OT. Favorite woodworking hand tool.

[Tony]

Like working with wood, this Shinto file is a very versatile tool! It's become my favorite woodworking HAND tool.
It can remove large amounts of wood quickly and yet smooth surfaces down almost 120+ grit. With handle removed the course side becomes a planner with excellent control for fine woodworking
There is a 9" and 11" model.
http://www.japanwoodworker.com/Product/153777/Shinto-Saw-Rasp-11in.aspx?gclid=CJvemvyJxcgCFURrfgod0C4GJg

[Lewis Moon]

Veritas Apron Plane (http://www.leevalley.com/US/Wood/page.aspx?p=46791&cat=1,41182,48942)

http://www.leevalley.com/US/images/item/woodworking/planes/05p2701s5.jpg

[Cicli]

Maybe not a hand tool but...........

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KKsw0OfPINU

For the record, I wish I had the skill for woodworking.

[redir]

I've never seen anything like that Shinto rasp file. The Veritas stuff is always very good. I've been building and repairing guitars for 25 years. I don't think I could pick out a favorite tool but my Stanley block plane gets a whole lot of use ans do the Marples chisels.

[Black Dog]

Being a carpenter; the low angle block plane (on the right) is my favourite hand tool. Veritas makes the best hand tools, and they are designed and made in Canada! They are the Campy of hand tools...:cool:

http://www.leevalley.com/en/images/item/Woodworking/Planes/05P2230s5.jpg

[guyintense]

It's hard to name a favorite but I use these a lot. Atkins scraper, Stanley 65 and a Union chisel.

[echelon_john]

Swanson Speed Square. I'm more of a big picture guy compared to you cabinetmakers!

[professerr]

Maybe not a hand tool but...........

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KKsw0OfPINU

For the record, I wish I had the skill for woodworking.

I've seen the results of those monsters many times and always wondered what sort of machine could do that. Thanks.

[professerr]

Being a carpenter; the low angle block plane (on the right) is my favourite hand tool. Veritas makes the best hand tools, and they are designed and made in Canada! They are the Campy of hand tools...:cool:

http://www.leevalley.com/en/images/item/Woodworking/Planes/05P2230s5.jpg

Hmmm...

I think Veritas is more Shimano and Lie-Nielson more Campagnolo. Not picking sides -- I use all four.

As for my favorite hand tool, it is hard to beat a low angle jack -- bevel up with three or four blades grounds at various angles and it is arguably the only plane you need. I've got a Lie Nielson 'cause it is pretty, though I suspect certain details on the Veritas actually make it work better.

Hand-scrapers are pretty awesome too.

[numbskull]

My favorite tool is probably a spokeshave but I have a bunch of those I use. This rabbet plane (which I do use for cross grain, hand planed moldings) is likely the nicest tool I own.

[DarkStar]

Veritas Apron Plane (http://www.leevalley.com/US/Wood/page.aspx?p=46791&cat=1,41182,48942)

http://www.leevalley.com/US/images/item/woodworking/planes/05p2701s5.jpg
Looks like a guitar top.

[morrisericd]

I build a lot of furniture and these chisels are the best I've ever used. Small company out of Idaho - Barr Specialty Tools. Cool story as well.

[dcama5]

The tools mentioned may be the Campy and Shimano of woodworking tools, but these are the Richard Sachs, Mike Zanconato, Paul Sadoff, and other fine builders of the world. Nothing can get close to the Japanese hand made kanna when it comes to planing performance. Here is a Kezuroukai competition in Japan from 2012. The winner produces the thinnest shaving from the entire length of the board.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3Ad6tBdLbM

[bluesea]

^ Came close to buying a set in the 90's. Had some totl hand planes and all kind of stuff (Baileys, Bedrocks, Lie-Nielsen), but a bud of my was real stocked I sold it all to him when he opened his cabinet shop.

Sure wished I still had one of my Kana (my neighbor has them), because I want to make an octagon staff for stretching exercises, out of my last piece of old growth Sitka.

This is one of the pieces I kept. It has a Hock Knife if anyone knows what that is. All my English Baileys had Hocks. Check out the patent date. It had punch marks on its mouth plate, where someone hammer punched it to loosen it up. Glass plated the sole till perfect, and it still is.


http://i.imgur.com/UZGgxFFl.jpg (http://imgur.com/UZGgxFF)

[11.4]

I made all my own planes -- lignum vitae soles, heavy tropical wood bodies, a variety of blades (some American, some Japanese laminated, etc.). Made my own chisels -- both laminated ones and basic American pattern. And so on. So when you ask which is my favorite, I'm always evolving tools. The one I don't like gets altered or redone. Someone will inherit them, along with all my blacksmithing and silversmithing tools.

[dcama5]

It's hard to name a favorite but I use these a lot. Atkins scraper, Stanley 65 and a Union chisel.

Those are some really nice and well taken care of tools. It's difficult to get better results in hardwoods than with a well tuned scraper. Do you use that chisel as a paring chisel? That would be my guess by the hand-made hardwood handle. Pics like this take me back, that's for sure.

[Tandem Rider]

I guess I have a soft spot for nice planes, here's a couple I love. The blade on the Spiers had been replaced when I got custody of it, but it's a dang nice tool in "spite" of that.

[cv1966]

I am very envious of the skills people on this forum possess. I am lucky if I can remember which way to screw in a lightbulb.

[rustychisel]

a hammer. a big one.

[unterhausen]

I always wanted to get a better set of chisels than the Marples blue handle ones, but they work just fine. I recently bought a Lee Valley dovetail saw, it works really well and blows away the cheaper ones I had been using. The thing that really made dovetails easier was coping saw blades from Tools for Working Wood. Just amazing how they transform a mediocre coping saw.

[Louis]

(Baileys, Bedrocks, Lie-Nielsen)

L-N is 5 minutes down Rte 1 from where my sister lives in Maine and her neighbor used to work there. He gave us a tour of the plant one weekend afternoon when there was no one around - very cool.

[Tony]

I've never seen anything like that Shinto rasp file.

What I like about the Shinto saw file is the Rambo style removal of material, finish work, and planner all in the same tool. Not just wood, also plastics, foam, composites and even soft metals.

[Lewis Moon]

I always wanted to get a better set of chisels than the Marples blue handle ones, but they work just fine. I recently bought a Lee Valley dovetail saw, it works really well and blows away the cheaper ones I had been using. The thing that really made dovetails easier was coping saw blades from Tools for Working Wood. Just amazing how they transform a mediocre coping saw.

Love my Marples. Always lusted after a set of Lie-Nielsen files, but never felt the "need". Put a good edge on them and they're good to go.

[bobswire]

Hand saw(s) my favorite (for my uses) is Japanese Kataba saw, Veritas makes a nice one too just slightly more expensive. Once I got used to using Japanese flat grips it was hard going back to traditional pistol grip saws for finish/detailed work.

[summilux]

I feel unpatriotic saying this, but I never much cared for the Veritas planes. They work fine, but I just don't like the plastic bits. My favorite planes are the Lie Nielsen low angled block and the low angled 5.

[Lewis Moon]

Hand saw(s) my favorite (for my uses) is Japanese Kataba saw, Veritas makes a nice one too just slightly more expensive. Once I got used to using Japanese flat grips it was hard going back to traditional pistol grip saws for finish/detailed work.

Indeed. A pistol grip saw feels so weird that I won't buy one. Ditto on push vs pull saws.

[unterhausen]

Vertias tools are not physically attractive to me either, but they work well. The days of affordable LN planes is over. My only LN plane now costs 3x as much as when I bought it, and it's one of the cheap ones.

[Lewis Moon]

I feel unpatriotic saying this, but I never much cared for the Veritas planes. They work fine, but I just don't like the plastic bits. My favorite planes are the Lie Nielsen low angled block and the low angled 5.

Plastic? I can't remember anything plastic on any of the Veritas planes I've owned (I've owned a bunch).
As an aside, I love my Stanley Sweetheart #7c with a jointer fence.

[redir]

I think the Marples chisels are just fine. Been using the same ones for at least 20 years. I also have a Marples jointer plane. BTW if you want a real nice set of chisels look into the Stanley Sweetheart 750's. For about $100 bucks they are some very nice chisels.

I recently finished a new workshop and a new work bench. While not exactly a tool a good bench is a beautiful thing. Here's a leg vice I just built and installed and it's an incredibly usefull addition to my bench.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/4E9Xf2SOOb3UmL9y7hDwguyH6LVa78ik62IKAJcj6DqrgschGJ yWtyKnWF78QaB8TjFhoPAZYgRNxiqqwmXNfYGVZ4L4-LOAi6LDKD--Xh7jkz7rf-zS3j5VxjSXsrLUBcLWMc07de_ortkRqFaN6eZ2oaLeuuHrdQij hnT49wU8WQiOd2OOnWWJz8FpGTSS1cwp5GpVpBnnjLkdfCbh4z bZ93YZXVQSN-p8lgVejcIY-Zg2mhxh7Zyy3sH_p8F4Rrkf2muwHGxezb_jll0rT6K_JZ2y4vB ExurGpr3EKI3a2jlNgrq8_eacUqzrOr6owhX_tM3ztcpXPMogy 8aDt0g0qFDmiEEHbcvWJvqLSjk3wF4w7FeDoYWrcz-leXQxC8ZWg6CfDe3SvubeeFH5MJlvmFZvZxLTzLhMo3Sb4jOmu 1iIXKmr3xrvBTbBKu2rEBGuXevMPeS8xjnqlC1oUGthciaRvPT _t7XhffEeGJ51trwSaagaW-LkhZ6hZTiaPm0zMVJff6d8EUkGl3dbxJq9fydOJEu3mD-JvqgzH98=w519-h921-no

[summilux]

Plastic? I can't remember anything plastic on any of the Veritas planes I've owned (I've owned a bunch).
As an aside, I love my Stanley Sweetheart #7c with a jointer fence.

It's been a while since I've been to LV but I'm pretty sure that some of the specialty planes have plastic/polycarbonate handles. You are right that the LV regular and block planes don't have any plastic in them but their aesthetics just don't do it for me.

OTOH, I have this Norris infill smoother that looks beautiful but just doesn't work for me.

[guyintense]

Those are some really nice and well taken care of tools. It's difficult to get better results in hardwoods than with a well tuned scraper. Do you use that chisel as a paring chisel? That would be my guess by the hand-made hardwood handle. Pics like this take me back, that's for sure.

The scraper is invaluable especially with wood like teak. Yes that chisel is use for paring, that handle is Brazilian rosewood BTW.
I spent some time at the Veritas booth when the woodworking convention was here and I was impressed. When I pointed out the their iron adjusting system looked just like the old Norris planes he just smiled.
I too am a big fan of planes, here's a couple.

[Lewis Moon]

The scraper is invaluable especially with wood like teak. Yes that chisel is use for paring, that handle is Brazilian rosewood BTW.
I spent some time at the Veritas booth when the woodworking convention was here and I was impressed. When I pointed out the their iron adjusting system looked just like the old Norris planes he just smiled.
I too am a big fan of planes, here's a couple.

Wow.

...and I love the way rosewood smells when sanded.

[bobswire]

The scraper is invaluable especially with wood like teak. Yes that chisel is use for paring, that handle is Brazilian rosewood BTW.
I spent some time at the Veritas booth when the woodworking convention was here and I was impressed. When I pointed out the their iron adjusting system looked just like the old Norris planes he just smiled.
I too am a big fan of planes, here's a couple.

Nice, I had quite a collection of vintage hand tools I collected over 35 years being a carpenter. I ended up selling most of my collection to downsize,just kept a few tools for practical uses.