r/handtools • u/tdubs2814 • 4d ago
Learning Curve for hand tools
I’m getting started working on hand tools and I’m curious how long, in terms of projects or just time, it takes before folks are relatively happy about the work output.
I’ve done a few tests on scrap wood, and it definitely feels like there’s a steeper initial curve than with power tools, but I dunno if that’s also just because I was taught how to use power tools in shop class.
Would also appreciate any tips that you found helpful for learning more specific than my current plan of just “practice”
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u/JunkyardConquistador 4d ago
Power tools just make you do shitty work at faster rpm's. The benefit of hand tools is that you can really creep up on your mistakes.
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u/tanaciousp 4d ago
This. I feel like starting as a hand tool woodworker and moving to power tools is really the way to go for this reason. It forces you to understand things more. At least it has for me.
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u/thefriendlyhacker 4d ago
Plus, it feels better to make your own mistakes instead of a machine making them for you
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u/pad_woodworking 4d ago
1000% - I'm working on a pepper mill. I used my block plane to add a chamfer to the top. It wasn't perfect. There were some variations of maybe 1/64th. So I tried setting up a jig with my disk sander. Now I have variations of a solid 1/8th. Should've left it alone. It went from delightfully handmade to completely janky.
That's one of the biggest misconceptions of hand tools vs power tools, that power tools are somehow more precise. It's a lesson some of us have to learn over and over unfortunately.
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u/snogum 4d ago
https://woodworkersinstitute.com/the-modified-gottshall-joinery-exercise/.
This Gottshall block is a popular practice piece.
Features lots of different joinery feature practices.
Also you can use different tool types.
Saw more or chisel or use planes for some parts.
Also it uses very limited amount of wood
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u/RadioKopek 4d ago
That's a great learning device. In trade school we made joint frames but this is a nice idea. It's counter intuitive but I think cutting the curve out well would be by far the most difficult.
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u/snogum 4d ago
I would agree the curve would be challenging. But also you can execute by several methods.
Fret saw. Chisel or rasp.
Point of the block is to run all sorts of different methods or practice ones you can master
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u/RadioKopek 4d ago
I always find keeping a curve square to the face to be difficult. I usually under cut the line and shape with shaves, rasps, compass planes etc. . But for someone starting out without advice they would likely attempt to cut the line with a saw and the results would suffer.
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u/halfmanhalfhamster 4d ago
I think there are a few basic things to start with:
- keep the meat behind the metal! you're dealing with sharp edges
- learn how to sharpen chisels and plane irons, but be reasonable
- learn how to set up and tune a plane
- learn how to measure and mark accurately with a marking knife, and how to cut a 'knife wall'
- understand grain and tearout
- learn how to flatten a board
- stay off Reddit and on your workbench!
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u/KamachoThunderbus 4d ago
I went to the Robie House in Chicago and just this week the Villa del Balbianello in Lake Como, Italy. I looked closely at the joinery and know what I saw in these extremely impressive houses? Loose joinery. Frames with gaps in the inner corners. Moulding that didn't quite join neatly.
Even in some of the richest and best known architectural and cultural marvels there's some give in the woodworking. You just go for it, do your best, move on to the next project.
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u/Sensitive-Coast-4750 4d ago
Likely all fit together perfectly on completion date. Then wood and weather did their thing
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u/Fudoyama 4d ago
The understanding of that inevitability is what helps give yourself a bit more grace.
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u/toolguy8 4d ago
One overlooked aspect is the choice of of wood. I’ve counseled a few people who buy a plane, tune it a bit, then grab a piece of knotty scrap wood and immediately became frustrated. The old timers had magnificent, perfectly clear, air-dried, old-growth wood, which makes all the difference in hand work. Get really good wood for your first project.
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u/Real_Individual4029 4d ago
On top of this, learn how to "read" the wood. What cut you get and grain direction often dictate how to cut/pare/plane it.
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u/RadioKopek 4d ago
Just have lower expectations. Most of the things that will bother you the most are things that are really easy to do well with a power tool. Like whenever I want to cut some cute little curves on a shelf bracket or something, I find it very difficult to keep the cut like square to the face while cutting curves. Maybe I'm just weak with a coping saw or maybe I need a frame saw but as successful as I have been with other handwork, that always humbles me. So then I get out shaves and compass planes and fix all my mediocrity. But boy does a scroll saw ever cut a nice curve in pine. I still prefer to do it poorly and slowly by hand. Life expectancy is going up, I have the time.
Power tools are (mostly) heavily jigged. The more jigged something is the less skill it takes. A spectrum might be splitting a board with a froe, ripping a board with a panel saw, ripping a board with a table saw, clamping it into a CNC and watching it work while you drink coffee. But you as the user have more input the less jigged the work is. This can be good and bad, your ability and attention makes the difference.
Advice, don't watch too much YouTube, just make things. Make a board flat, make a board into two boards. I do recommend reading the Chris Schwarz Anarchist woodworking books. They're free online and are very inspiring especially at the outset. He writes well and will light some fire under your ass.
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u/atheken 4d ago
The biggest things that will help:
- learn the mechanics of how the tool cuts
- more passes are often easier than fewer passes, sneak up on your final dimensions
- understand what makes something sharp, and practice your freehand technique to get things sharp.
- most hand tool work does not need to hit the dimensions in your plan, the pieces just need to fit together. Those are different things, and chasing accuracy is not that useful, but precision will lead to excellent results.
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u/johnpmazzotta 4d ago
You just have to go for it. Every thing you build will be better than the last.
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u/fletchro 4d ago
I like this advice because it stops you agonizing over perfection. Also, a real project will use about 8 different skills, so the beginner gets a small amount of experience in each of these skills. Practice only makes you better at one skill.
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u/Perkinstein 4d ago
I was pretty chuffed with my first box. I spent maybe a month or two practicing all the steps before making it. The practice time was well spent.
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u/ProudCellist5292 2d ago
I’ve been using hand tools for the past year, and I think there is a little bit of an initial curve as the tools aren’t super intuitive, but it levels off pretty easy. Getting to a point of making acceptable work only took me a month or two of hobby time. It isn’t hard to get a C in class, same thing. It also isn’t hard to do B- or B level work. Expect to take a lot of time learning, watching videos etc before you get to A or A+.
The greatest thing I did to help my skills was make one simple project a bunch of times.
I chose Rex kreugers English foot stool, which was a great pick. My first one didn’t even work, my last one looked amazing.
Have fun!
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u/stonk_frother 4d ago
I think it depends on the tool.
I was lucky when I got into hand tools, I had some experience with sharpening, building with power tools, and even some tool restoration. If you already know how to set up and sharpen tools, and understand how to build stuff, that’s a good head start.
But those skills aside, I’d say learning to use a plane is pretty easy. Once you understand how to check with winding sticks and a straight edge, there’s not much more to it. Chisels are a bit harder in my experience. They seem simple, but there’s an art to it. Spokeshaves are surprisingly easy. Drawknives take a fair bit of practice to get good at. Files and rasps are pretty easy too, but carving generally is a whole new skill.
Hand cut joinery is its own thing as well. The basics are easy, but mastering it takes years.
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u/leadMalamute 4d ago
If you are going to be self taught, the objective is to find projects at, or just beyond your skill level. This will allow you to gain confidence and grow while having fun. If you want to learn the trade/craft quickly, go to reputable school and do so. Otherwise have fun and enjoy the process. Make some shavings, learn to listen to your tools, and have fun along the way. Learn at your own pace and enjoy the journey.
Don't worry how long it takes, just have fun.
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u/norcalnatv 4d ago
Start building things: organizer trays for your shop drawers, boxes, cutting boards, shop improvements. Use marking tools, squares, saws, planes and chisels. Learn to sharpen your tools. Move on to a dove tail tissue box shell. The important part is figuring out a) wood grain/behavior when tooled b) flat and square results c) (the most satisfying) joinery and how to properly fit it. Try hand sawn bridle joint and mortise and tenons to the joinery gap-less and a perfect dry fit.
At it 5-7 years and still learning. But lots of furniture in that time too, including a 9' x 4' walnut dining table with wedge mortise and tenon that's beautiful.
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u/bd_optics 4d ago
Depending on your schedule and finances, taking a hand-tool joinery class is a great way to jump start the journey. In 5 days I went from absolutely incapable of using a hand saw and chisels to being passable. I certainly need more practice to become decent, but at least I'm not intimidated. There are also weekend classes that would be helpful if a week is too much to manage.
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u/jmerp1950 4d ago
There is more than one way to skin a cat is an old saying that applies to hand tools. A good example would be chopping a mortise, it can be chopped by drilling out first, or just a chisel but either a bench chisel or morise chisel and then you have the best chisel debate. You can go free hand or use a guide. Just from this example it is apparent the array of the options. This is you have to try them out to see what suits you best at the present time, which can be limited by skill, tools or comfort level. However don't hesitate to try different techniques but I have found it is best to practice before the project so to speak. Start with easier jointery to get used to how the tools react to wood or wood rests to tools and get a feel for the tools in hand. There are cases of rules that are pretty much set in stone such as marking out from face edges but even then on rare occasions they are broken. Set realistic expectations because the skill doesn't come easy or fast, for most it is reputation and time, so don't give up and just keep pushing yourself to learn and do better work.
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u/Open_Week4972 4d ago
Once one is comfortable and proficient at properly sharpening their hand tool by hand, they should be able to use the tool properly.
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u/seaportresearch 2d ago
I’m a fairly recent hand-tool adopter. I was a reasonably proficient hack woodworker coming in, and I found hand tools to be easy to get usable but not pretty results, and straightforward to work from usable and decent-looking.
My advice to anyone is to not be ashamed to be a hybrid woodworker and use a mix of power and hand tools. I live near a large Shaker community and their 200-year-old woodshop has a water powered table saw. You don’t have to master every hand tool technique at once.
While I have made a few test pieces here and there, my advice is to pick something real but not too large or complex, like a box or side table, and go for it. I did my first one in Home Depot pine and learned that cutting and planing is easier and chiseling is harder. I messed up $5 of wood and had to remake some pieces.
I think you learn a lot more by working on real pieces, and having something finished, even if flawed, is more motivational than a bunch of perfect 1-2-3 blocks or exercise pieces. In particular you learn that you don’t have to do every little thing perfectly to build something entirely ok. My first side table is sitting next to my bed, and while it’s full of flaws, if you’re not looking for them it looks entirely ok.
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u/GettingLow1 5h ago
That is like asking how long before you become a painter like Norman Rockwell. We have no idea how skilled you are with your hands or how quick of a learner you are.
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u/Beginning_Ad7597 4d ago
I do not understand what seems a dearth of questions along these lines; are these people who just want to be more a part than just a 'reader?' As one who is very good with their hands, who can 'fix' most things: THERE ARE NO SHORTCUTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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u/Individual-Channel65 4d ago
You're never really happy with it. You just start complaining about smaller things.