![Son's silhouette [3072x4080 - 1MB]](https://pic8.co/sh/Ztyk9E.jpg){kind=link}
This is really cool. I never got into woodworking with my dad, but it's an activity I've wanted to explore with my son. I'm thinking about starting with a small project, like a birdhouse.
Do you find much value in hand tools these days? I've considered getting a hand saw, but then I'll need to learn about sharpening too (I should do this anyway).
I bought a Japanese pull saw forty some years ago and have never touched a European/American style saw since. Not only that I still use it and it has never been sharpened. Still cuts like the day I bought it. Same with jap files, chisels and carving tools. You pay more, but you get top quality steel in their tools. I have jap chisels that have never seen a stone, only strop'd to maintain.
Harbor Freight has a $14(?) pull saw that works really well for the price. I use it for rough work like cutting pvc, pruning and whatnot. It has lasted much better than I thought it would consider’n the abuse I’ve put it through.
I’d consider this route if you’re interested in doing old school hand work. Save yourself a lot of frustration using tools that perform well. Dovetails and tenons are a breeze with a pull saw, big or small. You could definitely build a birdhouse with just a pull saw. So easy to maintain a square cut with them over a push saw.
This guy demos the jap saw pretty good:
> Dovetails and tenons are a breeze with a pull saw, big or small.
I'm working on my dovetail skills. I'll get a pull saw and try that out. I've been using a combination of a traditional saw and chisels. It's incredibly tedious work and I get frustrated.
Yeah, I struggled with those until that saw. The kerf is nice and thin. That combined with the pull action it allows for greater control. Once you get your horizontal and vertical cut started to the lines it just stays on target. I think you’ll like using one.
If you don’t have any get yourself some jap wood files. You’ll really like those! There’s two I use a lot. They’re 1/8” & 1/4” round. The cutting edges are spiral’d up the file like threads of a screw. Depending on how you apply pressure and angle to the grain you can remove wood fast with the courser 1/4”. I finish up with the finer cutting 1/8” file. It’ll leave an amazingly smooth surface behind. Like no sanding needed smooth in many cases. They draw file really well too.
Search iwasaki files at woodcraft.com
Pricey, but worth every penny! They carry good jap pull saws too. I’ve cut hundreds of slabs for my hand forged blades with that saw and then shaped them with those two files. I have a 6x72 grinder, but I rarely use it unless a production run on something, preferring to hand shape things. As you know, there’s just something soothing to the soul in doing handwork.
I think I mentioned to you before about Viking boat wax finishes. Especially nice on white oak and maples. No offense, but I hate poly finishes. Too time consuming and a pain in the ass. The boat wax just looks more natural to me and feels natural to the hand too. Requires less sanding. Rarely do I go over 120 grit. You can get a nice satin sheen out of it when buffed. One part beeswax, one part pine tar and one part unboiled linseed oil. Old school cool.
Search Viking pine tar wax at solventfreepaints.com if you ever want to give it a try. I guarantee you’ll like it. Smells good and so easy to work with.
Always enjoy see’n your works! These silhouettes are cool. Hope you give my tool suggestions a shot. They were a game changer for me and made it all so much more enjoyable to work with and I think the results you get from them inspire you to do more.
> Do you find much value in hand tools these days?
I do use hand tools. For these pieces I used a bandsaw to do the rough cutting. Then I use a series of hand files to smooth the edges and to give it a final shape. The bandsaw gets you close. The files allow for greater detail.
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