Posts

A Table Is Not a Woodworking Bench

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     Having grown up with basic power tools and no history of hand tool woodwork, I never had a good appreciation for a "bench."  I never understood how important it was for a hand-tool woodworker.  I mainly saw a bench as an Assembly Table or a counter along a wall with some power tools, etc on it.  This reflected on my initial garage setup.  When we moved into our new place, I was very happy to find a few tables that I could put in the Garage to set some tools on.  That is all I wanted.... and my bench-mate folding work table which you can see in the previous post's photo of the oars.  I was aiming so low!  But, with my focus on forces supporting the work piece as I ran my saw through it, sander over it, or router around it was probably in line with that as a basic standard.  Forces are typically vertical with limited side forces.  All I needed was a few clamps to keep the wood in one place and give me an extra pair of hands.     One can do a lot with that sort of set u

Changing Course

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 In another blog I was starting, it was focused on building a boat.  I have been interested in that for some time.  In 2017, I got a old canoe and began to modify that.  I had a few power tools like a skill saw, jig saw, drill, and I purchased a random-orbital sander to do the modifications I was working on.  I had very few traditional hand tools.  At one point I decided to make some oars.  I used a rasp, spoke shave, and very cheap block plane to make some oars. I am proud of my 7' oars!  :)  Not long after that, I experienced a career change that took me to Europe and I left behind many of the "power hand tools" I had acquired.  Really, there wasn't that many! They also were not very good! In the summer of 2020, as COVID measures were starting to lift, I got the hankering to build a boat.  Of course, I needed tools.  I was still very much in the mind-set of power tools.  I really wanted a table saw, band saw, etc... but I also realized that I lived abroad.  I lived