The Minimalist Woodworker. Vic Tesolin

      

      Text © 2015, 2020 by Vic Tesolin

      Photographs © 2015, 2020 by Vic Tesolin

      All rights reserved. Excepting patterns, no part of this book may be reproduced

       or transmitted in any form or by any means, electric or mechanical, including

       photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without

       written permission from the Publisher. Readers may make copies of patterns for

       personal use. The patterns themselves, however, are not to be duplicated for resale or

       distribution under any circumstances. Any such copying is a violation of copyright law.

      Publisher: Matthew Teague

      Design: Lindsay Hess

      Layout: Michael Douglas

      Photography: Vic Tesolin

      Illustration: Carolyn Mosher

      Copy Editor: Kerri Grzybicki

      Blue Hills Press

      P.O. Box 239

      Whites Creek, TN 37189

      ISBN: 978-1-951217-06-8

      e-book ISBN: 978-1-951217-17-4

      Library of Congress Control Number: 2020944836

      Printed in the United States of America

      10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

      This book was previously published by Spring House Press. This is the first edition

      by Blue Hills Press.

      Note: The following list contains names used in The Minimalist Woodworker

       that may be registered with the United States Copyright Office:

       Workmate; Disston D-28; Robertson; Clapham’s Beeswax Polish

      The information in this book is presented in good faith; however, no warranty is given,

       nor are results guaranteed. Woodworking is inherently dangerous. Your safety is your

       responsibility. Neither Blue Hills Press nor the author assume any responsibility for any

       injuries or accidents.

      To learn more about Blue Hills Press books, or to find a retailer near you,

       email [email protected] or visit us at www.bluehillspress.com.

      For my girls, Christina and Alex.

      Thanks for keeping me sane . . . a big job, I know.

       Knowledge is only a rumor until it is in the muscle.

      — PAPUA NEW GUINEA PROVERB

      CONTENTS

       Foreword by Tom Fidgen 8

       Introduction 10

       Chapter 1 — A Space to Work 14

       Chapter 2 — Tools in the Small Shop 24

       Chapter 3 — Marking and Measuring 42

       Chapter 4 — Practical Sharpening 50

       Chapter 5 — Saw Bench and Bent 60

       Chapter 6 — Shooting Board Hook 92

       Chapter 7 — Wooden Mallet 104

       Chapter 8 — Workbench 116

       Chapter 9 — Hand Tool Shelf 134

       Summary 146

       Conversion Chart 148

       About the Author & Acknowledgements 149

       Index 150

      FOREWORD

      BY TOM FIDGEN

      the minimalist woodworker . . .

      Ok.

      Woodworker.

      Most of us can relate to that part, but minimalist?

      Let’s break it down to the bare essentials;

      bring it back to the core.

      Here’s what the dictionary says:

      minimal

      adjective

      Of a minimum amount, quantity, or degree

      In art it’s characterized by the use of simple forms or structures

      In music, it’s characterized by the repetition and gradual

      alteration of short phrases

      Here’s my interpretation . . .

      minimal

      That’s where we all begin—

      naked and screaming.

      I think it’s a good place to start, don’t you?

      Can you stay that way when you grow up?

      Probably not the best idea.

      Can you live and work with a minimal mind set and practice?

      Of course you can—

      but it may be a little more difficult than you think.

      Thankfully, Vic just made the workshop waters a little easier to navigate.

      You’d think it would be easy, this whole minimal thing,

      getting rid of the waste and the distractions.

      But the hard truth is this:

      we’ve gotten used to having more.

      Having plenty . . .

      having