Chris Schwarz's Handplane Essentials Book

[Bodgers]

Just got given this book as a present. It is a pretty comprehensive book. There is some good stuff on sharpening here and the comparison of different types of planes at various price points is interesting. Same sort of writing as his workbench book, but I like his style on the whole, at times it can get a bit 'over egged', but it is nice. There is a lot of information here, so it is a good value.

Strange that all the pictures are black and white - not sure if it is a style choice or not.

Other strange omission is an almost complete silence on wood planes. He doesn't seem to mention that this was a deliberate choice. Not sure what happened there.

I take issue on his review of the new Stanley SW planes as well. His second review in Popular Woodworking on the Low Angle Jack in 2010 he pretty much says he is happy (after the negative review in 2009) and then in this book, written in 2016 here, he re-hashes his negative comments from the 2009 PW review...

https://youtu.be/EuEbXDtmS6A

 

[Droogs]

2 ways to look at this.
1. Like all good journos, he is being lazy and rehashing old material. Has bit him on the bum this time round though.

2 Has genuinely misssed adding the revised text from the later article to the book text.

Either way still prefer Gareth Hacks book

 

[Bodgers]

2 ways to look at this.
1. Like all good journos, he is being lazy and rehashing old material. Has bit him on the bum this time round though.

2 Has genuinely misssed adding the revised text from the later article to the book text.

Either way still prefer Gareth Hacks book

I'll have to check Hack out, didn't realise he had any.

I like his hollow grind technique that I saw in a video - I have been playing around with that recently.

 

[D_W]

Chris knows a fair amount for a hobby woodworker, and his exposure to old sources should make him more accurate over time, but he knows a lot less than he thinks he does, and to my knowledge, has never made anything notable.

These days, it's almost as if you have to give context to someone, like:
* 95% of my work is with power tools, but I need to fit joints, and I might like to smooth something once in a while, or
* I want to do all bulk work with power tools and all finish and joint work with hand tools, or
* I want to work only with hand tools

And then separate context about how fine of work you want to do.

Chris will make dumb comments concluding something about a sharpening regime, and then a few years later, he'll change his comment. Same with the stanley plane then and now. In terms of actually making something, I doubt it makes much difference.

He's got a gaggle of people running around stating that you can't recover old tools, and it's a waste of time and money to try, that buying new LN chisels is money well spent. (that's debatable, certainly they hold value well, but if it's money well spent because that's supposedly a barrier to entry for doing good work, it's just dumb).

Thomas Jefferson's quote about newspapers seems to apply in some cases.

Not to mention, the old texts are out there and should be referenced first. The gurus should be referenced last unless they're actually doing notable work of the type you want to do and doing it the same way you want to do it.

In the years that Chris has flip flopped on various things, the advice in Nicholson's material probably hasn't changed much.

 

[custard]

Nobody has a better grasp of hobby woodworking in the 21st century than Chris Schwarz.

Don't fancy going to a timber yard? No problems, rubbish pine from a DIY store is all you need.

Love hand tools but can't be bothered learning hand tool skills? Don't beat yourself up, it's perfectly acceptable to just nail stuff together.

Worried that all you can tackle is childish nonsense? Relax, Chris has some idiotically simple projects which he claims are in a proud but forgotten craft tradition, so you can still feel good about sinking thousands of pounds into them even though they're technically well below what fourteen year olds are doing in Woodworking O-Level.

Don't really want to make anything at all? That's okay too, Chris clearly understands that the future of the craft is virtual woodworking, it's just like real woodworking but, because it exists on the internet rather than in a workshop, there's absolutely no requirement to ever complete a single project.

Robert Wearing must be turning in his grave!

 

[Bodgers]

Chris knows a fair amount for a hobby woodworker, and his exposure to old sources should make him more accurate over time, but he knows a lot less than he thinks he does, and to my knowledge, has never made anything notable.

These days, it's almost as if you have to give context to someone, like:
* 95% of my work is with power tools, but I need to fit joints, and I might like to smooth something once in a while, or
* I want to do all bulk work with power tools and all finish and joint work with hand tools, or
* I want to work only with hand tools

And then separate context about how fine of work you want to do.

Chris will make dumb comments concluding something about a sharpening regime, and then a few years later, he'll change his comment. Same with the stanley plane then and now. In terms of actually making something, I doubt it makes much difference.

He's got a gaggle of people running around stating that you can't recover old tools, and it's a waste of time and money to try, that buying new LN chisels is money well spent. (that's debatable, certainly they hold value well, but if it's money well spent because that's supposedly a barrier to entry for doing good work, it's just dumb).

Thomas Jefferson's quote about newspapers seems to apply in some cases.

Not to mention, the old texts are out there and should be referenced first. The gurus should be referenced last unless they're actually doing notable work of the type you want to do and doing it the same way you want to do it.

In the years that Chris has flip flopped on various things, the advice in Nicholson's material probably hasn't changed much.

Interesting, yeah I suppose he is journalist/writer first, woodworker second

Sent from my MI 3W using Tapatalk

 

[Bodgers]

Nobody has a better grasp of hobby woodworking in the 21st century than Chris Schwarz.

Don't fancy going to a timber yard? No problems, rubbish pine from a DIY store is all you need.

Love hand tools but can't be bothered learning hand tool skills? Don't beat yourself up, it's perfectly acceptable to just nail stuff together.

Worried that all you can tackle is childish nonsense? Relax, Chris has some idiotically simple projects which he claims are in a proud but forgotten craft tradition, so you can still feel good about sinking thousands of pounds into them even though they're technically well below what fourteen year olds are doing in Woodworking O-Level.

Don't really want to make anything at all? That's okay too, Chris clearly understands that the future of the craft is virtual woodworking, it's just like real woodworking but, because it exists on the internet rather than in a workshop, there's absolutely no requirement to ever complete a single project.

Robert Wearing must be turning in his grave!

Lol. I think I bought the wrong book

Sent from my MI 3W using Tapatalk

 

[custard]

Lol. I think I bought the wrong book

Let's say Robert Wearing and Chris Schwarz both wrote a book called How To Speak French

Wearing's book would be full of grammatical rules and carefully structured learning exercises.

Schwarz's book would say, just speak English with a French accent, that's close enough.

 

[fiveeyes]

Chris knows a fair amount for a hobby woodworker, and his exposure to old sources should make him more accurate over time, but he knows a lot less than he thinks he does, and to my knowledge, has never made anything notable.

These days, it's almost as if you have to give context to someone, like:
* 95% of my work is with power tools, but I need to fit joints, and I might like to smooth something once in a while, or
* I want to do all bulk work with power tools and all finish and joint work with hand tools, or
* I want to work only with hand tools

And then separate context about how fine of work you want to do.

Chris will make dumb comments concluding something about a sharpening regime, and then a few years later, he'll change his comment. Same with the stanley plane then and now. In terms of actually making something, I doubt it makes much difference.

He's got a gaggle of people running around stating that you can't recover old tools, and it's a waste of time and money to try, that buying new LN chisels is money well spent. (that's debatable, certainly they hold value well, but if it's money well spent because that's supposedly a barrier to entry for doing good work, it's just dumb).

Thomas Jefferson's quote about newspapers seems to apply in some cases.

Not to mention, the old texts are out there and should be referenced first. The gurus should be referenced last unless they're actually doing notable work of the type you want to do and doing it the same way you want to do it.

In the years that Chris has flip flopped on various things, the advice in Nicholson's material probably hasn't changed much.

DW..have you made anything notable? If so, lets see it.

 

[D_W]

Only planes, but that is the only thing that I'd claim is notable. I'm certainly not the best plane builder, either, but I can build planes that work to a standard that nobody could complain about, and to an aesthetic that most would not.

I could give a better (more accurate) class on making planes than Chris could give on anything, but you don't see me writing books or giving classes, do you? there are plenty of accomplished woodworkers and far superior older texts on most things for me to ever "play Chris" on any of them.

I sure wouldn't be caught saying stupid things like "preparing old tools is false economy".

The woodworking world is filled with George Wilsons, et. al. There's really no reason to read anything that Chris writes, though he does print other peoples' material quite well. I understand that is his profession.

 

[StraightOffTheArk]

Bitching aside, I find the Chris Schwarz thing interesting from a highly skilled marketing point of view - I can't claim any great skill in working wood and have learned from reading his books, and he does sometimes have interesting things to say, but personally, I don't like his journalistic style, but then, it's not aimed at me, it's aimed at rich guys who want an easy way to spend money while feeling in touch with their craft roots. I think Custard is bang on about him understanding the hobbyist woodworker, at least the ones with money to burn, partly because he is one of them writ large. He manages to promote himself as a 'Guru' while still seemingly a part of the hobbyist group - a very clever marketing trick, although if he didn't like being called out over poor sawing technique, not clever enough.

So I'd prefer Garrett Hack for the planing book, Robert Wearing/Charles Haywood for books about woodwork and Roy Underhill for slightly cheesy woodwork entertainment videos. I more or less follow 'The English Woodworker' for my blog fix - what would others recommend?

 

[ED65]

He's got a gaggle of people running around stating that you can't recover old tools, and it's a waste of time and money to try...

I wonder if that's because he absorbed Mike Dunbar's position?

There's no doubt that CS has read Dunbar's book and at least among a certain set in American woodworking it's been quite influential. And he basically says not to bother buying tools in rough shape so as a result there are no real restoration techniques covered. As a result his book was a huge disappointment when I finally got to read a copy, library book thankfully, although it is good on what it covers (plenty on tuning and using) it does make the title a bit of a lie.

DW..have you made anything notable? If so, lets see it.

With respect, he doesn't have to have to be able to criticise Chris Schwarz.

I was about to say my piece warning of the dangers of using Chris Schwarz as a primary source on hand planes myself and my credentials are far less impressive than D_W's. Doesn't make my comments automatically invalid, any more than any amateur's are.

And for the record, I say this as an unapologetic fan of Schwarz's writing.

 

[Paddy Roxburgh]

DW..have you made anything notable? If so, lets see it.

Whilst DW can sometimes chat sh.. I would encourage you to check out the posts where he shows the planes he makes. Now I have never seen/used one in the flesh but they look pretty damn fine to me.

 

[Silly_Billy]

Chris knows a fair amount for a hobby woodworker, and his exposure to old sources should make him more accurate over time, but he knows a lot less than he thinks he does, and to my knowledge, has never made anything notable.

I've read Chris' writing (including this particular book) and don't remember Chris ever claiming to have made anything notable. However, I enjoyed the book.

Chris is Schwartz is a journalist first and foremost, which means he writes well and his books are a pleasure to read. It doesn't make him a master woodworker and I can't recall him claiming to be one. You pays your money and all that.

If I want to learn from a master furniture maker, then I'll read someone like David C.

 

[custard]

DW..have you made anything notable? If so, lets see it.

DW won his spurs by championing the largely discarded technique of the closely set cap iron, and he had to battle through endless scorn and scepticism to get his message across. That, to me at least, makes his views worth listening to, because having proved my assumptions wrong before maybe he'll do so again.

 

[D_W]

Chris knows a fair amount for a hobby woodworker, and his exposure to old sources should make him more accurate over time, but he knows a lot less than he thinks he does, and to my knowledge, has never made anything notable.

Chris is Schwartz is a journalist first and foremost, which means he writes well and his books are a pleasure to read. It doesn't make him a master woodworker and I can't recall him claiming to be one. You pays your money and all that.

There is trouble giving bad advice and then ducking behind "I never claimed to be a master woodworker, I just spend all my time giving advice to people about woodworking".

You'll see little from me on furniture. I like to make tools (if I had more time, I would make clocks, though - and probably branch into furniture).

David C. teaches lovely techniques (and, in fact, his videos are where I learned the basics of sharpening, etc, and I literally never had to deal with this agonizing stream of torture that a lot of people state they go through using dull tools).

However, the definitive literature on furniture has been written for hundreds of years and is not match by anyone instructing to hobbyists currently.

Chris is not alone - there are a lot of people giving inconsistent or bad advice because the market for the service is uneducated and really in general isn't serious about anything (and many would quit if you saddled them with the idea that they should be able to design, or at least discern good design and execute to a high standard at the same time). The difference with Chris is that when it is pointed out to him that he's wrong, and it's due to lack of competence, he gets very resentful.

When someone proves me wrong, I'm a little bit embarrassed, apologetic and lit to learn to get it right.

Though George Wilson is not known on this board, he is not at all above being corrected when he thinks there's a chance he could be wrong. In general, I'm in no position to do that. Not to be confused with the times when he knows he's right and takes no prisoners, that's different. But a completely different demeanor, just open to finding the right answer all the time and being very careful and discriminatory in terms of what it might be.

 

[D_W]

DW..have you made anything notable? If so, lets see it.

DW won his spurs by championing the largely discarded technique of the closely set cap iron, and he had to battle through endless scorn and scepticism to get his message across. That, to me at least, makes his views worth listening to, because having proved my assumptions wrong before maybe he'll do so again.

My next project will be instructions for making a dovetailed Norris no 1, suitable for rank beginners who have never even turned a screw or changed a doorknob.

..

Just kidding.

I am making a Norris 1 right now, though - and trying to do it well.

(i recall Frank Klausz saying something that was recorded in a conversation about ten years ago that struck me, and I didn't want to be limited by it, but he was right. He was saying to a bunch of hobbyists "your problem is that you all want to try to do everything instead of learning to do one thing well". It still feels limiting - making tools and understanding them *well* pretty much eliminates anything else at this point, and I'd really like to try to copy some 18th century furniture and clocks)

 

[sundaytrucker]

I haven't read this latest revision of Schwarz's book but have read the Garret Hack one before selling to a forum member a few months back.

As I became more interested in hand tools I was directed toward Chris Schwarz and read a lot of his material, some of which was useful. I have read both The Anarchists Tool Chest (overrated) and The Anarchist Design Book (enjoyable) and own a couple other Lost art Press publications. I am looking forward to Richard Jones' (Sgian Dubh) book Cut & Dried being released in the near future.

I'd never pay the price for any Crucible tool. Absolutely not. $95 for a lump hammer, $187 for a pair of dividers and $135 for a single holdfast (1" no less!). I am definitely not the intended market.

 

[D_W]

Actually, I have quite a few of Chris's books, but they're books where the material is someone else's make, and he is the publisher. He does quite well with those, and the quality of the books themselves (physical quality) is lovely on top of the content.

I did have a couple of other books of his early on, and probably still have them, but I'm not sure I'd give them away to someone new.

I sort of empathize with their position making tools - they want to make high quality tools, but I think they're in the weeds solving problems that don't really exist.

the bit about making a really expensive hammer head and then dickering with custom hammer makers who want to charge a fair fraction of the total handle price is kind of funny.

(I haven't seen anything since they started and just had the dividers - that type is generally available in spades around here for a couple of bucks each. They might not be as perfect, but...well, they're a couple of bucks each - and oh my, I thought you'd get three for $187 based on the picture, but that appears to be the price for one).

Never heard the term lump hammer and thought it might be something special, but nope, it's just a boutique equivalent of something available for about $5.

I think Chris should stick to publishing other peoples' work. He's quite good at that, but the result of celebrity from that does give them a captive audience who might do something like buy a $135 iron holdfast that requires its own special holes.

I see in their description that they're going to make no nonsense tools that they "honestly need", with no limited editions, etc. (is that a shot at bridge city?).

I wonder when they'll start doing that. So far, there's an expensive version of plastic draftsman's curves, an extremely expensive cast holdfast that requires you to make special holes in your bench (when the inexpensive bent wire holdfasts work a treat), and an extremely expensive set of dividers that holds promise of allowing you to never learn to pein a rivet. And a very expensive version of an otherwise crude tool still produce very well both domestically and by foreign makers for a tiny fraction of the target price.

Jeez.

(It pains me a little to criticize those items, as Raney Nelson is along for the ride and i hold Raney in high regard - he is generous, driven and very capable and knowledgeable).

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Might be interesting reading for some;

https://blog.lostartpress.com/2018/03/17/unto-others/