Hand Tool Tips & Techniques

Baseline Scriber

I need to cut half blind dovetails in 1-3/4" maple. My baseline scriber does not produce a good base line. In your DVD on dovetails you briefly mention putting a double bevel on your scribe pins. How can I easily do that in my shop?

-Jerry G.
Port Ludlow, WA

Lonnie replies:

The baseline plays an important role in the process of cutting a clean, precise dovetail joint; it provides an incision for positioning the chisel when chopping the waste areas of the joint. Most new marking gauges simply do not scribe a baseline which is deep enough to prevent over cutting this important part of the joint. And many are simply dull and do nothing more than tear and scratch the wood.

To scribe a clean baseline I use an long-discontinued Stanley #65 gauge. The gauge has a steel pin which I grind to a double-bevel. To safely and accurately grind the pin I grip it in the jaws of locking pliers.

End Table

I've been trying to fill out my workshop tools and have been looking for paring chisels such as the Stanley 720. What I am finding is they are either way overpriced or in such bad shape that they are beyond help. Do you recommend the Lie-Nielsen chisels with the longer handle for paring work, or do you find the longer steel of a 720 necessary? Thanks.

-Tom S.
Humble, TX

Lonnie replies:

I suggest that you take a look at many other old brands of chisels which are not as high priced as the Stanley 720's. Swan, Taylor, and Pexto are just a few of the older brands of paring chisels which are still available at a reasonable price.

Corner Cabinet
Dear Mr. Bird (Lonnie)

I noticed in a recent Fine Woodworking article you had many chisels in the window well chisel rack. I would very much appreciate your describing what types you have, which chisels you use the most, and any other modifications you might have made for particular jobs (such as the chisels modified for dovetail work). From the pictures in the Fine Woodworking article, it looked like you had sizes from 1/8 to 1 1/2. It also looked like you had both butt chisel Stanley 750's and paring chisel 720's. If it is not too much trouble I would greatly enjoy hearing your response. I greatly admire your work, your books and articles, and your videos. I hope to attend one or more of your classes in the future!

-Don Bass.

Clayton, MO

Lonnie replies:

It's great to hear that you're enjoying the articles and videos. As you've noticed, I have two lengths of chisels in the rack at my bench. I use the longer style, Stanley 720's, for paring and carving. The long length, approximately 12", provides good leverage and control when making long, thin shavings. I typically grind the paring chisels at a low angle, such as 25 degrees. The low angle minimizes the cutting resistance which increases the ability to control the tool. However, I have a couple of paring chisels which I've ground to a steep 60 degree angle. The high angle on these chisels allows me to pare difficult wood such as tiger maple.

The shorter length and lighter weight of the Stanley 750's make them ideal for chopping such as when cutting the waste area between dovetails. When chopping I grip the chisel as you would a writing instrument and drive the chisel into the wood with a mallet. Because I use these chisels for chopping the acute angles between dovetails I bevel the sides in order to provide easy access into the sharp corners.

Although I have many planes in my kit the ones that I reach for most often are the smooth, block, and shoulder planes.

As the name implies, the smooth plane is an ideal tool for smoothing the wood in preparation for finishing. Once you learn to tune and use a sharp smooth plane you'll quit using sandpaper; planes are a pleasure to use and they are faster than using sandpaper, too.

Most smooth planes have a cutter that is mounted bevel down. However, I prefer bevel up smooth planes because by changing the grind angle on the cutter you can change the cutting angle of the plane. A high cutting angle, such as 60 degrees, works best for smoothing most hardwoods. The high cutting angle will easily smooth difficult grain such as tiger maple. But a high cutting angle is the best choice for smoothing most any hardwood because it will handle small pin knots, reversing grain, or any mild figure that may tear out when using a bevel-down plane.

I think of a block plane as a scaled down smooth plane. I use my block plane for smoothing and fitting whenever a full-sized smooth plane may be too large and awkward. And because the cutter is mounted bevel-up I can modify the cutting angle simple by changing the grind angle on the cutter.

As the name implies, shoulder planes are used for trimming and fitting the shoulders of tenons. But they are also useful for many other tasks. In fact, I sometimes use a shoulder plane for smoothing. For example, when constructing lipped doors I use my shoulder plane to smooth away the mill marks in the rabbet. Like the smooth and block planes, the bevel on the shoulder plane is facing upward which allows for changes to the cutting angle. I use a low angle when trimming end-grain shoulders and a high angle when smoothing a rabbet or other long-grain detail.

To avoid the time and expense of continually changing the angles on the cutters I suggest that you purchase additional cutters for each plane. And I'd certainly enjoy having you in a class. You can visit my school website at www.lonniebird.com.

Dovetail Drawers
Thanks for the great DVD on Dovetails! I am a novice at handcut dovetails so please help me understand.

Since you instruct to make the saw cut to the left or right of the line, why scribe a line with a knife rather than a sharp pencil line? It is much harder for my old eyes to see and you don't let the saw blade follow the scribed line anyway?

-John G.
Medina, OH

Lonnie replies:

Thank you for the compliment on the DVD. I understand the issue with your eyes; my eyesight is not as sharp as it once was. However, I don't recommend that you use a pencil instead of a knife to make the layout lines. The saw actually does follow the layout line; the kerf is either to the left or the right but the saw teeth touch the line. Pencil lines have thickness and are simply not as precise as a knife line.

To overcome the weakness in my eyes, I wear reading glasses when creating detailed work such as carving or cutting dovetails. I also place a task lamp close to the work. The additional light is a big improvement. You might also try using a very sharp pencil to shade the knife line and make it easier to see.

Sharpening
I got a new set of chisels. These are flat ground at 25 degrees (I believe). Should I go ahead and hollow grind these on my Jet Slow Wet Grind machine before I hone them?

-Chet
Livonia, MI

Lonnie replies:

Yes, I recommend that you hollow grind the bevels. In fact, I use a hollow grind on all of my chisels and plane irons. A hollow ground bevel is faster and easier to hone than a flat bevel because there are two points of reference, the edge and the heel of the bevel, resting on the stone. This makes it easy to accurately position the bevel on the stone for honing.

In contrast, a flat bevel requires a honing jig to produce a micro-bevel or secondary bevel. The jig takes time to set up and use. In theory a flat bevel is stronger because there is more steel behind the cutting edge. But in reality the shallow concave surface created by a large diameter grinding wheel produces no significant weakness in the cutting edge.

The bottom line is that chisels and plane irons become dull with use; a hollow bevel is much easier to restore to sharpness.

Sharpening
I have your dove tail tape and am really learning and enjoying it. I have sharpened my chisels as sharp as I can get them, they feel razor sharp, I am still crushing the soft wood I am practicing on, not getting a smooth cut. Getting closer though, thanks for sharing your knowledge.

-Jerry
Mcrae, AR

Lonnie replies:

Using sharp hand tools can be very enjoyable as the cutting edge slices cleanly through the wood. In contrast, dull tools leave the wood torn, crushed and ragged. Although sharpening can sometimes seem clouded in mystery it is really just another set of skills that, when broken down into basic steps, are actually quite easy to master.

Here are steps that I use:

1. Grind the bevel---I prefer a "hollow grind" because it is more efficient to hone a concave bevel than one that is flat; there's no need for a honing guide because a hollow bevel is easy to position on the stones. A hollow
bevel can be quickly and easily created on a wet grinder. Avoid a dry grinder with small diameter wheels; the edge can overheat quickly and the small wheel diameter of a dry grinder will weaken the cutting edge.

The bevel angle is a compromise between sharpness and edge retention; lower angles are sharper and weaker, higher angles are tougher but often do not cut as cleanly; especially on soft woods. Although the most common bevel angle for a chisel is 30 degrees you can increase the sharpness by lowering the angle a few degrees to 25 or even 20 degrees. If the edge fractures easily during use increase the angle a few degrees. In order to avoid
continually changing bevel angles I have several sets of chisels and each have different bevel angles.

Once the bevel is established there is usually no need to grind the tool each time it dulls. I grind when the bevel becomes worn from repeated honing or if the edge becomes severely damaged. Otherwise I just hone the tool to
restore the edge.

2. Flatten the back---New chisels will require flattening on a coarse stone to remove scratches from the manufacturing. Once the scratches disappear continue with progressively finer stones until the back has a reflective, mirror polish.

3. Hone the bevel---Position the heel of the bevel on the stone first then lift the handle slowly until the edge comes in contact. Now pull the chisel across the stone. Examine the chisel edge carefully and switch to the next finer stone when the scratch pattern is uniform. The final stone in the set should be fine enough to create a mirror finish on the edge.

Finally, examine the edge closely. Even though you think that it's sharp a close examination with a 10x loupe may reveal small serrations in the edge. For the cleanest cuts the edge must be completely smooth and polished. If
necessary repeat the honing process until the edge is polished from corner to corner.

Modifying Chisels for Dovetail Work
In your PW magazine article on modifying chisels for use in cleaing up hand cut dovetails, it was difficult to determine if the top of the handle was concave or convex after they were cut shorter. Which way would be the best for use with round mallet work?
I am looking forward to possibly attending your 18th Century Carving class next year. Thank you

-John R.
Tallahassee, FL

Lonnie replies:

For the past twenty-five years I've used the long-discontinued Stanley #750 chisels for dovetail work. Their perfect balance provides good control when chopping the waste area from between tails and pins. Unfortunately, most chisels today are too long for accurate dovetail work.

The solution is to cut off a portion of the handle. I suggest that you cut the chisel to nine inches in length. Afterwards, use a file to crown the end of the handle slightly.

Seting up Shop
I am curious what hand planes you would recommend I purchase. I am looking at lie-nielsen and have heard great things about them. I am trying to use mostly powered tools to straighten and dimension my lumber. I am looking at #40 1/2 scrub plane , cabtmakers scraper #85 , and beading tool. I am not sure what else to purchase. I am trying to make 1 large purchase, but don't want to buy anything that will never be used either. Most of the descriptions of the planes are pretty general, so there's kind of my confusion.
Thank you

-Ryan H.
Horicon, WI

Lonnie replies:

Although I own a number of hand planes the ones that I use most often are the smooth, block, and shoulder planes. In fact, these three planes should be considered an essential part of a tool kit.

As the name implies smooth planes are used for smoothing the stock after milling it to size. Once I've cut stock to size with my jointer, planer and table saw I use a smooth plane to remove the mill marks. A sharp plane will
create an incredibly smooth surface that can't be improved with sandpaper.But that's not all, I also use my smooth plane for leveling joints and trimming and fitting doors and drawers.

You have a couple of options when shopping for a smooth plane: a traditional bench plane with a 50 degree frog (the bed that supports the cutter) or one of the new bevel-up smooth planes. A bevel-up plane will allow you to
increase the cutting angle to 55 degrees simply by increasing the grind angle. The extra 5 degrees will enable the plane to cut cleanly through difficult grain such as tiger maple.

Next on the list is a block plane. I think of the block plane as a scaled down smooth plane and I use it for many of the same purposes. The shorter length and lighter weight of a block plane makes it perfect for light trimming, chamfering and shaping where a full size smooth plane may be awkward. Look for one with an adjustable mouth.

Shoulder planes are used for trimming and fitting joints such as the shoulders of tenons. Unlike the two previous planes the mouth of a shoulder plane is open on each side. This unique feature is what allows a shoulder plane to trim into corners.

When shopping for planes look for flat soles, thick irons(cutters), and parts that fit well. Don't skimp on quality; a cheap plane is no bargain. Once you gain experience with these three planes you'll have a better idea of the other planes that you may need.

For more on tuning and using hand planes take a look at my book The Complete Illustrated Guide To Using Woodworking Tools. Or consider enrolling in Woodworking Essentials at my school. In this six day class you'll learn to use planes, cut dovetails and construct and fit a drawer. It's a great wayto get started using hand tools.