Hand Tool Curriculum – San Diego Fine Woodworkers

A woodworking community of learning and craftsmanship.

Over the past year SDFWA has developed a hand tool curriculum. Classes are designed for learners at any level of woodworking experience who wish to learn fundamental principles of hand tools to increase their level of precision and personal satisfaction. Classes and topics are reviewed below.

Introduction to Hand Tools

1 session, 4 hours

Basic layout techniques using marking gauge, marking knife, and squares.
Hand saws: Japanese vs European
Hand saw practice, v-cuts, cross grain and rip cuts across the face and end-grain
Coping saw applications and practice
Chisel practice: chopping and paring cuts
Bench plane anatomy and tuning for efficient use
Bench plane practice: planing to a marked line
Purchasing and maintaining hand tools

Sharpening

1 session, 4 hours

Hand tool sharpening: theory and methods
Free-hand sharpening: chisels and plane blades
Sharpening card scrapers

Hand Tool Joinery: A Collaborative Approach

6 sessions, each 4 hours

Review of elements from Introduction to Hand Tools: hand saws, chisels, bench and block planes
Layout practice using marking gauge, marking knife, and squares.
Center-finding exercise and transferring marking lines around four sides
Practice construction of the following joints:
- Cross-lap and dovetail lap
- Blind mortise/tenon
- Wedged mortise/tenon
- Drawbore mortise/tenon
- Through dovetail
- Half-blind dovetail

Make a Mallet with Hand Tools

2 Sessions, each 4 hours

You will make your own woodworking mallet using a range of hand tools including saws, planes, spokeshave, rasp, file, chisels, brace and bit and more. Construction includes both functional and decorative elements which will give you experience to transfer these skills to future projects.

Craftsman Referral Terms

BACKGROUND
The San Diego Fine Woodworkers Association (SDFWA) is a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to the education, promotion, and execution of the principles of fine woodworking.
The SDFWA frequently receives requests from people seeking the service of a woodworker. Therefore, although custom woodworking for hire is not the purpose of our organization, we offer this referral service to the public so that they might connect with a woodworker.

SCOPE
SDFWA does not screen or warrant the skills or work of any craftsman. The public should use their own discretion and due diligence before hiring any craftsman, from any source, including this one.
The sole role of SDFWA in this referral service is limited to providing our member woodworkers with your completed form. It is up to each craftsman to initiate a contact with the requester.

PROCEDURE
After a requester submits a project, the form will be emailed to our list of participating craftsmen. If a craftsman is interested in the project, they will contact the client directly, and a two-way conversation can begin.

As the craftsmen themselves choose which projects to respond to, this means that it is probable that some project requests will receive no response. If you do not receive a response in a reasonable time, please submit your request again, using the provided referral form.
Note that contacting SDFWA directly will not achieve the desired results.

DISCLAIMER
By agreeing to these Terms, and by continuing to submit this Referral Form, and by utilizing one or more of the services of any of these craftsmen, you are agreeing to contract exclusively with that individual craftsman and to defend, indemnify and hold harmless the SDFWA Organization, its officers, officials, employees and volunteers from any and all claims, injuries, damages, losses or suits including attorney fees, arising out of or in connection with the performance of this agreement, and any and all failures, damages, or otherwise negative outcomes caused directly or indirectly by the craftsmen you employ to do any project initiated by this Form. This does not preclude you from pursuing legal remedies from the individual craftsman that you employ. But any remedy you pursue is restricted to that individual craftsman, and does not include the SDFWA organization or any of its volunteer members.