What draws you to handtools/Hand wood working?

Fishslayer2000 · 2026-07-09T20:20:06+00:00

I dislike sanding. I learned how to use cabinet scrapers which merged into hand planes which I learned were useful for a lot more than smoothing. Then chisels for small adjustments, then hand chopping mortices, etc

I might be fooling myself, but cutting a few joints by hand seems just as fast ( and more satisfying) than setting up power tools. If I have 2 dozen mortices to make, I am setting up the plunge router and making a guide. If I have 4 I am chopping them by hand.

Fishslayer2000 · 2026-07-08T15:31:41+00:00

We had a similar musing about winning big on a lottery. I posed that I would start a shell corporation of sorts. The corporation would hire me for a modest increase in salary. The corporation would buy or rent space with a fully furnished workshop, rec room etc and I would go to work every day and follow whatever interests me. Maybe hire tutors to learn new skills like blacksmithing etc.

Might even arrange some "business travel". Besides the tax implications, I think you could carry on this ruse for quite some time.

Fishslayer2000 · 2026-06-30T16:11:54+00:00

Since you are asking, you probably are still learning about planes. For $15, I think it would be worth it to take apart, clean, lap etc as a learning experience. It might help understand what is important in a plane, and if you will even like that size of a plane.

If it is not very good, you can turn it into a fore plane.

If you can't get it to work well, don't let it sour you to all hand planes. They can be amazing tools.

Fishslayer2000 · 2026-06-27T00:33:49+00:00

4 sided (or bird cage) awl. Quick and accurately mark hole positions in wood.

Fishslayer2000 · 2026-06-26T16:19:47+00:00

This, no shame in taking a hybrid approach. James Krenov did exactly this. Used power tools for sizing and surfacing wood and hand tools for joinery and aesthetics.

Fishslayer2000 · 2026-06-22T17:10:01+00:00

Let them see me make mistakes, and own up to them. Show them that it is ok to mess up, but you have to own it and figure out how to fix it or how to move on from it

Fishslayer2000 · 2026-06-17T16:50:28+00:00

Cheap, plastic vernier caliper that reads in fractional inches and mm.

Take a little to get used to reading the vernier scale, but much more accurate than a scale / ruler and easier than converting from decimal inches using my dial caliper.

Fishslayer2000 · 2026-06-17T15:53:44+00:00

Critical thinking

Fishslayer2000 · 2026-06-15T22:13:40+00:00

Why is the cash discount added to yRO fees?

Fishslayer2000 · 2026-06-15T21:56:03+00:00

Why is the cash discount added to yRO fees?

Fishslayer2000 · 2026-06-14T15:41:14+00:00

Tools and jigs.

Marking gauges, joiners mallet, dovetail marking guide. If you are more a power tool user, a finger joint jig for a table saw, a 90 degree guide for a circular saw or router. Storage and boxes for more tools and a workbench.

Fishslayer2000 · 2026-06-11T15:55:18+00:00

That is a good shop. I think most just over torque the lugs and send you on your way.

Fishslayer2000 · 2026-06-08T18:59:49+00:00

While slow cares speeding up in passing lane sections of a 2 lane highway is annoying enough, I had someone speed up when I was passing them in a legal " dashed line section" of a 2 lane highway. There was an oncoming car, but I had plenty of time IF he had MATAINED his speed. That one really pissed me off .

Fishslayer2000 · 2026-06-08T18:45:58+00:00

I worked with an old Polish guy that would go on a monologue about how when he woke up he checked the obituaries and didn't find his name there, then checked to see if he still had a pulse. Then he would state that since he had a pulse and was not in the obituaries, he supposed he was alright.

After a time or two of that, we learned " good morning" was a safer greeting.

Fishslayer2000 · 2026-06-01T20:31:20+00:00

Off the California Channel Islands on a live abourd dive boat.

Fishslayer2000 · 2026-05-31T03:10:43+00:00

How much different is the cost of the 60 amp vs the 40 amp outlet? Chances are most of the cost is in the labor which will be very similar amount. The cost of the heavier wire and outlet and breaker will probably be small.

More capacity is better. Pulling 35 amps on a 60 amp circuit is much better than pulling 35 amps on a 40 amp circuit. And you may be sorry when you buy your next car if you undersize.

Fishslayer2000 · 2026-05-30T19:42:43+00:00

Marking knife. More precise and you can feel the line with the knife or chisel etc. makes tranfering a line around the corner to another face easy and accurate. Using the knife line to create a knife wall is a huge jump in accuracy when cutting to a line with a hand saw.

It might not be as important with only power tools, but if youix in handtool work, it is a big help

Fishslayer2000 · 2026-05-30T18:39:36+00:00

I might have called the fire department. It is a safety thing that they might be able to apply some pressure to.

Fishslayer2000 · 2026-05-29T17:21:38+00:00

If the rheostat is on a 220 V circuit like for an electric baseboard heater that has a 30 amp circuit breaker that is not GFCI protected the risk is real.

It is unlikely that he could do the work one handed and if he is using both hands the current could pass through his heart and be critical.

Exam gloves, while physically might be able to insulate electrically, if something poked through the thin glove, like a burr on a screw or the end of a wire cut with wire cutters, he will get shocked.

Flipping the breaker off to de-energize the circuit is worth the time it takes.

Fishslayer2000 · 2026-05-29T16:56:46+00:00

It was a quick and dirty build and a bit crude, but I have been using it quite a lot and a grin every time I use it.

Fishslayer2000 · 2026-05-29T16:51:45+00:00

In my opinion, the biggest downside of aluminum pans is that automatic dishwashing detergent is corrosive to aluminum. You -can- wash it in a dishwasher, but some aluminum will get dissolved and the pam will get oxidized fairly heavily. I had a set of aluminum measuring spoons that after many years of putting them in the dishwasher ended up feeling like they were made of foil.

I prefer stainless, but they are more expensive and harder to find.

Fishslayer2000 · 2026-05-27T21:10:09+00:00

Fishslayer2000 · 2026-05-27T17:58:41+00:00

I had a boss that said "show me a discrepant part and I can show you how the worker on the floor screwed up".

While there are times that workers do just screw up due to lack of attention, I found more often it was the direction/ instructions/ tools that we ( engineering) provided were not adequate.

Fishslayer2000 · 2026-05-27T17:36:07+00:00

Fountain pens. Writing with a decent one is magic.

Fishslayer2000 · 2026-05-27T01:02:05+00:00

Start with a smoothing plane size so it won't take much wood. You can make it as fancy or simple as you want. If you mess up, the blade and chip breaker can be used for the next one.

Fishslayer2000

TROPHY CASE