What's Your Handle?

This post started out as a teaser about some other upcoming project posts [1]. Then it turned into why things I do take forever [2], finally it became about the value of wasting time [3].Maybe this is why it takes me forever to write...

Back at a few years, there was a clear resurgence of new high end back saws Wenzloff & Sons, Gramercy, Lund.  I felt left out, unhappy with my $9 Vermont American gent's saw, but unable to justify the purchase of one of these new saws, or find a suitable vintage saw (since I didn't look). I was at the beginnings of my tool journey and I needed soo many power & hand tools, that I couldn't justify such "extravagance", especially with my growing family (Where was ATC when I needed it?). So I did what woodworkers do, I decided I could just make one...[2]

Ply-tastic!

I researched pictures, reviews, catalogs, articles, & websites learning about fleam, rake, pitch, hang....[2] I had an old panel saw Dad literally pulled out of the dump (bit rusty). After the application of a little elbow grease and a cutoff wheel, I had a saw plate.[2] I came upon a treatise of 19th century backsaws (must read)[2], so I had some ideas about how I wanted my tote to look & feel. I spent enough time on the cherry handle, that the

Someday I'll black the back...

prototype needed to be "production" (despite a knot that I swore would disappear in shaping).[2] BTW, toothing a saw plate from scratch shouldn't be your first experience with a saw file... I got it together and it "worked", but the pointy bits looked like what you'd get from DIY orthodontia. I made do with the saw, and was pleased with many aspects of the saw making experience, though I knew I didn't want to start a new saw filing company. Still, it was enough fun that I found myself hooked on designing and making totes (and other shaped forms) quite a lot.[3] I later re-handled (in walnut) a decent miter saw whose plywood handle previously had the ability to cause blisters while hanging from a nail. When my daughter wanted to cut dovetails in the shop, I re-handled that $9 gent's saw to fit her hand and style better so she would have something all her own (she has since decided she's more of a continental girl and prefers frame saws[1]) I was pretty pleased with myself;  that was, until I left my cave, and saw the light of the outside world for the first time....

don't mind the split nut...

Feb '11 I took a class with Roy, and for the first time I was exposed to well maintained tools. (I could write another 10 posts on this experience, but probably won't get around to it. Short answer, "Just do it!") WOW! Well filed saws cut so nice. I drove home and immediately ordered the LV carcass saws. Unique modern look, an incredible value, and proves a saw can take a lesson from a plane. (I wonder if it could go the other way...)[1]

I see an owl

JMAW Toolworks' first saw sits unused in my till. I probably ought to get it sorted out, it'd probably end up a good tool, but I've been busy with other stuff. You could say it was a waste of time (and that I should have knocked out a few more honey-do's). I'd disagree. In the process, I learned that I enjoyed shaping and also how to get certain details. It provided a soothing diversion from whatever big projects I had going then. I learned a lot of useful technical information about saws, as well as historical details that while perhaps trivial, help me to really see and appreciate the art of various saw makers[2]. I think this sort of sums up my work, often enjoying the experience (physical & mental) from projects as much as the end result. I need to make stuff primarily, but the design and process is a close second & third, especially looking back a few years.[3]

Pizz-a-peel

Some say necessity is the mother of invention. I had made a few pizzas using radiant mass. (Instead of taking a "cold" pizza pan or stone in/out of the oven, the dough goes directly atop preheated fire brick in the oven... crust deliciousness.) We were having friends over for pizzas in a couple weeks, and I was tired of burning myself using my ugly grease splatter guard, so I needed a legit peel (paddle).  Most have an excessively long handle for my small kitchen, and are generally pretty plain. I could knock something together until I get that wood fired brick oven in the "piazza"...

Like most every design, I started by sketching a minimalist shape of the item and then see if it goes in unexpected direction by sketching for a few days as inspiration strikes. First, I tried laminations of wood to provide color... nothing. After numerous squiggles and wavy "modern" handles attached to a board yielded more uninspired blech, I came upon two potentials, a Les Paul guitar shape and a swan shape. These seemed fun & unique enough to avoid purchasing a generic one and cutting down the handle. The guitar might be better reserved for later since:

1. It needed a long handle to stay proportioned
2. I'm not a rock star (I can barely play the radio) 

So after a jaunt to the copier, I had my small rough idealized swan head sketch enlarged to handle size. Planning... "check."

After resawing a cherry off-cut to ~1/4", I realized that it would be too thin for comfort in the handle portion. So after book matching the main body, I doubled up the handle area to provide a bit better grip (using Titebond II for water & food safety). This worked, but provided a challenging transition area when shaping. 

I struggled with embellishing just the handle, or carrying on into the body. I decided to shape the body to have a bit of a wing tip shape. I was worried that the points would be fragile or hazardous, but despite being dropped a few times, it's fine. Same with a few "feathers", I was worried they'd get full of crud or snag the dough, but it's all good, since my carving is more like an etch... (and I usually roll-out on parchment paper)

For the shaping, I started by sawing it out and then rounding over most of the main bits, with my then new milled tooth file, a good fast cutting shaping tool prone to chatter in some directions. What the file couldn't handle, chisels and sandpaper took care of. The carving is just knifed in and pared out. There's so little of it, that at least to my eye, it looks likes it adds a nice splash, without being enough to highlight imperfections in my "style". Finished with a splash of mineral oil.*
A couple things I learned from this project:

• Bulbous end of the handle adds nice control
• Neck reversal integrates a handy hang hole
• It doesn't take a ton of tools, or skill to add a little character to a piece.
• Making organic shapes is fun
• When emulating nature, there aren't many constant radii. Necks etc are always tapering as needed. This is hard to get right.
• Using a simple thing you've made is something great, yielding that little bit extra enjoyment EVERY time you use it. Those split second grins when you think, "I made this, it works nice and looks decent too." Those add up to satisfaction.
• Scrap woods make great fast kitchen projects. (I need to make some spoons soon.)

A few months later, we hosted a wine and cheese party. This peel project encouraged me to once again raid the scrap bin, to make the 18-20 needed cheese boards. After receiving comments on the variety of the boards (due to the scraps in the bin) from our guests, they started claiming them as door prizes. It was nice to see my pragmatic solution ("We need a bunch of one time use cutting boards for a fancy party!") turned into something that others enjoyed. It's my hope they're occasionally pulled out to cut an apple or something and the user thinks of us and that evening. That's some of the beauty of handmade objects, they come with a back story that Crate & Barrel can't provide.

*Last night, prior to shooting some photos for this, I refreshed the oil finish after quite some time. Something sparked that I should try out Don's version of Roubo's Polissoir that I picked up at HandWorks and that the missus wrote a bit about.... Wow! It works superbly! Looks like I need to write my first tool review...