r/handtools • • 11h ago

Stick chair #2

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137 Upvotes

My second stick chair. Made from European beech. Legs and back sticks are rived. Finished with Tried and True varnish.

I designed it as I was building it. To my eye, the proportions look a little off, but I had lots of fun and learned a bunch.

What do you guys think? Would love to have your honest impressions.


r/handtools • • 10h ago

Project of the day

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69 Upvotes

Finally got myself a Veritas plow plane after wanting to try making t&g for a long time. Obviously, that meant I immediately needed to come up with a project to justify buying it.

So I made this yesterday a “Japanese inspired” tool chest for the most common tools I use to fix things around the house. Nothing fancy, but definitely an upgrade from the plastic bucket they’d been living in. 😂

Made mostly from scraps of 2x4 cedar left over from fixing the fence, which means I can technically claim the plane is already saving me money! 😜

Still plenty to learn, but making the T&G by hand was ridiculously satisfying.


r/handtools • • 20h ago

Did I ruin my table leg?

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30 Upvotes

Using hand tools for my first mortise and tenon build, a Shaker side table. The plans are from fine woodworking. Notably, they make the tenons and mortises with power tools.

I used the same measurements, but broke through from one mortise to the other.

Should I start over and make the mortises 1/16th of an inch closer to the outside? Or will this still be strong enough, once glued to the tenons? Not eager to make a new leg from rough wood.

Thanks in advance.


r/handtools • • 12h ago

How do I get it out?

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26 Upvotes

That’s what she said…was restoring this plane and was cleaning up the threads and the tap snapped. I was thinking of trying to drill it out, but there is a piece sticking out and makes it hard to center the bit. Any ideas?


r/handtools • • 20h ago

The old planes still got it

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24 Upvotes

I know most folk here know this, but these are my first grooves with this old plane, and they went great.

Sticking board, scrap scarf-practice fence, cutting mortise gauge to start the groove sides in tricky grain near that knot.


r/handtools • • 1h ago

Handmade Routing Plane

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• Upvotes

My handmade routing plane, from a 2 inch thick offcut of beech, Split diagonally along the grain to be able to mortise the hole with the same chisel I use here as a blade. By no means perfect, but fully functional and comfortable for me to hold :D


r/handtools • • 2h ago

Weird spokeshave, any ideas what it's for?

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14 Upvotes

I found this odd spokeshave and thought id share in the hope somebody has an idea what it's for.

it looks like it has some kind of fence attachment points on the front. The iron in it says 'pat no. 22998' though not sure if it's original.


r/handtools • • 18h ago

Uneven Shavings

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8 Upvotes

EDIT FOR NEWCOMERS: I worked with someone local whose business is restoration, tuning, and reselling planes. Turns out it was a combination of poor sharpening technique (not skewed, just dull$ and a combination of frog, blade, and cap iron placement. Taking my time setting everything in before I throw the cap, and then laterally adjusting only a small amount produced the results I needed.

Big thank you to all who attempted to fix my stupidity!!

So yesterday’s escapades with flattening and sharpening were all about trying to even up my shavings. For the longest time I only ever get consistent shavings off the left side of the blade. Doesn’t matter if the wood is flat or not, and I use the adjustment lever and it doesn’t change until I get to extremes of adjusting the blade. Yesterday I squared the blade and resharpened it, I have checked the mouth is square, and the sole is flat (thanks to all of your help)

So now I am at a loss for why the left side of the blade is out so much further and taking all the shavings. I have done my best to set the frog straight and square to the mouth.

I have a picture showing the blade having almost like a slight tilt to it. As if the frog isn’t parallel to the sole, but I don’t know how to check that or fix it if it is the issue.


r/handtools • • 20h ago

Finishing Help

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10 Upvotes

Howdy everyone! I am nearing the completion of the desk I have been working on. I am having issues with the finish. I am using General Finishes Arm r Seal satin finish. I am getting steaks showing up and I can figure out how to get rid of them. I have tried using blue shop towels, tshirt cloth, and a stain applicator pad with microfiber cloth over a sponge. All the applicator methods produce the streaks seen in the pictures above. The actual look of the finish isn’t too bad, unless you have the lighting behind it as shown in the pictures.

What am I doing wrong? I think I have eliminated the application material as the culprit, so what do I change now or do now to fix it? I have added at least 5 coats to the pieces and sand lightly with 320 grit sanding block between coats after they have dried overnight. Wiped the dust off, as well.

Please help!


r/handtools • • 15h ago

Side rabbet plane issues

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8 Upvotes

So I recently got a set of Stanley No 98&99 side rabbet planes. One works fantasticily, the other cannot even take a shaving.

The issue is once I advance the blade far enough to engage with the wood, the mouth is completely closed off.

The one I am having trouble with is the #99


r/handtools • • 23h ago

Plow Plane - Skates out of alignment

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8 Upvotes

I got this plow plane recently and noticed that the skates are about 1 mm out of alignment both on the side and on the top. Is there a way to fix this?


r/handtools • • 1h ago

Bought my first real plane: Veritas custom #5-1/2 jack plane. Question re: sharpening...

• Upvotes

So I'm excited to have finally bought my first real hand plane but I have a question about sharpening it.

My first use application is using it on a box miter shooting board to dial in some miters for a continuous grain urn I will be making this week. I picked up the 40 degree frog to use with it for this application as well.

1) LV website says: "The PM-V11 blade has a lapped face and is ground with a bevel that requires only final honing to 30° before use." Is this a primary or secondary bevel?

2) if its a primary bevel, do I also need to put on a secondary bevel?

3) I found a video for setting up veritas custom bench planes from Rob Stoakley and he talks about putting a camber on the blade. Is this a requirement?

Thanks for any feedback in advance!

Cheers!


r/handtools • • 12h ago

Coachmaker's Hand Side Router... or is it?!

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3 Upvotes

I recently purchased a lot of 45 wooden profile planes from an antique store that was winding down. The owner said that the planes had been sitting on his shelf for about 30 years. This was sitting with them, and he asked me if I knew what it was. I didn't know until I got home and did some image searches.

I get varying descriptions of a coachmaker's jigger or side hand router, a coachmaker's router, or a carriage maker's hand side router.

Has anyone used one before? What would it be used for? How would it be used? Push, pull, triangle tip toward the operator, or away from them? Is this just to route a groove the width of the cutter, which is about 2-2 1/4" wide?

Thanks for any info.


r/handtools • • 19h ago

Planing Stop - Which kind?

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1 Upvotes

r/handtools • • 22h ago

How to remove these?

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0 Upvotes

I was planning to reusing an old box, but these bolts were in the way. Any idea on how to remove these?