Gotshall Block

[Rob Young]

The Kansas City Woodworkers' Guild has a series of "Special Interest Groups" or SIGs. Among them are a CNC SIG, Scrollsaw SIG, Carving SIG and a Hand Tool SIG. Usually they meet once per month for a few hours and investigate some topic associated with the name of the SIG.

The Hand Tool SIG (HTSIG) meets on the 4th Sunday of the month from 2pm to 4pm. Usually we discuss or demonstrate some aspect of handtool woodworking. Could be sharpening one month, cutting joinery another month and tool restoration another. Generally we try to get the topics ready about a month in advance.

So it was interesting to see that suddenly there are a couple of new Gotshall Block how-to videos out on YouTube since we first announced our March Topic. Doubtless a coincidence I'm sure.

Anyway, it also means that I need to go practice a little bit and make sure I can still do what I signed up for or get equipment and material ready for any other demonstrator. Today was practicing the Gotshall Block again. For those who aren't familiar, it is an exercise in stock preparation, layout and joinery cutting. Pretty much every sort of cut required for western joinery appears on the block. It was created by Franklin Gotshall and appears in his book "Making Useful Things of Wood". He calls for the use of poplar in his write-up.

Here's the measured drawing from his write-up:

   

Here's a quick rendering I did in Fusion360 just for the heck of it:

   

And after about 2 hours at the bench with a relatively small set of tools, is my practice block:

   

I forgot to include the 5/8" brace and bit in the photo. I tried to use his instructions for making all the shapes except that I used straight chisels, a rasp and a file for the curved portions instead of a coping saw as suggested. Because I haven't done them that way in a while and felt it would be good practice. 

He suggests a grading criteria of no feature off by more than 1/32". I'm going to give myself a grade of "B" because the inside curve is a little to deep and still has some dings in it as well as I dropped the piece on the concrete floor and bashed a corner. Otherwise everything else is within 1/32" of the measured drawing.

[BC in CT]

Rob, very well done.

I ran across this some years ago and still have the drawing/instructions in a work folder in the shop, although I have never gotten around to actually trying it out. Does look like fun though!

[Handplanesandmore]

Can't remember the original instructions, but I think the router plane wasn't on the tool list, and the recess was supposed to be done with a chisel only. I could be wrong.

Simon

[AHill]

In one article I read about the Gotshall Block, there was a restriction that you could only use chisels to create the block.

In college, metallurgical engineering students (including myself) had to learn how to use all the tools in the machine shop. The culmination of that portion was to create an object which pretty much had features that required the use of every tool in the shop. It served no other useful purpose other than to teach us how to use all those tools. We were graded by the master machinist who ran the shop on how well we held to the tolerances in the drawing.

[Rob Young]

Can't remember the original instructions, but I think the router plane wasn't  on the tool list, and the recess was supposed to be done with a chisel only. I could be wrong.

Simon

Correct.  But his tool list also includes a coping saw and I didn't do the curves that way. 

Here's the list from his write-up with a few comments besides:

1-ft rule -- 12" combo square 
try square 8" blade -- I use combination squares (Starrett, Browne & Sharp), served to get the 45* knifed
smooth plane or jack plane -- I used both
1/2 and 3/4-in socket firmer chisels -- I don't usually use the firmer chisels, I used 3/8" and 1" tapered bench chisels (LN / Stanley 750 pattern)
marking gauge -- I prefer a TiteMark style wheel gauge when appropriate
compass or dividers -- used both
mallet -- I use a Thor 1# w/ soft & hard faces, preferred over a continental joiners mallet
brace and bits -- happens to use Irwin pattern for the 5/8" but could have used Jennings. Don't have any of the other patterns.
hand screw -- used bench vice, bench hook and hold fast in various combinations instead
backsaw -- used just a small "dovetail" saw, rip filed
coping saw -- have but didn't use
bench hook -- see above
workbench equipped with woodworker's vice, vice dog & bench stop -- see above


He doesn't specifically call out a pencil or a marking knife both of which are necessary. 

I've got no problem diverging from his tool list.

[Rob Young]

In one article I read about the Gotshall Block, there was a restriction that you could only use chisels to create the block. 

In college, metallurgical engineering students (including myself) had to learn how to use all the tools in the machine shop.  The culmination of that portion was to create an object which pretty much had features that required the use of every tool in the shop.  It served no other useful purpose other than to teach us how to use all those tools.  We were graded by the master machinist who ran the shop on how well we held to the tolerances in the drawing.

You may be remembering Bob Lang's writeup from about 13 years ago.

But again, if you were to limit yourself to exactly what's on the list it doesn't include a pencil or marking knife. Although terms like "draw a line" appear in the text of the exercise.

I don't see in this write up an admonition to use ONLY the published tool list. One could do all sorts of things to make the exercise more "interesting" by changing up tools and techniques.

I don't think I can add PDFs to a post. PM me your email and I'll forward a copy.