Less Hand Planes, More Chairs
· 2 min read
A sharp chisel is safer than a dull one, and much more pleasant. Most of what I know about chairs came from getting it wrong first. For a long time I treated drawers as an afterthought.
In practice
I tested the honest version first. It did not last. I design on paper first, then let the wood change my mind. I would rather do one thing with care than five things fast. Hand tools are slower, quieter and strangely calming. Good furniture should last longer than the person who made it.
Between planing boards and milling lumber, the second one taught me more. Most of the work happens before any cutting starts. The workbench is the first project and never the last. The difference showed up bit by bit, then all at once.
Before and after
It is effortless to overthink milling lumber. It is harder to just start. The first eight weeks were mainly about unlearning. Good chairs is mainly a series of small, unglamorous decisions. The oiled part is hardly ever the hard part; consistency is. Good shavings is mainly a series of small, unglamorous decisions.
Somewhere between the workshop and home, the thought finally made sense.
The setup
It took me seven attempts to see the pattern. You can get unexpectedly far with a chisel set and some patience. I keep a short list of things to try next; planing boards is near the top.
A few details
There is a version of this that is much more complicated. This is not that version. I wrote most of this on a quiet Tuesday morning. Good hand planes is mainly a series of small, unglamorous decisions. It took me eight attempts to see the pattern.
I tested the simple version first. It did not last. The simple part is hardly ever the hard part; consistency is. For a long time I treated oak as an afterthought. I wrote most of this on a quiet Saturday morning. The first two weeks were mainly about unlearning.
Somewhere between the sawmill and home, the thought finally made sense. The result is not perfect, but it is honest.