One of the things that makes woodworking interesting and a lifetime hobby is that it covers a lot of ground. Furniture-making, boatbuilding, carpentry, marquetry, carving, green woodworking and turning are just a sampling of the many types of woodworking. Recently I have been enjoying woodworking on a small scale building a wooden sailing ship from a kit. It has been a surprise to find that so many of the techniques that I use in “full scale” woodworking are also used in miniature woodworking. I have wet-bent hull planking, laminated curved cap rails, cut tiny mitered joints, sanded, stained and varnished the deck and hull, and have produced a cup full of tiny cutoffs, shavings, sawdust, and mistakes.
Although the techniques are same as in full size woodworking I have had to adapt to the new (small) circumstances by making some new tools and modifying others. (This is, of course, something that we thrive on at ShopNotes Magazine.) One of the challenges has been to fit the hull planking. Covering an organic shape such as a boat hull requires that the planks taper and flow to produce what is called a “fair line”. In order to work 1/32 x 1/4 walnut strips I needed a vise long enough to clamp a plank and a model-size hand plane. You can see the results in the photo. I cringe at the thought of “cute” tools, but the hand plane(finger plane?) is kind of a cute size. The plane fits in with the small hammer and C-clamps I use. And, I suppose I’ll have to grudgingly admit that they’re cute too.
If you’re designing tools for big work or small, there are some points to consider:
1) Tools should work well and efficiently. Obvious huh? Well I’ve built my share of creative, pretty, and well built tools that didn’t work worth a darn. The excitement over your new creation will quickly disappear if it’s not doing the job. So, be brutal in your assessments and if the facts bear out just call your “tool” a prototype, art object, or firewood, and try again.
2) Don’t let your tools dictate the style or methods of construction of your work. I know it happens, but we shouldn’t limit ourselves or get into a formula of building based on the tools we have (or current abilities or current knowledge). Tools should never dictate the outcome of your project. Once again, the work leads; tools and shop follow.
3) Tools should be intuitive. Visually it should be obvious what the function is and how to use it. We can be creative in our approaches, decorative if we wish, but a plane should look like a plane. Tools should also be intuitive in their physical use as well. You should know where to put your hands. The grip should feel natural and ergonomic.
If I do any more miniature woodworking I’ll go back and refine my vise and plane. And add few new tools as well: maybe a small spokeshave, a mini-miter box, and a jig to aid in cutting stripwood with a knife. I just don’t want them to be cute.
P.S. One frustration I had to deal with was trying to cut some additional walnut hull planking. 10″ contractor saws don’t do a very good job ripping 1/32 x 1/4 strips. But, if I need any more there is an answer, ShopNotes designer Ken Munkel has a great project coming up in issue 105. It’s a micro fence and table for cutting small pieces. And it’s not just for models, you can use it for inlay, stringing, edging, or any time you need precision cut wood.