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Working By Hand

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A site that looks at the human use of tools and things.
Updated: 36 min 16 sec ago

A perspective on Japanese architecture

Sun, 10/27/2024 - 6:41pm

“When not convenient to obtain ready-sawed lumber from the dealer, the carpenter can play sawyer, and with a saw two feet in length and often over one foot wide, he can easily rip an old water-soaked cedar log into boards and strips. Where Western men working in lumber think it necessary to season it as soon as possible, in Japan splendid cedar logs are kept anchored in large rafts along the rivers or in ponds for years. Thus the wood retains its natural colour and beauty – this none will doubt when examining the lovely interior woodwork of the high-class dwellings, planed to a fault, but never painted and rarely oiled.”

By Nippon’s Lotus Ponds; Pen Pictures of Real Japan, Matthias Klein pp.195-196 (1914)
Categories: Hand Tools

Building an outdoor kayak storage rack

Tue, 10/15/2024 - 2:01pm

We have two kayaks, which are stored outside on a large privacy wall in my backyard. When we first bought them, I bought two sets of standard kayak racks – and they worked, for a while anyway. Because most of these racks are made of painted steel, there is a point where they start to rust, and fall apart. The last thing I wanted to do was buy another set of mediocre racks. The problem is that there aren’t really any good kayak racks that are made for outside locations. Powder-coated steel, has a short lifespan, usually about 3-4 years in a cold climate, and wooden racks have to be maintained.

I investigated at a number of solutions – construct the racks out of 2×2″ Ipe, or 1.5″ copper pipes – all of which had limitations of one form or another. I found a nice stainless steel set of kayak racks from a company in the U.S., but 2 sets would have cost me C$600 with shipping and taxes.

One part of the pair
A pair of holders create a rack for the kayak

The solution I chose was to construct the kayak racks out of 1″ metal electrical conduit, using connectors from Maker Pipe. Using this approach I could easily construct racks that mimicked the shape of the existing racks. For each end of the set, I ordered one Top Rail T Connector, two Adjustable Angle Flanges, and a Conduit End-plug. I liked these connectors, because essentially the only tool needed to connect them is a 5mm hex wrench. The electrical conduit is easily obtainable from any DIY centre (and for some reason, I already had more than enough 1″ conduit lying around).

One Adjustable Angle Flange used for the base of the diagonal
The second Adjustable Angle Flange is used at the top of the brace

Two pieces of 1″ conduit are required for each end of the rack. The diagonal is 23.5″ long, while the brace is 7″ long. The two adjustable angles flanges attach the brace and diagonal to the wall. The Top Rail T Connector connects the brace to the diagonal. Note that all connectors have a holes on the side which could be used for a split pin, or a self-tapping screw.

The Top Rail T Connector is used to connect the brace to the diagonal
The conduit End-plug is just used to seal the top of the diagonal

When installed, I used some neoprene pipe insulation as a temporary cushion on the diagonal and brace, until I can find some more appropriate neoprene material.

Some pipe insulation foam to cushion the brace.
A kayak sitting in the rack.

The great thing about these DIY racks is that you can really modify them to fit your particular needs. Perhaps using an Adjustable Angle Hinge Connector to join the diagonal and brace to provide different angles. The connectors are made of steel, and have a corrosion resistant coating, and like metallic electrical conduit, I imagine they will last for years. In the future I may put the lower rack onto hinged back-plates to allow them to be folded out of the way (the wall is along a walkway).

Categories: Hand Tools

The origin of the Boston block planes

Sun, 09/29/2024 - 2:27pm

Thanks to help from a few people, the origin of these planes has been clarified, although perhaps not the name.

The manufacturer can clearly be identified from the label of the box a No.2A came in. They were manufactured by The Thomas Machine Co. Ltd., in South Wales. They were then distributed by Welsh Industries (Bridgend) Ltd. in Glamorgan, also in South Wales.

The markings on a plane box

An article in the Board of Trade Journal describes various new factories in South Wales [1] in 1947. In it there is a picture of workers from Thomas Machine producing a wallpaper pasting and trimming machine in a machine shop in Bridgend (known as the ‘Thomas’ Machine) – converted sheds at the former Royal Ordinance Factory Bridgend (at the peak of production, ROF Bridgend employed 40,000 people mostly filling explosives). According to the Federation of British Industries Register of British Manufacturers, the company was primarily involved with the production of “decorators equipment & paste powders”. It is clear that the company produced these planes as a side-line to its regular business. In all likelihood, these planes were manufactured in a very short period, as a note in Machinery and Production Engineering (Vol.75(1), 1949) describes “a large sale of machinery at these works“, in 1949 due to “intensive competition“, suggesting the company had gone into receivership. In the 8 October 1954 issue of The London Gazette, there was notice of the company being struck off the register, and dissolved.

The Boston trio

It has been suggested that because these woodworking planes were composed of the aluminum, the raw material could have been procured from scrapped WW2 planes (using planes to make planes so to speak). This concept actually has some credibility. The town of Bridgend was close to what was RAF Llandow during the war. After the war LLandow was used as a dispersal site for aircraft no longer deemed useful. By 1946 there were some 856 airframes waiting to be scrapped, including Avro Lancaster, Handley Page Halifax, Vickers Wellington, and Douglas Havoc bombers. Here could be where the name Boston comes from. The Boston was the Royal Air Force service name for the Douglas A-20 Havoc light bomber. First introduced in 1941, 7,478 had been built by the time production ceased in 1944.

LLandow airfield in 1946, courtesy of People’s Collection Wales (Creative Archive Licence). The image shows the large number of aircraft to be scrapped.

So scrapped planes were smelted down, and sold to local industries. The post-war period was the “age of aluminum”, and there was a need in Britain for inexpensive tools to help in the re-build. In all likelihood, the Boston planes were not made solely from Boston bombers, as the planes would not have been smelted down based on plane type. There is also a possiblity that Thomas Machine Co. specifically bought scrap from Boston bombers, and smelted it themselves – aluminum is relatively easy to melt, at 660°C, and only requires a small furnace. It is also plausible that someone at the company had some personal connection to the Boston bombers.

❗The planes are very likely sand-cast, notable because some of the internal portions of the block plane bodies are quite rough. It may be why some of the planes are painted – to smooth out these inconsistencies.

Further reading:

  1. “South Wales has Many New Factories and Extensions in Production”, Board of Trade Journal, 153(2635) pp.1029-1037 (1947)

Categories: Hand Tools

If you are buying tools, opt for the best you can afford

Tue, 09/24/2024 - 1:43pm

We live in a very disposable age. Every product has a lifespan, and in ones deemed disposable, this lifespan is often quite short. This is aptly illustrated in the world of appliances. There are people that still have fridges from the 1950s, and they still work – sure they can guzzle juice, but that’s not the point, after 70 years they are still keeping things cool. These days, many things are poorly built, mostly using inferior materials, or poor quality assurance processes, without any regard to a long life. This is true of woodworking tools just as much as it is of appliances.

The purchase of a tool should focus solely on its ability to do the job effectively. This is usually highly correlated with its build-quality. Some tools are inexpensive because cheaper materials are used, or they are manufactured in a place where costs are very low, and in all probability there just aren’t the same quality controls. Doing a task effectively has many facets. For example, a blade on a plane should produce uniform cuts, and its edge should remain sharp for a reasonable amount of time. A plane should not have to be tuned when taken out of the box (e.g. flattening the sole). Cheap measuring tools may seem better, but can you guarantee they hold their accuracy over time? Is there any semblance of a life-time warranty?

We also live in a time where there is a propensity to purchase cheaper things. People tend to shy away from tools from small companies that cost a little more precisely for one reason – they cost a little more. People say “it’s hard to justify the expense of X tools when I can buy multiple generic tools for the same price“. These may be the same people that lament the lack of manufacturing jobs in North America. But people often fail to take into account the potential time they will spend bringing these cheaper tools up to some workable standard. In addition, when purchasing a quality tool you are supporting small, local industries, and helping to reduce the pervasiveness of knock-off products in the market. In many cases people knock off products that are then produced off-shore, but which are sold for only a nominally lower price than the original. Well made, quality tools from established companies will also hold their value over time, mass-produced cheap tools won’t. They will often last a long time, often generations.

BrandNameMaterialMade where?TolerancePrice (Can)
Colen ClentonBlackwood recalibratable 8″ squarehardwood, brassAustraliarecalibratable$330
Woodpeckers8″ precision square (851)aluminumUSA0.001″ over length of blade$150
JessEm8″stainless steelCanada0.002″ over length of blade$116
ShinwaPrecision Squares JIS Grade 2 200mmtool steelJapan22 microns$86
MarplesRosewood Try Square 19B 9″rosewood/hot blued steelEngland0.01mm/10mm$45
Table 1: A comparison of 8″ squares

Now I fully understand that not everyone can afford top-of-the-line tools. However there are perfectly good mid-level quality tools that don’t cost the earth. Quality does not have to mean expensive. Take for example options for purchasing 8″ squares. Table 1 below shows a number of options. All are well-built and will provide years of use. Squares are not a tool where you want to risk inaccuracies. Variations in prices are somewhat contingent on issues such as the type of materials, and complexity of manufacturing. Note that the Colen Clenton square is expensive because it is (i) bespoke; (ii) made of hardwoods and brass; and (iii) recalibratable, i.e. it can be recalibrated if it goes out of square.

There are some hand tools that don’t really have low-cost equivalents. A good example are handsaws, and I would put this down to the fact that they can’t be inexpensively replicated. This is especially true of dovetail saws, which have a thin blade and fine teeth to create a fine, accurate cut. Saws in this category range include both Western and Japanese saws, some bespoke and others from toolmakers like Veritas. Table 2 below shows the broad range of options available for dovetail saws.

BrandNameBlade LengthMade where?Teeth, TPIPrice (Can)
Bad AxeStiletto dovetail saw12″USArip, 14$410
Lie NielsenDovetail saw10″USArip, 15$235
Great Lakes ToolworksDovetail saw10″Canadarip, 16$230
Pax (Thomas Flinn & Co Ltd)Rip-pattern dovetail saw8″Englandrip, 20$170
VeritasFine-cut dovetail saw9¼”Canadarip, 20$109
Professional Ikeda-tooth dozuki9″ (replaceable)JapanIkeda, 25$85
GyokuchoStandard dozuki saw9½” (replaceable)Japanrip, 21$80
Table 2: A cross-section of dovetail saws

These examples help illustrate that for every tool category there are good tools available, it often just requires a little legwork to uncover them. For instance a premium set of four Narex chisels from the Czech Republic costs less than C$85. Or perhaps It can also mean delving into the used tool market – there are quality tools made by numerous manufacturers from the early to mid-20th century.

❗There are tools where you should always buy premium brands. We’re talking the likes of saw blades, router bits, and drill bits. Or consumables like sandpaper. With battery-powered tools, choose a brand with a robust battery life – power tools with crappy batteries aren’t worth anything.


Categories: Hand Tools

The beauty of vintage Norwegian wooden boxes

Sat, 08/24/2024 - 9:42am

The open-air Voss Folkemuseum in Voss, Norway, is a wonderful place to visit. They have a great museum with a number of farming artifacts, and folk arts. Some of the most interesting artifacts are historic chests. Two examples are shown below, illustrating differing forms of assembly.

These chests are both small, and simple in construction. The first uses butt joints fastened using wooden dowels or pins. The second chest uses dovetails. Both have large strap hinges, top handles, and simple metal locks. What is interesting is the fact that the simplicity of the joinery does not detract from the beauty of the chests. This is quite different from the modern inclination to produce wooden chests with perfect joints.

Chest joined with wooden pegs

The chests both have very ornate decorations, embodying both chip and scratch carving. Undoubtedly the decorations elevate the beauty of both chests.

Chest joined with dovetails
Categories: Hand Tools

A guide to books on Japanese woodworking

Sat, 08/17/2024 - 1:51pm

What sort of books exist to help the novice learn more about Japanese woodworking? In reality, books on Japanese woodworking, in English, are few and far in between, and many were first published in the 1970s and 80s. Below is a list of the most relevant books.

Japanese tool books
  • Japanese Woodworking Tools: Their Tradition, Spirit, and Use – Toshio Odate (1984)
    • The classic treatise on Japanese woodworking tools.
  • Discovering Japanese Handplanes – Scott Wynn (1977)
    • The ultimate guide to using, and maintaining Japanese planes.
  • Japanese Woodworking Tools: Selection, Care and Use – Henry Lanz (1985)
    • A basic book on tools.
  • The Care and Use of Japanese Woodworking Tools – Kip Mesirow, Ron Herman (1982)
    • A 95-page booklet from Woodcraft.
  • Sharpening and the Japanese Hand Plane – In Depth – Dale Brotherton (2017)
Tools books
Japanese technique books – joinery, wood etc.
  • The Genius of Japanese Carpentry: Secrets of an Ancient Woodworking Craft – Azby Brown (2021)
    • A classic book covering aspects of Japanese carpentry. Describes the carpenter’s skills in the design and construction of traditional Japanese temple architecture. Original book published in 1989.
  • The Art of Japanese Joinery – Kiyosi Seike (1977)
    • A book all about intricate and simple joints. More geared towards the aesthetics of joints.
  • Woodworking Joinery by Hand: Innovative Techniques Using Japanese Saws and Jigs – Toyohisa Sugita (2023)
    • An innovative approach to joinery using Japanese saws and jigs.
  • Complete Japanese Joinery – Yasuo Nakahara (1995)
    • An encyclopedic introduction at joinery and carpentry techniques.
  • Japanese Joinery – Dorian Bracht (2024)
    • Traditional and modern joinery techniques, with over fifty different joints.
  • Wood and Traditional Woodworking in Japan – Mechtild Mertz (2016)
    • Based on interviews with Japanese craftsmen, this book explores the technical and symbolic properties of Japanese woods.
  • The Soul of a Tree: A Master Woodworker’s Reflections – George Nakashima (1981)
    • Part woodworking book, part philosophical journey.
Joinery etc.

Note that there are also more topical books – for example Making Shoji, which looks at making Japanese doors and screens; or books on Japanese houses.

Categories: Hand Tools

The wedged dovetail in a historic Nordic wooden chest

Sat, 07/20/2024 - 6:29am

Wedged mortise and tenon joints are quite common, but wedged dovetails are somewhat rare. Now it is said that the wedged dovetail was historically used to fill dovetails containing gaps. It could also be that this was at some time an actual means of securing dovetails in climates where perhaps the use of glues such as hide glue was less than optimal (due to moisture, cold). Classically many of these wedged dovetails exist as a single wedge through the middle of the pin.

But more complex designs do exist. A few years ago, whilst visiting a museum in Bergen, Norway, I came across a wooden chest with a more compound wedged dovetail design (as I remember, it was the The University Museum).

A Norwegian chest with wedged dovetails

The walls of this chest are 25-30mm in thickness. The pins of the dovetail joints are interesting because of the compound nature of the wedges. The example shown in the picture below shows a pin with three wedges parallel to the sloped edges of the pin (shown in blue), and two vertical wedges (shown in pink) – with the vertical wedges added last. Now I didn’t take any details of this chest, so I don’t exactly know the time period. It is possible that the different orientations were put in at different times, perhaps to counter shrinkage in the wood.

A compound wedged dovetail from the front-right side of the chest
Categories: Hand Tools