Ursula's Alcove

Books : Ye Olde Trades

Choosing & Using Handtools

Choosing & Using Handtools
Andy Rae

Softcover,
approx. 8.5" by 10"
$17.95
ISBN 10: 1600592740
ISBN 13: 9781600592744
Lark Books, 2002. 208 pages.

It's no wonder hand tools appeal to the purist. These beautiful tools, made of brass, steel, and exquisite woods, have a distinctive visual appeal. True craftsmen appreciate the whisper of a plane, the curl of shavings, and the sound of a blade cutting wood. But you don't have to be a traditionalist or a collector to appreciate the beauty and practical value of hand tools.

In fact hand tools are often more efficient, quicker, and offer better results than power tools. That's why you'll find them in shops of serious woodworkers everywhere. These are the tools that this essential guide is about. It's lush- filled with incredible photographs on every page. Use it to find out everything from how best to use a tool to how to keep it sharp and in good working condition.

All of the hand tools you'll ever need are here, from "old" or antique tools to new ones our forebeareres never dreamed of. There are even precision tools you can make yourself from scraps of wood.

Tools are grouped by the tasks they perform:

  • Clamps and vises for holding your work
  • Layout tools for marking and measuring
  • Striking tools for chopping and pounding
  • Pulling, prying, and twisting tools
  • Boring tools for drilling holes
  • Scraping tools for shaping and smoothing
  • Chisels and carving tools
  • Edge tools, from drawknives to planes
  • Handsaws for cutting to a line

Bonus: sources for used-tool dealers, tool associations, and woodworking websites.

Andy Rae has been working wood for more than two decades, designing tools and building furniture as well as teaching and writing about woodworking and woodworking tools. In 1990 he received a Fellowship from the New Jersey State Council for the Arts for his furniture designs. He is the author of The Complete Illustrated Guide to Furniture and Cabinet Construction (2001, The Taunton Press), and has written more than 100 articles for woodworking magazines, including American Woodworker, where he served for six years as senior editor for Lark Books. He lives and works in the Smokey mountains of western North Carolina, and strives to keep his exceedingly large hand-tool collection in good working order.


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