a lot of chopping with their bench chisels, or when used to plane in abrasive woods like many tropical hardwoods.

O-1 and high carbon steels are considered finer grained and do not form these carbides in them in the same way A-2 does. As such, these steels are able to hold a shallower bevel angle than A-2 commonly can without edge failure, they sharpen faster, some feel they sharpen finer, and lend themselves well to shallower bevel angles that works well with paring and lighter impact work that is common with many american hardwoods.

in any case, watch your edges. If you find them failing it is usually some combination of the steel type and wood hardness coming to loggerheads with the style of work you are performing and the bevel angles you have. Prepare to adjust the bevel angles accordingly.

My overall sense of this as well as my recommendation to you is this. A-2 Steel really prefers most usually to have a 35 degree bevel ground on it for best outcomes. To go shallower than 35 degrees with your bevels is something you may find works, but please don’t have high expectations. While these angles are not good for paring, they are great for rough service, so mindfully purchase O-1 or high carbon steels for the paring tools. O-1 Is not going to hold a lasting edge is really rough service. Steepening the bevel angles will help, but it still preforms better for finer work. Asking one steel to be all things to the various woodworking tasks is not going to happen. The same is also true of the tooling itself, some things simply find it difficult to interchange. Generally Speaking, Rough service bevels are in the 35 degree range, General purpose bevel angles are in the 30 degree range, and light service or paring bevel angles will be in the 25 degree range. The steel you have may require slight adjustments, just realize your steels can not be all things to all situations and you will be well serve when reaching for the right tool for the job.

I hope these tips help get you on the path to maintaining your tooling with the least effort possible!

Happy Woodworking!

Accuracy refers to the confirmation of dimensional tolerances.

Dimensional tolerances differ with the various types of projects a woodworker will commonly undertake. The set up of shop machines and precision hand tools often requires the precision of accuracy to be at the thousandth of an inch level, however most woodworking projects require accuracy at a level which is commonly referred to by fractions, and is often referred to in the 1/32nd (.031) to 1/64th (.016) range.

The quality in our craftsmanship is inherent in our understanding of these constructs, and our personal stake in setting for ourselves, a level of tolerances. These tolerances are the differences between woodworking, and fine woodworking.

It may not seem relevant, but here is an analogy for higher accuracy. A surveyor will set up an optical instrument, and first, sight their back sight. What they are establishing is a couple of different things, but what is important for us to know for this discussion is that the further away the back sight is from the instrument, the higher the precision of accuracy will be when the surveyor makes other measurements that are shorter than the distance between the instrument and the back sight. The practice is sometimes referred to as going long, and is meant to create higher precision.

One of the common things I have heard over the years, is that in woodwork, a high degree of accuracy is not needed, and then there is the ever ubiquitous, “wood moves anyway”. The understanding being overlooked here is that a lot of assumed accuracy is inherent in the process, because it has been manufactured into the tools we buy, as well as a lot of the lumber we purchase, and we take for granted that it is already “there”. Even wood movement is understood and can be compensated for with relatively high accuracy. None of these assumptions fully get us off the hook.

Consider the ruler. Sure, the ruler has the increments we need, the 1/32nd, and the 1/64th… But we rely on the very same precision accuracy at the fractional level to be consistent to the thousandth of an inch, to assure each of those graduations are where they’re supposed to be. Someone in some lab and factory put all that accuracy into our tools. If we want our precision to maintain 1/64th accuracy, it has to be consistently maintained to 1/64th, plus or minus .001-.002, otherwise the eye will be drawn to errors. After the tool has done its part, the rest is up to us.

Unfortunately, not all levels of woodworking accuracy can be assumed. There are some levels that each of us working the tradecrafts are personally responsible for, and things go better when we are mindful of them.

Take for instance, straightness. The layout of lines is many things, but few things in the layout of lines are required to have the precision of accuracy we have come to expect from straightness. From precision straightness, we can evolve precision flatness, and also use precision straightness as a construct of precision squareness. Parallelism is yet another important derivative of straightness. How straight, straight is, is a pretty important matter. It is always best to start from the best we can do, as it will surely be degraded from there.

Think about the tooling we use to create straightness and flatness. It is inherent in the tooling and machinery. It had to get there somehow. We have to accept that the industrial designers, engineers and machinists did their part, and many woodworkers rely on the good graces of a millwright they never met for a lot of built in accuracy, but there is another part, which they left to us.

One of the more important tools a woodworker can own is a good straightedge. You can have them short or long and there are a number of makers offering them, but if you choose only one, a two-foot straight edge offers a lot of well-rounded utility to the Woodworker. Once you have one, what I want to encourage is; the use of it. Sure they are high accuracy, but it isn’t just for hanging on a peg and looking at.

Straightedges in the woodworking shop have a lot of application. They are available in both steel and aluminum, however they all have more utility if they are made from flat bar stock. Steel straightedges are generally made from stress relieved, 01 steel and are hardened. They are precision milled straight and parallel, and often offer accuracy generally to .001 over the length of the tool. The manufacturer will state the accuracy of their tool, sometimes offering a letter of certification as well. They lay flat on their backs for scribing or drawing lines, and stand on their edges for the comparison of surfaces. They are available with or without beveled edges, and with or without graduations for measurement, but these upgrades are not a necessary requirement, and usually add cost. If you can only afford one, it is better to leave measuring to steel rulers and tape measures.

I find the non-beveled, non-graduated types are less expensive and if it is less specialized, then it usually will offer more utility. Another rational is, that the less it costs the more likely a craftsperson will own it, and if you don’t have one, you can’t put it to good use. There is a lot of good use to be had. Longer than the average ruler and better quality ones are thick enough most generally to stand on edge.

For layout work, the straight edge is a heavy, wide tool, which stays where you put it and has a tall side, which is great for the marking of your work. It is very comfortable for use with any pencil, and it really shines while a marking knife is registered against it. It is an excellent way to connect all the straight lines after you have laid them out. It is also a very nice extension for use with the squares you have and will extend the reach of shorter tools when more reach is needed.

To the hand tool user, the straightedge brings a lot of utility. It can be used to verify the soles of hand planes. After you see where the work needs done, you can then lap the soles to correct the issues and verify as you go. Feel free to verify the flatness of your honing equipment. Flattening the workbench with the use of feeler gauges, a straightedge, and marking is a great use of the tool, because the high spots can be found and removed. The flatness of the workbench is a frame of reference for all future work that comes off it.

Is your board, especially when prepped by hand ready to accept the joinery profiles you intend to put in them? The flatness and trueness of boards is crucial for the fit and finish of dovetails. The plowing of slots and grooves such as dados and sliding dovetails, as well as the treatment provided by hollows and rounds are always made to look a lot better on boards that have been properly evaluated as ready by a straightedge. Handwork is a challenging process; why not evaluate the needed quality before moving to the next part of the process? Besides, the evaluation of a freshly jointed board edge, is just a quick quality assurance check, and a savior before you find an error in mid glue up.

The straightedge is also useful when evaluating the cup, twist, and wind in boards as well as evaluating the flatness of panel surfaces. A pair can even be used as winding sticks. Another good use is for establishing the straightness of the chute edge and fences on a shooting board as well as the overall flatness of its surfaces. While you are at it, evaluate your other shop built jigs from time to time as well.

For machine setups, routine adjustments and maintenance, the straightedge is a great tool. It is invaluable for evaluating the surfaces of the jointer beds for parallel and coplanarity as well as the proper calibration of its vernier settings.

The table saw can be evaluated for table flatness, which is not uncommonly found to be less than perfect yet in some cases correctable. There is also the adjustment of side tables, out feed tables and the trueness of miter slots. It is also valuable to know what the relative flatness and straightness the fence faces have. If there are anomalies, you can then compensate or adjust for them.

Miter saws can use the straightedge for evaluating the trueness of the fence, and are also aided by the straightedge when side wings, when used, are leveled with the main surface of the saw.

A straightedge can also be used for the routine set up of roller stands when used as an in feed or out feed support on any shop machine.

The router table is a high precision shop machine which is commonly shop made. There are many uses for the straightedge with this tool. Evaluation of the tabletop is a constant need with some designs due to the weight the tabletop supports. Many designs are under built and table sag is an error inducing issue. The plates often used to fit the router to the table can be ill fitting in their mortise, and require fine adjustments be made, in order to be brought flush with the table surface.

The router table fence is often in need of straightedge evaluation as well. It needs to be flat and straight, if split, it also has a need for coplanarity. It also must be evaluated to determine if it has any tendency for deflection. The router fence is also a candidate for using a straightedge along with 1-2-3 blocks, gauge blocks and feeler gauges for the settings of the fence and router bit height. With these tools in use, on a well-made table, one can expect fully repeatable accuracy from a router table to be in the .001 range.

The evaluation of any wood, which has been prepared for milling, is important as well. Any cup, twist, warp or wind is something that will throw off the fit and finish of the simplest joinery, and even make edge treatments like bevels, round-overs and more sophisticated profiles look awful. Further, these evaluations can make a lot of difference as to how safe a milling process may be. Knowing ahead of time saves a lot of needless frustration. There are few tools available to the woodworker which can assure things go right, and evaluate why things go wrong, with more power than a straightedge.

If I thought about it, there is probably much more which could be said about such a simple tool, but this is a reasonable well-rounded look at it. It may seem to be a cost prohibitive tool to some, but after thinking outside the box with me awhile, you see it has so much application, and with its evaluatory prowess, how much money could it save you in error free or error caught woodworking, even over the short run? In my shop, it has more than earned its keep and continues to, as I find that wood is costly, even more so than tools. In fact, around my shop, the straight edge offers more value than many other needed tools, and if you can get your mind around that, one will serve you just as well. It can touch so many aspects of your woodworking, that is, if you give it a chance!

Happy Woodworking.

The nature and ways of wood, joinery, adhesives, and style are all things that need to be dealt with in the “what” to build and “how” to build it. Is it furniture, casework, cabinetry? Will it involve carpentry, as a built in as many elements of Arts and Crafts styling will? will it include some metal work or upholstery? Other leading questions like, will I have the appropriate tools, and can I properly fixture the work for all the different elements of construction? What finishes are most appropriate, and how best to apply them?

You see, it is a lot of questions. Fortunately there are a lot of answers. The art and craft of woodworking is age old, in fact, even our great grandparents and grandparents knew a lot about it, and lucky for us, even as much of an undertaking it was to publish books back in the day, the understandings of the woodworking trades, the methods and the how to with hand and power tools was something they authors of that period wrote about quite articulately. There was a want for future generations to know these things, and there was a lot they understood.

With all things old becoming new again with the resurgence of interest in woodworking as well as some of its somewhat forgotten ways, many libraries as well as groups like Project Gutenberg and companies like Google and Microsoft have taken on the mammoth task of digitizing many of these old texts, of which there were few left in access to the public, before father time could claim them. Fortunately many of these books are now available in the public domain and can be used quite freely by anyone as long as their purposes are not commercial.

The daunting thing I have learned is that it is hard to know what all has been digitized to the public domain, and where exactly to find a particular kind of knowledge, because each place has a bunch of books but none of them has all of them. Harder still the books are not categorized for easy access to the woodworker with a need for specific information. My desire was one amongst others I am sure, to help people find and have access to this old but still completely relevant information. By the time I finished hunting (for now) I came up with over 100 books and nearly 1 gigabyte of collected works.

This collection became The Woodworks Library. My criteria for the library was to only have complete books which were fully clear in the United States as existing freely as public domain. The original copyright holder has not renewed their claims and the book is no longer of commercial value to publishers, this means you can have it, I can have it, and as long as we do not use it for commercial use in any way, then the priceless information within is available to help us all be better at the things we hope to achieve.

The Woodworks Library is organized in a somewhat comfortable fashion. I did not bother with over-categorization of it, because many of the books in it cover a wide range of subject matter. After evaluating each book, I placed it in the list according to what seemed to be the biggest theme of the book. You will find that many of the books will cover many of the same things, topically, but once you wade in, you will see that the books were written at different times and or each author came from a different school of thought, and so the cross comparisons of information will be very interesting.

Read with an open mind and remember the era for which they were written as well as the audience the author was writing to. While it is great to feel a certain book speaks to you more than another, there is something in all of the books and the differing methods and understanding are of note, because it affords us all a chance to walk in that author or editor’s shoes. Wood, and the crafts that are supportive to it, are a many faceted knowledge, and you never know when a knowledge you discount or disagree with today may become your saving grace tomorrow. So just do your best and absorb all you can. Trust me, there is a lot to read and many of these authors clearly made sharing it with future generations it their life’s work.

Is there something in here for everyone? Perhaps a little, maybe not. I’ll leave that up to you to decide for you. That which is here, I’ve tried to organize by listing books and writings in categories which were most directly related yet not overly topical, and as a descending list in an order, which mainly attempted to group like with like without being too constraining.

By topic, we have; Understanding Wood, Furniture and Design, Woodworking, Carpentry, Turning, Carving, Finishing, Patternmaking, Shop Mathematics and Calculation, Blueprint Reading, Hand Tools, Machine Tools, Shop Machinery, and finally, Blacksmithing Welding and Metalwork. Remember, There are over 100 full-length books, and the occasional technical paper, just waiting for whomever to have a look and learn something new.

Feel free to bookmark the Library, and remember there is always a link to it directly on every page here at the Woodworks, so help yourself, and learn what was known about working wood long ago. It is here for everyone to use as a resource that helps us all become better woodworkers. All the information is as valid and applicable today as ever. If you know of any books in the digital realm, which are in the public domain as complete works, and seem like they are a good fit for the Woodworks Library, please fell free to contact me about them and we’ll see what we can do to add them. After all, it’s all for anyone practicing the crafts.

Our school systems scared the bejeezus out of everyone by forcing us all to learn a series of mathematical exercises, which evolved around fractions that we would never use again in our entire lifetimes. For many, this often created mental blocks to the entire notion of fractions, even the simple useful ones, because after that harrowing experience, it seemed that nothing pleasant could possibly come from the manipulation of fractions at all. In fact, when people are faced with dealing with fractions, they generally feel some panic along with it. A panic that rates up there with the sound of high speed dental drills and root canals, and it is most likely from their harrowing experience in math class. Folks remember what all the wonky practice of solving mismatched fractions was really like, and relate that it was way, way too similar, and maybe even the diabolical preparation, for diagramming English sentences later on during their high school education.

I hope I can help make this a lot more user friendly!

Fractional arithmetic for measurements within the sub inch territory is much simpler than the nightmare a lot of people conceive it to be, because there is a fixed set of fractions that are in use, and memory tricks which you can learn to make well practiced calculations that you can do in your head. This is the reason why the trades have been slow to discard the use of the inch. The fractions are just too handy for halving, quartering and doubling.

There are just some basic constructs we need to know about fractions. A quick few definitions of terms, and memory tricks for using them quickly, and we can be off and running with this for most linear measurement purposes.

Basically put, a fraction is a division problem, which is meant to deal with components of a unit that are smaller than the unit of one. Within the realm of linear measurement, the constructs used are expressing the halving of the unit from the whole on one end, to what is commonly considered usable with common tools on the other. The tools are made to fit the fractional intervals.

Commonly, the scale by incremental division looks like this:
1, 1/2. 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32, 1/64, 1/128.

In descending order you have a process of halving, and in ascending order you have a process of doubling. Divide or multiply by 2. So there is a memory trick. Get used to doubling and halving units less than one.

Though the numbers in the fractional divisions seem to become larger, it does not indicate the size of the unit, but rather, the quantity of units, which will fit within an inch, so it is best to think of it inversely. The larger the number gets, the smaller the unit is.

The parts of a fraction are worth touching on for a moment.

1 (the numerator) It is the first number or the above number as written.
– Then there is this dividing line, which signifies the division problem.
2 (the denominator) It is the second number or the below number as written.

The dividing line has a name and the name is different depending on how the fraction is written, but the names of the separator do not help you work with fractions easier. So don’t worry about what to call it. For us, “Slash” and “Dash” are fine.

The denominator signifies the sizes that the divisions of one (1 inch in our discussion) are. The numerator signifies the quantity of those denominated divisions we have.

For most of our purposes in linear measurements, these fractions when used strictly as fractions of an inch, will only be added and subtracted to and from each other.

It is important to accept that 1-inch can be expressed as a fraction. No matter what the denominator may say, if you have any quantity of numerators equal to the denominator, the quantity is equal also to one. Such as 4/4ths, 8/8ths, 32/32nds.

For expressing results when two fractions added together create a numerator, whose quantity exceeds the value set by the denominator, then a whole number, such as 1, 2, or what have you, is generated, and the fractional remainder is then expressed with the whole number. This expression is called a mixed number, and is the final expression of your result. As an example you would express 3/4 + 3/8 as 1-1/8, instead of 9/8.

When expressing fractions, they are best expressed in the reduced or simplest form possible. If the numerator is able to be added to another numerator which will derive an even number, the denominator level you are working with may not need to be referred to as a smaller unit, in fact, when numerators added together resulting in an even number, the denominator can likely be expressed as a reduced or simpler unit. As an example: 1/4 + 1/4 = 2/4 = 1/2, and 3/8 + 3/8 = 6/8 = 3/4. It is considered best practice to express the fraction in its simplest form.

A useful property of numbers, which creates a memory trick that we can use, is that if one of two numbers to be added together is an odd number, it will always result in the sum of the numbers being added together to be an odd number. Interestingly, even numbers when added together will result in an even number, and when any two odd numbers are added together they will also result in an even number. Learning to notice this trick will alert you to when the numerator will result in an odd number. When the fractions numerator is an odd number, the denominator cannot be expressed more simply than the finest size being used amongst the mixed fractions, and you will not likely be able to simplify it beyond that resultant fraction. As an example: 7/32 + 1/8 = 11/32. The trick here is that 1/8 has to be converted to its 32nd equivalent, 4/32, and then you can easily add it to the 7/32. The result is as simple as it can be made, because the numerator is an odd number, and cannot be reduced.

Halving all fractions, which are not part of a mixed number is a pretty simple process. Halve the denominator, (multiply the denominator by 2 as this doubles the fractional division making them smaller by half) the numerator remains the same. The result is always half. For example: 3/4 halved is 3/8. 5/16 halved is 5/32. 7/8 halved is 7/16, and so on.

For mixed numbers it is almost as easy. Convert the mixed number into a pure fraction and multiply the denominator by 2. When finished, convert the fraction back to its simplest form, which includes reverting back to a mixed number if that is the simplest form. For example: 1-7/8 = 15/8ths. 15/8 halved is 15/16ths. This is its simplest expression. 2-9/16 = 41/16ths. 41/16 halved is 41/32nds, which is not a simple fraction, so converted back to a mixed number it becomes 1-9/32nds. Please note again, the numerator numbers in simplest expression form did not change from the original expression. Remember when you see the numerator, the trick is that it will still remain the same but the denominator changes by half, leaving little to think about once you remember the trick.

Fractions by the 128th, from 1/128th to 1/4th, as expressed in simplest form. Observe the patterns: 1/128, 1/64, 3/128, 1/32, 5/128, 3/64, 7/128, 1/16, 9/128, 5/64, 11/128, 3/32, 13/128, 7/64, 15/128, 1/8, 17/128, 9/64, 19/128, 5/32, 21/128, 11/64, 23/128, 3/16, 25/128, 13/64, 27/128, 7/32, 29/128, 15/64, 31/128, 1/4. See the interchangeability of denominators?

And finally the last biggie is that fractions only hit specific decimal locations, so sometimes, in order to get to an increment near the fraction you have, you need to convert to a decimal and work it from there. It is simple. Divide the denominator into the numerator for the decimal equivalent. For instance 7/64ths would be converted by dividing 7 by 64, and the result would be .1094, 3/4 would be .750, and 3/32nds would be .0937. How fine is markup to the 128th of an inch? It is .0078 of an inch. Call that about the width of two whiskers.

Why is the fractional to decimal relationship important? Say you are working on adding a shelf to a cabinet project in 3/4 Baltic Birch. This is nice plywood, commonly available, but the thickness is actually metric. 3/4 is close to 18mm but there is a catch. The decimal equivalents are not exact. 3/4 = .750 and 18mm = .709. This is a 41 thousandth of an inch difference, which will need compensation. Usually the compensation is made by working to the fraction nearest to the metric equivalent, which in this case is 23/32nds, but there is a .010 of an inch remainder. This can be an unacceptable gap in some work, so this too is good to know.

Another workaround which creates a better looking fit, could be to disregard the metric size for joinery altogether, and create a 1/2 inch tongue and groove, but in order to center the .500’s of an inch tongue on the .708 inch thick board, you are going to have to subtract .500 from .708, and halve that result of .208 to make it .104, so you know what the shoulders for the tongue will need to measure, in order to center it on the metric board. The nearest fractional increment to the proper size of this shoulder is 7/64 and as you see by dividing 64 into 7 that .109 will make the shoulder too large. The shoulder too large will make the tongue too small. If you cut to the nearest fractional increment here, the tongue will be centered but only .490 wide, and this is a sloppy fit in a .500 groove for very fine work. In fact the same quantity of slop you had working 18mm into 23/32nds. Now you can dial in the necessary compensation.

Knowing how to manipulate the fractions and knowing where the fractions lie amongst the decimals will help you build higher quality into your fine woodworking or machine work, where fit and finish is everything.

Hopefully these memory tricks and conventions will help you to work with fractions faster, easier, and more proficiently with more confidence. The understanding of fractions for use in linear measurements is conquerable, and for the most part is kept pretty simple and doable by the constructs involved with them. One could only hope that much of the rest of fractional manipulation could work as easily.

Going forward, feel free to practice these memory tricks, and if you like, add both a fractional and decimal dial caliper to your metrology tool arsenal, they will help you a ton. For further reference, feel free to use the Decimal Equivilents chart I have provided, as well as the other tools available in the Woodworks Reference Library. They are all printable and ready for use in the shop.

Happy Measuring.

While a lot can be done with these, a common application is for use in workbench base construction. Real life happens. People move, circumstances change. Sometimes the dream shop in the basement relocates to a garage or an outbuilding. Many of us cannot build a bench with the certainty of knowing it will never need to be easily transported to elsewhere at some future point. This makes the use of steel or brass cross dowels a wonderful option.

While this article is about what it takes to install cross dowels, due to popular demand I have researched and included links to what I feel are the best sources for this hardware in it’s various sizes out there. The links are included at the end of this article.

It is notable that bench building is enjoying a renaissance right now. some great new designs, vises and hardware packages have recently become available.

Amongst these offerings, a top of the line All Steel Cross Dowel Package has been made available by Benchcrafted. They are marketed as Benchcrafted Barrel Nuts, and they are the best product available to the bench builder. Unlike any other cross dowel meant for use with benches, these are all steel for heavy duty applications and the design allows the installer to align them with fingers during assembly. These are top quality, a great value and installation doesn’t get simpler.

Ok, if you already have your hardware in hand, then layout for cross dowels in knock down bench legs works like this. If you have not obtained the parts you need, please consider waiting until you have it in hand.

Lay your two legs and cross piece on the bench, Inside face facing up, already milled, mortised and tenoned, and dry fit them. Clamp them top and bottom to hold the unit together with enough force so that things will not move while you perform the layout, and check them for square. Make sure you have them square.

If you have a Veritas saddle square, or equivalent, that would be handy, but if you don’t, no matter, here is a work around:

Position the leg assembly by allowing it to hang over the edge of your bench and support it with a something like a telescopic roller stand. Take a six-foot length of string line and tie a nut or a heavy washer on each end for weight, and drape it over the leg assembly, along the centerline of the crosspiece. This string line forms somewhat of a double-ended plumb bob, which will indicate the centerline of your layout work and will project these lines around corners. You can eyeball centerline of your work piece or measure. Once the string is located, go ahead and put a piece of blue painters tape on each end near the corners where it drapes over the edge.

The best position for the cross dowel on the bolt is at the end of the bolt with all the threads in the nut fully engaged. The formula for figuring cross dowel hole location from any combination of length and diameter hardware is to take the working length of the bolt (which differs if the cap screw is hex head, allen head, button head or flat head) and subtract half the diameter of the cross dowel from that length to find hole centerline for the cross dowel. The length of the bolt, when you are choosing the length optionally, is best determined by the thickness of what it has to pass through on the bolt head side, plus 1-1/4 inches minimum into the adjoining board for cross dowel centerline.

The heavy hitter in the woodworker’s and home shop machinist’s shop then becomes not only the quality of the layout tools, but the knowledge of how to apply them, and the quality of the results rendered by them, and that trifecta is the system of dimensional metrology.

One of the things I have enjoyed down through the years is the process of laying out the work. It is something I have enjoyed professionally, and something I enjoy as a hobby, because the challenge, which comes from, it is always new. I am sure that for some, the problem-solving component of woodworking is what keeps their hand in it. It is not as much the end for some, as it is the means.

In any case, the subject of metrology, most specifically ‘dimensional metrology’, the tools and the layout strategies that they help employ are something of a fun puzzle for me, and will be a part of what I’ll write about here. It has it’s own category, and I’d like to extend the invite to click into the subject from time to time, just to see if there is something there for you.

Happy measuring!

We sharpen our tools and skills, we buy accurate measuring and marking tools all with the hope of accurately conveying our vision. We go to work and accurately lay out the work, checking, and double-checking everything as we go to assure we have everything right.

We cut our wood, taking care to get every cut right and of course they are perfect, except for the fact that the face of the board we loved so much is now going to be the back, because we got turned around while we were trying to be so careful. We did not mark our boards properly to affirm their proper orientations in the project above all else.

Can you imagine being half way through with some half blinds when you discover the orientation error?

Oh Man…

A bummer, but it is avoidable.

Buy yourself some chalk and mark your boards as to the intended orientation. Chalk is a buck for a box and it could save you thousands of dollars in layout errors over time. Wipes off, leaves no trace, keeps you on the intended track

Blue painter’s masking tape and a Sharpie marker is a great adhesive notepad for on board paper brain purposes as well.

As an upgrade to plain chalk, consider getting a chalk holder for your piece of chalk. It keeps you cleaner and helps keep the chalk from breaking and rolling off onto the floor. Keep it in the pocket of your apron really nice, you know, where you may find it and maybe remember to use it!

You can also use the blackboard chalk as a release agent on files so that hardwoods, brass and aluminum do not so easily clog the grooves of the file, and this helps make the files work better, last longer and dull more slowly.

Happy Woodworking!