Beats making dust, but I might be biased towards handtools.
The Veritas low angle jack is one of my favorite planes, super versatile
this post was submitted on 19 Jun 2023
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I have the same one. Use it alot.
I've heard great things about Veritas, but man they're pricey for a hand tool
Yeah they're a bit of an investment, but for how many years I've used mine it's been worth it.
I also have a few vintage Stanleys and they'll do the job just fine. Often have to weigh out the cost vs time spent restoring.
Tools from Veritas/Lie-Nielsen/etc, make my shop time more enjoyable (they work exceptionally well and feel great in hand) which is a big motivator for me to get in there and finish projects. And I like supporting domestic tool makers when I can, much to my wallet's chagrin.
I "cheaped" out and got the LAJ from Stanley (the Sweetheart No. 62). I think Rex Parker(?) on YouTube had a good comparison of a lot of the "fancy" low angle jacks (as did a million other people). I settled on "good enough". I do this for fun, and so far that plane has been quite fun and easy to use. I love low angle jacks now.
Edit: here's the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPNSR-XpOdk
The legs I mentioned in the post are for his 2x4 stool. It's been a fun project. Wish I had a drill press for the holes. The angles are tricky to get free hand
Oof, yeah. I'm actually thinking of making a stool, and am dreading the idea of getting the legs straight...er, the correct amount of crooked.
I drilled a few practice holes with a forstner bit and a bevel gauge and honestly even the first holes I drilled were pretty dead on and I'm no whiz with the drill. Worst cast scenario you're out $5 for the 2x4
Yeah, I (luckily) do have a drill press. I imagine it'll go fine, I'm just always a bit paranoid. I think I'll be using a large piece of 4/4 oak that I got from a neighbor, and I don't really have a ton of that lying around if I bugger it up.
Worked awesome out of the box, then even better after sharpening it. I made a pretty amateur mistake of leaving it on a piece of wood I had just planed. I oiled it before I left for the night, but when I came back in the morning I had the teeny tiniest spots of rust.
Do you have a pic of a leg?
I need to take a picture of just the leg. Here's it with them in the stool. Was trying to find a good way to measure across for the cross piece.
you mean kindling haha
I stopped woodworking because of the noise and the dust, and the kickback I got from the router once that scared the woodworking out of me. Stupid, I know. I'm now saving up for hand tools and your work is inspiring!
Not stupid at all. Makes total sense a really bad experience would put you off it.
I had a lot of fun doing all the research to figure out what to buy. Your best bet is to pick a project, then break that project down into parts, then buy the tools you need to do the first few parts of the project. It's a good way to get you woodworking asap for the least amount of money and keep you from wasting too much money if you lose interest. You can buy the tools for the next part of the project when you get to it