William Claspy wrote:
On 7/26/06 11:28 AM, in article
, "Kevin Vang"
wrote:
I will admit to feeling virtuous when I watch a paper thin
shaving curl up out of a handplane, but
Virtuous? Hell, it gives some folks an orgasm!
I dunno about orgasms, but there is a certain tactile pleasure to
seeing a one-sided shaving go floating towards the ceiling and then
being able to see your reflection in the surface left on the board.
Especially if it's some really nasty quilted maple or curly koa or
such.
And a "paper thin" shaving is *way* too thick. :-)
I don't think that cross
cutting 2x6's with hand saw would give me the same warm fuzzy
feeling, especially not when it's 95 out.
While it is not debatable that doing so wouldn't give Kevin Vang the same
warm fuzzies, some may disagree, and rightfully so.
I'll admit to using each and every one of those tools you list (some more
than others) but at the end of the day, while I'll stand back and have a
certain feeling of satisfaction of a job well done, I won't get any warm
fuzzy feelings.
I would suggest that you try x-cutting some 2x stock with a well sharpened
hand saw- preferably a comfy-handled vintage Disston- and see what you
think. I'll suggest that if you do, you might well stand back from the saw
horses and think "I did THAT? That EASILY? With a HAND saw?"
Or, then again, you might not. :-)
When I built my workbench I ripped all the wood for it with a
nicely-tuned no-name ripsaw. Nothing like handsawing 15 5'+ long 2x
strips to keep you warm on a cold(ish) January day in Texas. :-)
Of course my neighbor drove by while I was working, saw me leaning
over my ripping horse (different beast from a pain old "sawhorse") and
hollered out, "Ya need to getya a skilsaur, Chuck".
After I shot him the finger it dawned on me that not everyone might
think of what I was doing as good exercise ... or totally sane, for that
matter. :-)
I'll also add that if speed in finishing a project is important to you, hand
tool carpentry might not be the way to go. Currently I'm working on* a
firewood crib. I'm using the project to practice timber framing and am
primarily relying on hand tool joinery. I started last summer. It isn't
even standing yet. But I'll have warm fuzzies not just when it is done, but
during as well. And the usual plusses of hand tool work apply- the kids can
help, the cat doesn't disappear three backyards away, I can work early
morning or evening without ****ing off the neighbors, ...
Amen. I can listen to the birds, and many's the time I've been
working away only to look up and see a deer or three no more than 10-15'
away staring at me intently.
Of course, they might also be thinking I need to get me a skilsaw.
It's hard to tell with them.
Another true story: I had been working away on whatever the project
du jour was, while some wasps were going about their business building a
nest right on the garage overhang. They didn't bother me ... I didn't
bother them. I got my routah out to do some roundingovah with my
roundingovah bit (tm, Nahm), and as soon as I fired it up, I had a bunch
of ****ed off wasps. Must have been the wrong frequency (Kenneth) or
something.
When I stopped the routah they went back to their business.
(and yes, I know that building a deck isn't really woodworking...)
Ain't no shame in carpentry. No more'n in fishing streamers. :-)
Ahem. :-)
Bill
*So in this case, "working on" means the timbers are out back, the design is
in my head, and I'm just waiting for some cooler weather to really have at
it.
Hey, if that's the criteria, I've got a dozen projects I'm working
on. :-)
Chuck Vance (wait until I tell SWMBO ... she'll be delighted)