How’s your grip?

It's interesting how your grip can dramatically change how something reacts or performs. If I squeeze my wife’s hand too hard, I’m liable to get punched! If I grip my golf club too hard, I will hook or slice the ball. There are many other examples like this. So why didn’t I use this knowledge on my hand tools? I think it’s because I started out using power tools. When using power tools you seem to need to hold on for dear life, especially handheld routers!

When I first started to get interested in hand tools, I was watching some of Rob Cosman’s DVDs. Rob talked about the importance of a “light” touch/grip when using the dovetail saw. He likened it to the amount of pressure you would use when holding a baby’s hand. I was also watching some DVDs by David Charlesworth, and he favoured a light/delicate touch when you hold your chisels. It all started to sink in, eventually.

I use a 15ppi dovetail saw, and many would call this a course saw. The key to using this saw, as Rob points out, is to have a light grip and to take some of the weight off the saw. Whenever I’m having an issue starting my cut, I stop and analyze my grip. If you have a tight grip on the saw, it’s almost impossible to lift up to take some of the weight off the cut. In those cases where my cuts aren’t starting smoothly, it’s because my grip has tightened up. I loosen my grip and presto the cut starts like a dream.

I’ve even taken this concept to how I hold my hand planes. For planes that have totes, I use an almost open grip. For the most part you are pushing a plane and really don’t need to grip it. I used to have a tendency of having a death-grip on my planes, and my hands would get tired. I wasn’t afraid of dropping the plane, I just associated a strong grip with power. Now I know, a light grip on hand tools means control. Analyze your grip and see how much control you get, if you loosen up a bit.