Hand tools

Why do I do it? Sometimes I can understand it, although I can’t offer a full explanation! Just take a look at Pic.1 below. Working from the top left, you can see how my index finger locates the tip of the saw (top left), then helps to keep the saw vertical (top right). Finally, this finger holds the square’s blade down while the other three fingertips use the recess to grip the stock, and on the marking knife, it applies pressure to the blade (bottom right). These different configurations all make sense. But why on earth do I point my index finger in the direction of the cut when planing (bottom left), as I believe many of us do? It can’t add anything to the control of the plane, and the tote is big enough for all my fingers. I guess it’s just habit.

However, sore fingers after some heavy bouts of planing have made me wonder why we are told to point the index finger like this? Perhaps it adds magic. I’ve heard some people say that it transmits vibrations that put the worker in harmony with the soul of the plane (yeah, yeah). Maybe it helps to avoid the cramp that beginners can get if their determination makes them squeeze the tote as though their lives depend on it. Whatever the reason, my preference is to do it until it gets uncomfortable. I also think about my thumb when wearing a buttoned-up workshop coat, as painful experience has taught me that I must see that it doesn’t catch in the opening. Pic.1 offers a few examples of what I call the three-one-one grip, where the third, fourth and fifth fingers work together, while the index finger and thumb work independently. However, there are lots of different configurations I use for other tasks, most of which I can explain.

Grasping and pinching In Pic.2, the bench top and the generously wide vice jaw comfortably support the left hand and arm, while the entire hand firmly grasps the chisel to resists the force of the push from the other hand (top left). You can also use the base of the thumb to thump the handle (top right); for fairly light blows, this had become an ingrained habit of mine, until I read an internet posting by a tradesman carver who reported that conducting similar daily actions, repeated countless times over many years, had led to quite severe damage to his hand. Now, I think twice, and tend to reach for the mallet (bottom right). With this kind of blow there is no way of resisting the force of the blow, so a more delicate grip is needed to steer the chisel. Aligning the thumb along the handle gives that extra leverage which helps in resisting sideways deflections caused by erratic blows.

At the start of a more delicate operation, I would employ something similar to the three-one-one hold, where the thumb and index finger pinch together to support and direct the chisel, while the other three fingers provide extra support (bottom left). Here the edge gains extra cutting power as the handle jigs sideways while it pushes forwards. Again, please note how the broad top of the vice jaw offers a comfortable and firm support to the other three fingers.

Holding hands It’s not very often that I use two hands together, but one instance in which it comes in handy is when using a coping saw (Pic.3) or its big brother, the wooden-framed bow saw. I work this way because the alternative — holding each end of the blade — would limit the range of my arm’s movement, especially when using the larger saw.

Also, with such an action, the extra weight of the forward hand will tend to bend the already tightly stretched and fragile blade. Some people justifiably say that for efficiency and blade durability, the teeth should point towards the handle, but since I don’t want to have a ragged faced kerf that would obscure the line, I join many others by having the teeth inefficiently pointing away from the handle. I well remember, and with some embarrassment, how as a pre-teenager trying to re-fit a blade, I desperately struggled against the frame’s spring before I realised that the handle could be unscrewed!

Now, this is not the time to argue about the virtues or vices of sharpening with or without artificial aids, but tough guys might like to see the two-handed grip I use when freehand sharpening, Pics.4 and 5. I aim to maintain the angle between the blade and the stone by first locking the right wrist, and hold this angle by also concentrating on trying to lock the angle of my elbow, while using my shoulder as a pivot. This leaves the left hand to do the hard work of pushing the blade along the stone.

An idiosyncratic grip I don’t know how I came to use the grip shown in Pic.6, but one day I suddenly realised what I was doing. It’s more than a bit unconventional, but this time I understand why I do it.

By getting my arm and the line of action more in line with the saw’s teeth, I gain better control. I don’t own, and have never used, a round, low-set handled dozuki saw, but this does help me to understand why some people like them. Now, I’m not recommending that you try this grip for your dovetail saw — if you do have a go, don’t experiment on an important job! But ultimately, it’s worth trying some of the standard and less than standard grips to discover what works best for you.