For those who live within an hour or so drive of Ayer, MA, I offer two options for personal instruction in using hand tools (click on these to jump to more detail below):
The benefits are a chance to work directly with an instructor and try a variety of tools. However, as an adjunct, I have information here for anyone who'd like to follow along at a distance; look for the Intro Hand Tools heading.
This is for those who already know a little bit about hand tools as well as those who know absolutely nothing about them. I'm not an expert or a professional; my goal is to teach people the basics to get started, preparing them for more advanced instruction or self-paced learning. This information is useful whether you want to work exclusively with hand tools, or mix them with power tools.
An outline of the topics covered:
- Sharpening: The Gateway Skill
- Sandpaper, Diamond Plates, Stones, and Strops
- With and Without Jigs
- Shaping Cambered Irons
- Saw Sharpening
- Scraper Sharpening
- Using Hand Saws
- First-, Second-, and Third-Class Cuts
- Crosscutting
- Ripping
- Resawing
- Curves
- Using Bench Planes
- Stock Removal
- Flattening
- Jointing
- Smoothing
- Scraping
- Trimming End Grain
- Chamfering
- Stock Preparation: FEWTEL With Saws And Planes
- Face
- Edge
- Width
- Thickness
- End
- Length
- Using Chisels
- Paring
- Beveling End Grain
- Rabbeting
- Grooving
- Dadoes
- Mortising
- Using Specialty Planes
- Trimming Shoulders
- Rabbeting
- Grooving
- Dadoes
- Making Moldings
- Curved Edges
- Using Hand Drills
- Nail and Screw Holes
- Dowel and Peg Holes
- Larger Holes
- Countersinking
- Driving Screws
- Making Mortise and Tenon Joints
- Layout
- Chopping Mortises
- Sawing Tenons
- Making Through-Dovetail Joints
- Layout
- Sawing Pins
- Sawing Tails
But projects on the scale of furniture are not. Broken down into steps, they aren't that physically laborious. They can be time-consuming, but that's more a matter of the complexity of the project than whether it's done with hand or power tools. With a little patience, most people would be surprised what they can do if they stop and give it a try. Sharp tools make all the difference.
The format is skills-based, not project-based. Beginners often get too focused on trying to complete a starter project or set impossibly high goals for themselves, and get frustrated when they make mistakes. Instead of trying to build something specific, we'll follow the advice of Ian Kirby and Frank Klaus and practice individual skills.
Like a musician learning an instrument, it's a matter of taking the time to develop the motor skills. Mistakes are a normal part of practicing. The musician starts simply, not with a Mozart symphony. Do something 20 or 30 times, and you start to get good at it.
We'll make shavings, sawdust, and chips, with the freedom to make mistakes and learn from them, because it's all going to be thrown out anyway. This approach gives students the skills, experience, and confidence to build projects on their own. It also gives them a method for acquiring new skills. This may seem terribly wasteful, but ya gotta burn some to learn some.
This is very hands-on. I bring multiple examples of tools for students to try, and supply rough-milled pine lumber for practice. As an added historical bonus, I get the wood from Parlee Lumber in Littleton, a local mill that's been in operation since 1815, nearly 200 years!
Regards,
Steve Branam
Public Classes In Littleton, MA
These are offered through the Littleton, MA, Parks, Recreation, and Community Education Department, in Fall, Winter, and Spring sessions. See the Department web page and look for the seasonal brochure.The next scheduled session will be listed in the Fall 2011 Brochure. You can sign up for individual classes a la carte, or for the entire series. Registration starts the first week of September.
Here's the current information:
Introduction to Hand Tool Woodworking
Ever wonder how our predecessors built homes and furniture 100 or 200 years ago? Learn the basics of hand tool woodworking in the tradition of the English joiner and cabinetmaker. Students will be introduced to the tools and techniques necessary to turn lumber into finished furniture or cabinetry without power. This includes selection and care of tools (including the critical skill of sharpening), stock preparation, and fine joinery. A range of modern and antique hand tools will be available for use, or students may bring their own. Locally milled softwood materials will be available for hands-on practice (sufficient for multiple classes, $15 materials fee payable to instructor). This class will also prepare students for more advanced classes such as chair-making. Instructor: STEVE BRANAM is a local woodworking hobbyist. Visit Steve’s blog post at http://www.closegrain.com/2011/07/fall-2011-class-intro-hand-tool.html.
9 Mondays, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
10/3: Sharpening: Planes, Chisels, and Saws
10/17: Using Hand Saws
10/24: Using Bench Planes
10/31: Stock Preparation with Saws and Planes
11/7: Using Chisels
11/14: Using Specialty planes
11/21: Using Hand Drills
11/28: Making Mortise and Tenon Joints
12/6: Making Through-Dovetail Joints
Register for each class individually @
$20/class/R | $23/class/NR ($15 materials fee payable to instructor sufficient for one or multiple classes)
or
Save $$$ and register for all 9 classes
$135/R | $138/NR
Location: Art Room, Littleton High School
Private Instruction At Your Location
This is offered on-site at your location, on your schedule, subject to availability, within a 60-mile radius of Ayer, MA.I'll come to you and bring everything necessary. This can be your home, a community center, a private organization, or any other facility you have permission to use. You're welcome to include additional people to split the cost, at no additional charge, subject to the practical limitations of the space.
The advantage is that you set the agenda. We can follow my outline exactly, or you can pick and choose topics and how much time you want to spend on them. At a minum, I recommend an hour or so of sharpening instruction if you are not already skilled at it, because without it everything else is much harder. Beyond that it's up to you.
You don't need to have a big fancy workshop. The minimum requirement is a 4'x6' space that you don't mind getting a little messy, with reasonable access for bringing in tools, portable workbench, and practice lumber. This can be in a basement, garage, shed, spare room, or porch, or I can even bring a portable canopy and setup outside, weather permitting.
If you have an existing workshop, bench, or tools, we can also use those. I can provide practice lumber sufficient for multiple sessions at a cost of $15, or you can provide your own.
Cost is $35/hour. You pay only for instructional time, not travel time. To schedule sessions, email me at sdbranam@gmail.com, or leave a phone message at 978-772-0030.
Some logistical questions you'll need to think about:
- What specific instruction are you looking for? Do you want to follow my outline listed above, or something different?
- Do you have all the tools, workbench, practice materials, etc. you need for that instruction, or do you need me to bring them? Even if you have the tools, if you're interested in trying out some different ones, I can bring those.
- How much time would you like to spend?
- When are good times for you? As a father with a full-time job, I'm generally available evenings during the week and any time weekends, subject to prior commitments.
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