...a letter rack from sweet chestnut. I am on a hand-tools-only woodworking course.
Monday - sharpening, then sharpening some more
Tuesday - sharpening, then planing
Today - sharpening, then through-dovetail joints
Tomorrow - sharpening, then mortice & tenon joints
Friday - sharpening, then half-blind dovetail joints, then finishing
It is fortunate that I like sharpening. There's quite a lot of measuring and marking-out as well.
Thus
far it turns out that I was right to think that some things are more
easily and/or quickly done with a plane or chisel than with a CNC
machine. Some things are definitely not.
"[Sporky] brings a certain vibe and dignity to the forum."
Comments
This week I am at Peter Sefton's - http://www.peterseftonfurnitureschool.com/
The previous ones (apart from the guitars) were at Axminster Tools - also very good, but I think Mr Sefton just has the edge.
That said, saying "which sharpening system is best" seems to be the ultimate troll post on any related forum. I reckon find a method that works for you and get on with it.
I use combination waterstones which work out relatively cheap and produce razor sharp tools which I could not do with traditional oil stones. I also find water a much easier liquid to use in the wife's kitchen than oil
As long as you don't mind the horrifying screaming noises they make during the process. I'm not joking. Nothing else does it, but scissors... eeek. I wear earplugs and ear defenders for that because it really is upsetting. Chisels, planer bladers, plane irons, turning tools, knives, all good. But scissors make a noise like Be'elzebub tearing through reality's thin partitions to take your soul.
On the downside Lady BMcH took the opportunity to crunch both ankles so after a 3 hour drive home we then had to wait two hours for an ambulance, then another 5 hours in A&E. One broken foot bone, one torn ligament, a quarter of a canister of Entonox. Luckily one of the neighbours took Sprocket in for the night but we weren't home until about 4am.
At some point I'll post photos. Of the letter rack, that is. Lady BMcH's finely turned ankles are not for public display.
It was a good confidence builder too - it turns out that it's not mad-tricky provided you so each thing in order. The half-blind dovetails are the scariest, but once you get started they're fairly straightforward.
Also my planes work really, really nicely now.