Traditional knives and tools

Just Tom. said:
I suppose I could have drawn it in CAD, sent it to the large-format printer at the office, then cut it out and traced it on the wood…
I may have to try that sometime…:D

I think you are giving me credit for having more patience than I actually do 🤣.
I may still try that though, and if it gets too tedious I can always switch to the belt sander. I bought the sander to even out the bevel at the bottom of the 1x12 planks that make up the sides of my boat (after first planing them), so I have a leakproof joint where it meets the plywood bottom.
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I was thinking with a fairly coarse belt, but if you're talking about a handheld belt sander then absolutely is go with it.
 
5K Qs said:
Here's a tool I used last week while on vacation to mass-produce a dozen charred hot dogs at my wife's request.
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To load this "frankfurter fryer", you slide the ring on the handles back until it clears the shorter handle, and can then lift that shorter handle up to open the top part of the "basket". (There are a couple of wire split rings at the front of the device that serve as "hinges" for top and bottom parts.) The basket has 3 sections from left to right. The center section will hold 4 regular hot dogs, and each side section can hold at least 5 hot dogs. Once loaded, you close the top and slide the ring back over both handles to keep them together. Then it's just a matter of sticking the contraption into a convenient open flame, turning it occasionally, and arguing about the best condiment combo!

Here's a closer shot of the basket itself:
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- GT
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I remember seeing one of those here, and thinking I needed to get one. It'll get used one day 🙄😁👍
Just Tom. said:
90% done with my canoe paddle. I used only hand tools as promised, but I’m considering busting out the belt sander to finish it. That’s not cheating, is it?
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The Opinel 10 proved useful around the grip area, as did the modified secondary blade on the Ideal, otherwise there was not a lot of knife use on this project.
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Well done Tom 😎👍
 
Jack Black said:
I remember seeing one of those here, and thinking I needed to get one. It'll get used one day 🙄😁👍
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"Potential" is the main criterion for tool purchases, right?? 🤓

Jack, it works very well, although the length of the handles precludes having a very big fire.

Several times I've tried doing 3 or 4 hot dogs on a single "fork" with long tines, and the end hot dog invariably drops off into the fire just before I decide that the tubes of meat products are sufficiently roasted! :(:thumbsdown::mad:

- GT
 
5K Qs said:
"Potential" is the main criterion for tool purchases, right?? 🤓

Jack, it works very well, although the length of the handles precludes having a very big fire.

Several times I've tried doing 3 or 4 hot dogs on a single "fork" with long tines, and the end hot dog invariably drops off into the fire just before I decide that the tubes of meat products are sufficiently roasted! :(:thumbsdown::mad:

- GT
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I need to get out more Gary! 😁 It'd help if it'd stop raining here! 🙄👍
 
TheChunk91 said:
We were running some 4” gas pipe today and got to use the 4’ ridgid pipe wrench my dad recently got. Truly a big wrench.
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Incredible wrench, Paul T!!!!

Browsing my archive, I found this picture - about 1/3 of my hammer/mallet accumulation!! There is a knife in there, but I can't quite make it out!! I think it's Tony Bose's Wharncliffe trapper!!DSCN0002.JPG
 
ron55 said:
3 canoes and some more Grace screwdrivers


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I wanted to get a set of their regular screwdrivers, but if I remember correctly they didn't offer a stubby #2 which was a deal breaker for me so I stopped at the gunsmithing set and the 3pc Robertson set that I need for certain Crosman airguns.

That's a beautifully made box by the way.
 
Just Tom. said:
90% done with my canoe paddle. I used only hand tools as promised, but I’m considering busting out the belt sander to finish it. That’s not cheating, is it?
skXvk2Y.jpg


ksEwSXE.jpg


The Opinel 10 proved useful around the grip area, as did the modified secondary blade on the Ideal, otherwise there was not a lot of knife use on this project.
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Did you use the Draw Knife for the majority of the material removal ?? I enjoy using one a lot . That came out pretty nice my friend . It is your project , your paddle , your tools , and your rules . Go ahead and use a sander to make it nice and smooth if you want to .

Harry
 
Old Engineer said:
Did you use the Draw Knife for the majority of the material removal ?? I enjoy using one a lot . That came out pretty nice my friend . It is your project , your paddle , your tools , and your rules . Go ahead and use a sander to make it nice and smooth if you want to .

Harry
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This is going to be a little hard to explain without pictures, but after tracing the outline on the 2x8, I used a hand saw to saw down to the outline from the edge of the board every couple of inches or so (I’m not sure what type of engineer you are, but visualize the vertical grid lines on a road profile).

Then I used a chisel to break off the bits between the saw cuts, leaving me with the jagged outline of a paddle on a thick flat plank.

After that I started with the draw knife and plane. I used the drawknife less than I expected I would, because it removed material a little too aggressively, I think due to the soft wood and big space between the growth rings.

The plane was given to me by a coworker when he moved out west. It is very sharp and perfectly tuned for this wood it seems. You should see the pile of shavings I generated🤣.

In the end, I did most of the sanding by hand - I didn’t have a coarse enough belt for the sander, and didn’t feel like driving to get one. I didn’t smooth it out perfectly, as it’s going to get beat up in use anyway. I’m going to use successive applications of mineral oil and beeswax to hopefully keep it from getting water damaged.

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RLB0414 said:
The hatchet, bottom right, looks like a kindling cutting machine
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RLB0414 said:
The hatchet, bottom right, looks like a kindling cutting machine
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Works very well!!! It has split many years of kindling!! It's probably been camping with me for forty years, and we have a woodburning fireplace that heats a large part of our house when needed!!
 
DirtDawg said:
Rain, followed by wind today in west-central Illinois. I have a stick in progress, and three dried blanks in the wings right now. I will likely pass on newbies for a spell.
Enjoy. Be safe.

I searched all over for a Nicholson Rasp that was Made in USA. I finally found this one still in the blister pack, and paid two prices for it.
This thing eats wood like a Beaver.
Can you spot the well worn and beaten Matterhorn on the bench? That one goes with me on the trail as well as being useful in the workshop as I clean it up and refresh it.
Not a Safe Queen!
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RayseM said:
I'm astonished that my 35+ year old Nicholson still cuts this many years later. It is my favorite for shaping knife handles.
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And with this feat of prestidigitation- poof! - here we are in another thread…

I too tend to use rasps and files a lot in woodworking.
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I’m pretty sure I got the bottom one here from Mack’s Hardware when I was a kid in the late 70s. I definitely remember using it a lot. It is stamped with some sort of trademark and “PORTUGAL”.
The middle one is a newer Nicholson made in Mexico.
The top one (which I liberated from my dad’s basement) is stamped K&F, which Google tells me dates it to 1972 or before.

I‘m pretty sure I used all 3 in the making of a canoe paddle this summer. Here is a picture of the work in progress:
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EDIT: Oops, I just realized I posted this same picture a few posts up on this same page. :rolleyes: You know what they say about memory - well, they say something about it I think but I don’t remember what exactly…
 
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Some wrenches I came across for a few bucks at an antique shop the other day. An S-K, two forged in USA companion which will be just fine for the nasty toilets and urinals I’ll use them on, but the Spanish made channellock adjustable was an especially good find. They are excellent quality with almost no slop in the adjustable part of the jaw.

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