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Hand Scrapers Understanding Preparing and Using the Ultimate Finishing ToolSimilar to the Charlesworth DVD’s that I reviewed previously, this DVD: Hand Scrapers, Understanding, Preparing and Using the Ultimate Finishing Tool was shot on location at Lie-Nielsen Toolworks. It is hosted by Chris Schwarz of Popular Woodworking and Woodworking Magazine fame.
During the DVD Chris takes you through all aspects of the preparation and use of the simple card scraper. The premise for the content of the DVD is an article that Chris wrote for the February 2007 issue of Popular Woodworking and called "A Better Way to Sharpen Scrapers". The article and the DVD are the culmination of a comparison of different 14 methods to - find the best way to prepare and use this useful tool. As an added bonus, the article is also included on the DVD in PDF format.
Much like the Chrlesworth DVD’s shot at Lie-Nielsen, the video production is not fancy. However, it is adequate with clear video and minimal use of graphics to reinforce the techniques and principles. Chris is very articulate and clear in his explanations of the techniques and the rationale for why the card scraper is such a simple yet valuable tool.
The DVD starts out with reasons why every woodworker can benefit from the use of a card scraper and briefly discusses the the mechanics of scraping using the burr on the scraper. Some good examples of scraper use are shown including: dealing with wild changing grain in a board, leveling a sag in a lacquer finish and eliminting tearout left from a hand plane.
Scraper preparation is also covered in detail including: filing, honing and burnishing the tool. Chris shares some good tips and jigs for acurate filing of the edge 90 degrees to the face as well as ways to avoid gauging your water stones during the sharpening process. Leveraging from the techniques that Charlesworth uses to sharpen plane blades, Chris also shows the use of the ruler trick as it applied to honing the face of the scraper. With the scraper sharpened and honed, burnishing the edge is also covered in detail with a complete but short discussion on varying burnishing angles.
With the scraper freshly honed and burnished, Chris moves to the wood to show how to properly use the tool to get good shavings and results. This segment included a good discussion with examples of the correct kind of shavings to expect with a properly tuned tool as well as the differences between planed and scraped surfaces (especially when staining a project). Though this segment was good as produced, I would have liked to see a bit more on the use of the card scraper in various woodworking situations. Last is a segment on how to re-sharpen the scraper including when to simply re-hone and when to go back to the filing stage.
Essentially, this DVD shows a combination of the best methods of the 14 surveyed ways to sharpen a card scraper. The techniques are well presented and easy to understand. If you have never used a card scraper, then this DVD will make you wonder why. If you have struggled to get one sharp, the DVD provides a simple and repeatable method to get reliable results using this simple tool.
These DVDs were recorded at Lie-Nielson Toolworks in 2003. Some of the footage shows David Charlesworth speaking to a class in a shop at the facility and other portions show him one-on-one with the camera in another location. Some of the subjects covered are duplicated at both locations but the alternate scenes cover things a bit differently so, it helps to reinforce the points being made.
The video production is not fancy. However, it does the job adequately. The clarity of the video and audio are generally very good and the use of graphics (though minimal) helps to reinforce the techniques being demonstrated. There are enough close-up shots to adequately show the techniques, though I do think a few more close shots could have been inserted at times.
David Charlesworth has a very slow and deliberate delivery of the material. He is very thorough and articulate. His English slang for some things was not clear at first but, eventually it became clear what he was talking about. In general, David is very methodical in his presentation - even repetitious. However, in doing so he makes sure that important elements of each subject are reinforced.
Hand Tool Techniques Part 1: Plane Sharpening
.Hand_Planing DVD Review: David Charlesworth Handtool Techniques Parts 1,2 and 3In this DVD, Charlesworth covers what he feels are the three keys to effective pereparation of hand planes: getting a razor sharp blade, fettling the chip breaker and flattening the sole of the plane. Sharpening of the plane blade is thoroughly covered as is the preparation of the chip breaker. Though Charlesworth does not really show procedures for flattening the sole of the plane in this DVD, he does speak to why this is important.
The DVD starts with a discussion of sharpening with water stones as well as recommendations of two different brands. Also included are techniques for flattening the stones. From there Charlesworth covers two different strokes for flattening the back of the plane blade - this is done in order to avoid tendencies for hollowing the stones. Potential problems are discussed as well as their possible remedies.
Next is a treatise on sharpening the bevel of the blade including a discussion of grinding and honing angles. Charlesworth chooses to always use a cambered blade and he discusses his rationale for this. First is a demonstration of the Charlesworth "Ruler Trick" for honing the back of the blade. For me, just seeing this one technique is easily reason enough to view the DVD. This was followed by a simple and methodical method for cambering a plane blade using only finger pressure and a simple honing guide.
Charlesworth also discusses why the fit of the chip breaker is so important in hand plane operation as well as simple techniques for getting the best fit and operation. Finally, the plane is set up with the chip breaker, blade. Even this step is not without a simple tip for avoiding banging the freshly honed blade into the body.
Though this DVD is tailored toward sharpening plane blades (in fact, Charlesworth explicitly warns you never to use the Ruler Trick on your chisels) some of the the principes can definitely be extended to sharpening other tools. All in all, this DVD shows a very simple, thorough and effective method for sharpening and getting the best out of your hand planes.
Hand Tool Techniques Part 2: Hand Planing
With the sharpening tasks behind him, in this DVD Charlesworth covers methods for hand planing edges, faces and end grain.
After a short treatise on what he calls Datum surfaces (i.e. reference edges and faces) Charlesworth develops a set of capabilities for hand planin both edges and faces of boards. These include what he calls Stop Shavings as well as Through Shavings. With the use of these two techniques Charles demonstrates planing a slight hollow in the surface or edge thruoght the use of Stop Shavings and follows that up with through shavings in order to produce a perfectly straght or flat edge or surface.
Throughout this process with the use of simple a straight edge Charlesworth shows why he always prefers a slight hollow over a bump in the edge or a face of a board. Similarly he shows how to eliminate bumps when they are discovered and aso covers the proper grips for hand planing and how the cambered blade works in the planing process.
In addition, there are sections on detectng wind with winding sticks and removing it with your plane as well as thicknessing a board to a gage line. Also covered is the proper way to scribe a knife line and techniques for hand planing end grain and squaring edges with the cambered blade in the plane.
Though Charlesworth does most of the work in this DVD with a #5 Jack plane, he also shows the techniques with other planes including a block plane. At the end of the program there is a bit of bonus footage covering how to flatten your workbench and showing how Charlesworth did exactly that to the bench used during the shooting of the DVD.
Even if you never plan to dimension rough boards with a handplane, this DVD offers techniques that are useful for fine tuning joinery and precisely sizing workpieces when building furniture. You’ll learn how the hand plane works and how to make the best use of it in your woodworking.
Hand Tool Techniques Part 3: Precision Shooting Simplified
.Precision_Shooting_Simplified DVD Review: David Charlesworth Handtool Techniques Parts 1,2 and 3This DVD is the shortest of the three reviewed here. One might argue that it is the least useful however, my feeling is that there is tremendous value in the technques used for shooting accurate ends, miters and edges on smaller parts.
Throughout the DVD Charlesworth makes use of a very simple shooting board fixture and some accessories used with it to do miters in two different orientations. Any inaccuracies of the shooting board itself and/or the squareness of the planes sole to its side are dealt with using a simple shimming technique to get perfect angles on the workpiece. Also shown are methods for freehand shooting of edges for glue-ups as well as shooting veneer edges.
Something that comes out in this DVD is the "rhythm" of shooting a workpiece with a hand plane. To me this is something that can only be realized though the use of video as a medium and not from reading it in a book. Seeing and hearing this in action makes this DVD worth viewing.
As a bonus, on the DVD there are plans for the shooting board and accessory fixtures that can be printed for refence and building later. Make a simple shoting board and armed with the information covered in the DVD you will have everything necessary for precision sizing of square and mitered parts.
Like the earlier reviewed DVD on Hand Scraper preparation and use, this one was shot on location at Lie-Nielsen Toolworks in 2005. The DVD covers the subjects of surfacing rough lumber with hand planes, plane setup and use, and joinery techniques. During the DVD, Schwarz demonstrates the various techniques while building parts of a Shaker Cabinet to add some context for how and when to use each technique.
The basic premise behind Course, Medium and Fine is that there is a sequence of steps that should be followed (equally valid whether using hand tools or power tools, by the way) involving tools that offer a gradually finer finished surface on the wood. Specifically:
* Course Tool – used to hog off lots of material from rough lumber at the early stages * Medium Tool – used to refine the surface left by the course tool and to prepare it for finishing with a fine tool * Fine Tool – used to bring the surface of the wood to a state that s ready for finish to be applied
As Schwarz mentions in the DVD, the important point to understand here is that you should not skip a level. If you do, you will expend significantly more time and effort to get to the end result.
With the concept introduced, the first thing covered was the process of surfacing rough lumber with course, medium and fine tools. Schwarz discussed both tool selection as well as proper techniques for use. This discussion included the thickness and quality of shavings to shoot for with each tool as well as where to spend the most time and when to switch from one tool to the next. Schwarz’s admonition is that most people tend to skip the medium step in the process (whether using power or hand tools) and that this presents a false economy.
Next Schwarz spent time covering the setup and merits of each kind of tool and when to use each. Included in this section were discussions on the size of the mouth of each plane, the camber of the irons and set up of the chip breakers. Also covered here was the relative importance (or unimportance) of the flatness of the sole for each level tool.
The final section of the DVD covered various joinery techniques using hand planes. This is where Schwarz utilized the Shaker Cabinet parts to illustrate when and how to refine joints with hand planes. Covered here were: fitting a shelf to a dado, rebates and fillisters, edge joints, mortise and tenon joints and creating and refining curves. As an added bonus, the plan for the Shaker Cabinet that Schwarz was building is included on the DVD as a PDF.
In summary, Schwarz defines true efficiency in the workshop as: using tools that were designed by their makers for a single purpose, in sequence. Course tools for heavy work, medium tools as a mediator between course and fine and fine tools to produce the finished surface. The process is simple and most efficient if followed as described. I found the DVD to be well done and informative. Most importantly, by understanding the designed uses for each type of tool it becomes easy to contemplate following the simple process from a rough to finished surface.
Even if you will not use hand tools to completely surface rough lumber, the process and its parallel to power tools is important. Using both power and hand tools in sequence in a hybrid approach is something that also becomes apparent after seeing the process unfold on the DVD. I think that the content is equally valid for both hand-tool-only users as well as hybrid woodworkers like myself.
Completely covers the subject of sharpening chisels as well as detailing specific joinery techniques using them. To quote Charlesworth:
"Chisel work is at the heart of all of the most sophisticated joinery"
Heeding this advice, it will benefit all woodworkers to learn about preparing and using chisels to ultimately help us in efforts to perfect our joinery tasks.
As the title suggests, this DVD details the subject of a sharpening chisels for use in the workshop. Specifically, in this DVD Charlesworth highlights both the concepts shared with sharpening plane irons as well as new techniques that are unique to sharpening for chisels.
Starting with the definition of sharpness as the intersection of two polished surfaces, and the statement that the quality of the edge is only as good as the quality of the polish on the surfaces, Charlesworth takes you through the process of flattening the backs of chisels and honing their edges.
This instruction starts with a discussion of how to use Japanese water stones to sharpen (including the flattening of stones with a simple technique using wet/dry paper on a flat plate). Two distinct movements are discussed for flattening the chisel back with an interesting aside on why a slight hollow on a chisel back is actually a desirable trait as opposed to a belly or bow. Along the way, Charlesworth touches on different scratch patterns and how to use them to your advantage to determine when to move to the next grit stone as well as why to avoid using the second sharpening movement on narrow chisels.
The discussion on honing the bevel of chisels covers a triple-bevel technique for fast sharpening. This includes a rationale for each of the primary and micro-bevels and their angles as well as a discussion on when to re-grind the tool. Also covered was a technique for using a jig and a coarse stone to correct for an edge that may have been ground out of square.
Charlesworth shows a nice water stone holding board for use when sharpening and as an added bonus the plans for this board are included as a PDF on the DVD.
The material covered on this DVD is a nice complement to the information on the DVD covering sharpening of plane irons. Distinctions are made to compare and contrast the two techniques. The techniques for chisels are different and for good reason. Charlesworth emphasizes these differences as well as their merits for use with chisels.
Completely covers the subject of sharpening chisels as well as detailing specific joinery techniques using them. To quote Charlesworth:
"Chisel work is at the heart of all of the most sophisticated joinery"
Heeding this advice, it will benefit all woodworkers to learn about preparing and using chisels to ultimately help us in efforts to perfect our joinery tasks.
Before delving into the subject of joinery using chisels, this DVD begins with a survey discussion on various chisels types. Charlesworth speaks to the relative merits of various types and brands of chisels including both western and Japanese tools.
The chisel joinery discussions start using the half-blind dovetail as a teaching example. Here, Charlesworth covers the proper grip, hand position and use of the mallet when chiseling. While working on the dovetails in the DVD, he introduces a couple of specific techniques including: the "release cut" and "tenting" to remove waste material fromthe joints. Also discussed is the technique of horizontal paring including the proper stance and body position as well as the effective use of the hands as a breaking system for increased precision. During the discussion on paring, the concept of the “forbidden direction” is introduced and Charlesworth effectively demonstrates why you should never pare with the grain but rather across the grain in order to obtain precision results. Joinery techniques are continued with a shorter section on the mortise and tenon joint. Techniques for chopping a mortise and paring a tenon are covered. Included is the use of the tenting technique for trimming tenon shoulders as well as the proper techniques for levering and extracting chips from a mortise.
One interesting aspect of Charlesworth’s chisel technique involves the use of a hammer rather than a mallet for chopping in order to best hear the differences in sound indicating when to remove chips. In passing, Charlesworth also mentions one of the few uses for a chisel in the bevel down position – creating faceted pegs for decorative or structural use in furniture.
The material covered on this DVD is definitely useful for developing skills with bench chisels. The importance of the chisel as a precision tool in the woodshop is emphasized and reinforced. Anyone wanting to learn proper chiseling techniques and methods to improve the quality of their joinery will benefit from viewing it.
