Christmas Money and a New Shop

I know that January is almost over and I'm writing about Christmas money, but since I just started this blog, I have some catching up to do.  I'm very fortunate to have parents and in-laws that feel the need to spend a lot on me for Christmas, but since they don't know what to get me, they just give money.  It was just before Christmas that I decided to start my hand tool workshop and I knew that I would likely have some cash coming my way to fuel my new interest.  With my "Made by Hand" book I used Christmas vacation to plan what I would need to get started and I used the internet to price everything out .  From what I had read, it became apparent that I needed several types of planes and some specialty saws for cutting joinery.  I would also need various layout tools and chisels.  After adding up the cost for all the tools that I wanted, I realized that my Christmas money wouldn't come close to covering it all.  I would have to make some tough decisions on what I needed first.  


I decided I would start with a good all purpose hand plane.  I also decided to get a quality dovetail saw, since dovetail joints are very common in furniture making and give a handcrafted look.  I ended up buying a new block plane and dovetail saw from Lie-Nielsen Toolworks, who make the best hand tools you can buy, or so I've read, and they're made in the good ol' USA.The picture at the left is basically the beginning of my hand tool shop.  In the back is a large hand saw I got from Home Depot a couple of years ago. From left to right are a miter saw I've had, my new Lie-Nielsen dovetail saw, an adjustable square, a new marking gauge I got from Veritas, my new Lie-Nielsen block plane and a card scraper.  I also have an assortment of Irwin clamps.



This picture shows what I'm using for a workbench.  It consists of a couple saw horses I built last year and a small piece of plywood.  It definitely isn't an ideal situation, but so far I've been able to improvise.


Now that I have some tools, what should I build first?

Woodworking and Creating a Blog

I've enjoyed woodworking, since I was a little boy sitting on our basement steps tacking a couple of boards together.  Sometimes there was an end result in mind, but most of the time my brothers and I just thought it was fun to saw and hammer wood.  I've always wanted to have my own wood shop and even though I've been married and have lived in my own house for over five years, I just haven't done it.  Of course, I have been a little preoccupied with being married, and having two little boys, 2-1/2 years and 7 months old.


My wife, Janel, has wanted a new bed pretty much since we've been married.  Our current one uses a metal frame only and doesn't have a head board or foot board.  Recently we discussed getting a new bedroom set, but I refuse to buy cheap foreign made bed from the really big box store in town.  Last year we looked at the furniture store Simply Amish just out of curiosity.  The furniture is all locally hand crafted, very high quality, and beautiful.  Also, despite the name, they offer many modern designs.  The only downside is that the price matches the high level of quality $$$$$.


I half jokingly suggested to Janel that I would just have to build a bed myself.  To my surprise she said that maybe I should, but  I don't think she realized what she was getting into.  I started researching table saws, which is the foundation of every wood shop.  The more I read, I realized that I would have spend a decent amount of money to get a quality table saw.  It looked like a good used one would run from $500 to $1,000.  Of course, I probably could have done just fine with a used contractor's table saw that would cost from $100 to $200.


Sometime during my research on table saws I came to a realization.  When the heck was I going to have time to use any power tools?  I usually have a three hour period about once a month when Janel is off with the kids and I have the house to myself.  Other than that, I'm either watching the kids or they're napping, and no way could I operate a power tool then.  This realization got me dreaming about moving to the county where I could construct a stand alone shop and would be able to fire up noisy tools whenever I wanted.  The idea of moving to the country is the subject for another blog and isn't going to happen anytime soon.


I was starting to feel that my woodworking aspirations would have to wait until the kids were older.  Of course that would mean no more naps.  And, Saturday and Sunday nap-time is my time to get stuff done.  Maybe in another 18 years when the kids are out of the house I could have a wood shop.


It was about this time that I was searching for woodworking books on the Mid-Continent Public library's online catalog and came across a book by Tom Fidgen called, "Made by Hand".  It sounded interesting, so I picked it up.  It turned out to be great book and really opened my eyes to what was possible with hand tools.  The book is really a beginners guide to hand tools.  It discusses the basic tools needed for a hand tool shop and how to use them.  It then has a step by step description on building several project by hand.  Most importantly this book has convinced me that it's possible to build high quality furniture by hand and in a reasonable amount of time and effort.


Now I had the motivation I needed to move forward.  I could purchase all the hand tools I needed for a fraction of the price of a couple power tools and without all the noise, I would be able to work when the kids were napping and after they'd gone to bed at night.  With the feeling that I'm about to start something that could continue for awhile, I've decided that I might as well record my adventure.  And in true 21st century exhibitionism I should share this with the whole freaking world.  And so begins my woodworking blog.