Workbenches and Shop Furniture: Techniques for Better Woodworking (The Workshop Companion) (U)

Hand tools are an indispensable part of any woodworking shop, even those furnished with advanced power equipment. Far from being low-tech implements left over from simpler days, hand tools are sophisticated devices that augment your power tools, providing shortcuts, alternatives, and additional capabilities. Learn to use hand tools in conjunction with power equipment, and you more than double the woodworking you can do. In Using Hand Tools, author Nick Engler discusses the kinds of hand-powered devices used for the entire spectrum of woodworking operations - from measuring a board and cutting it to size to surfacing it and joining it to another. Discover how to measure in 1/32- and 1/64-inch increments easily and accurately, without eye strain. See how to fine-tune a hand plane to cut shavings thinner than paper. Learn the different chisels that are available to you and how to match the chisel with the job. Over 350 photos and illustrations clearly show how to use hand tools of every description, plus there are plenty of shop-tested tips, jigs, and inside information to help make your project a success. Take a few minutes to make a fixture that turns an ordinary chisel into a plane that will cut right into a corner. Or prevent your hand tools from rusting with a simple chemical you can pick up for pennies at any drugstore.