# Should be retitled Hand tools for the power tool woodworker.



## woodcox

I'm 3/4 of the way through this book. A lot of "why" and not so much "how". Great info for beginners. He does say heaven for him is the sound of big machines. I like the book but early on it is clearly not a how to book. It is well written and you can hear Marc in your head as your reading. I will finish reading the book and when done I should rate it well for what it is.


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## JustJoe

I can't comment on this new book by Marc because I haven't read it. But my own personal opinion in general is that everything good to be written about woodworking has already been published, and now we are just rehashing the good stuff, or finding new bad ideas to publish.

*There is a book out there wanting to be written about mostly hand tools with some power tools mixed in*
I think a book that comes very close has already been written. You might try to find a copy of Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking, Book 1 Joinery: Tools and Techniques. Someone here on LJ did a review of it once -

http://lumberjocks.com/reviews/858

It is 10 chapters. Chapter 3 is your saws and includes sharpening and using - to include handsaws, and powered saws. The preparing stock chapter has everything you need to know about handplanes. It also shows you the jointer and the planer and some tricks for dealing with problem wood. Mr. Frid leaves it to you to decide which tool(s) you want to use to do the job. That "hybrid" concept continues through the rest of the book as he tackles one woodworking joint after another.


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## dustyal

I received the printed book as a Christmas gift and have read most of it. It was about what I expected and that is a method on how to balance between hand and power tools. It rather helped me as an an amateur to think through what hand tools would be good for me and what tools I could do without-shoulder plane being an example. A router plane might be a better first choice for me.

I've read several how to books. Now I need to practice as there is no substitute. But what tools to practice with was what I looked for and Marc's book helped me in that regard.


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## a1Jim

Not sure that all good books about woodworking have already been written but I do argee with you about Tage Frid ,Joe he is were many of the folks that are experts in woodworking got all of their info.


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## Ottacat

I think a review should be based on the promise of the tool / book and it should be evaluated as to whether it lives up to that advertised promise. I don't think your being fair in this case. The book is clear that it is about efficiency and quality combined and not about using hand tools for their intrinsic pleasure. The subtitle of the book clear states 'Blending power & hand tools for quick, quality furniture'.

In short, I believe the book completely lives up that promise and I feel it is against that promise that you should base your review. It seems the two stars reflects that the book didn't meet your needs.


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## Sk1pp3r

Ottacat, I agree. I think the book fulfilled the title as he suggested. Well written and a very good read for woodworkers who blend both power and hand tools.


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## ThomasPittman

I agree with Ottacat, and also Sk1pp3r I guess. I have the book. To me, it was about showing how to be efficient without sacrificing quality, and that the power tool route was not always the fastest or best way. It blends both, showing that whatever works, is the best way to go. If you want to learn how to use a hand saw, you're reviewing the wrong book.


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## Kroden

Seems like you went into this book with certain expectations in mind already. So it would be easy for it to fall short of that. I listen to his podcasts, and from those alone I get the impression that he's not a hand saw guy, so I wouldn't expect that content in the book.

My understanding of what the book was meant to be, is a bunch of hand tool techniques to utilize along side machine work in order to get projects completed. So you might use a hand plane to clean something up that would normally take extra time to reconfigure a machine to do.

I bought the book, although I have yet to read it, so maybe it won't meet my expectations either


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## pintodeluxe

I have the print version, and I like the book. Just like his website he uses power tools where appropriate, but that is just fine with me. I agree with your assessment that it is geared toward power tool woodworkers who are looking to expand into more traditional techniques. For me that makes it a 4 star book. The only thing the book could have done better is focus on projects, rather than techniques.

Thanks for the review.


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## theoldfart

I would recommend Tage Frid as well. Get all three volumes.


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## CharlesNeil

I wrote a blog on it here is my take on the book. http://intheworkshop.wordpress.com/2013/12/19/hybrid-woodworking-by-marc-spagnuolo/


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## RobinR

I bought the book and it was pretty much exactly what I was expecting. I am still fairly new to woodworking and I need to know the efficient ways to do things so they look good and I can work on my skills. Along the way I'm figuring out which things I enjoy and which ones I need a faster easier way to accomplish to avoid pulling my hair out.


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## natenaaron

Seems we are all entitled to our opinions but there are folks here who want to negate Scott's. He read the book and gave his review. I find it refreshing when someone puts thought into a less than stellar review.


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## MarkDavisson

natenaaron, I agree. Those others who have read the book should post their own reviews.


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## ScottStewart

I am going to try to distill and focus my review:

There is a continuum with hand tools and power tools woodworking and I think that Marc wrote the book for where he is on that continuum. (As Mr. Neil discussed that it documents Marc's journey).

Coming from Pop Woodworking and with a title of Hybrid Woodworking, I thought this book would be significanlty more hand tool friendly.

If you have a power tool shop and want to do some things quicker and possibly more accurately with hand tools, this book is a good choice for you. (That is how I suggested the subtitle)

If you are trying to figure out where on the continuum you want to be on your journey, be aware that this book to me is not in the middle third of the universe.

Fair or not, it should also be noted that Marc's main sponsors appear to be Powermatic, Festool, and ClearVue (and those relationships were not noted in the book).


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## CharlesA

I wouldn't be too worried about his sponsors. Clearvue is one, but they didn't come out on top when he did a comparison test of cyclones. Seems like a straight shooter. He's pretty upfront-he only came to hand tools after power tools. I was also disappointed at the lack of depth on hand tools. I realized I'd rather learn about hand tools from the true believers and do my own version of hybrid woodworking.


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## thewoodwhisperer

Thanks Scott for your review and thanks to everyone else who added their opinions. As a first-time writer, your feedback is very helpful. If you did read the book, as others have suggested, please do leave a review of your own. It would be very much appreciated. Now I hope you'll indulge me a few comments of my own.

Let me start by saying that I feel my book delivers on its advertised promise. Of course, that's not to say everyone will like the book. You might disagree with the content. You might not like my writing style. You might not like me. It's all good.

When I read a review like Scott's, however, it makes me feel like we dropped the ball somewhere along the way and hopefully we can remedy the situation and avoid other folks being disappointed with their purchase. Scott is absolutely right in that the book could have been titled, "Hand tools for the power tool woodworker." I did my very best to make sure people knew that was the EXACT content of the book. For example, here's the first few sentences from my sales page:

"The primary focus of this 192-page book is incorporating hand tools into a power tool shop. Many of us have a desire to work with hand tools, but with a shop full of power tools you might not know where to begin. My goal is to incorporate very specific hand tools that enhance, not replace, our existing power tools. The concept of hybrid woodworking isn't exactly new, but I hope my approach to the topic will inspire you to be open-minded about your tool choices and perhaps we can close the gap that exists between Neanderthals and Normites."

It really does me no favors to sell this book to someone under false pretense. So it's very important to me that people like Scott understand what they're getting when they part with their hard-earned money. If the book still doesn't meet their expectations, then it is what it is. But if someone buys this book looking for hand-sawing techniques or project plans, then I have certainly failed in my mission to set the proper expectation.

Scott, it sounds like you purchased the book directly from Popular Woodworking and they actually wrote their own sales page. So if it turns out that their choice of words doesn't accurately reflect the content of the book, I will definitely put in a request to have it modified. If you want to send me a direct message about this, that's fine too.

And one last thing concerning sponsors: they had nothing to do with the book. In fact, Powermatic just became aware of the book yesterday. I've been at this online woodworking thing since 2006 and if I were in the habit of giving tainted advice to please sponsors, you guys would know about it by now.  The internet isn't exactly shy about exposing someone who is bs'ing people.


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## nailbanger2

That's why I love this site, many times I have read responses from the people who are in direct control of the things that are being discussed,and always in a classy way. Viva lj,s.


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## MarkDavisson

Marc, thank you for your thoughtful and classy response!

I have a great deal of respect for both your woodworking and business skills. You have accomplished what many others, I'm sure, only dream of.

Just my opinion: Your relationships with sponsors should have been disclosed in the book.


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## ThomasPittman

That's just ridiculous. He's talking about power and hand tools. The process of hybrid woodworking. What in the world does any sponsorships have to do with anything? He doesn't push any particular tool, nevermind brand, in the book. If you're going to say he should disclose sponsorships, explain why you think so, because I have no idea what it has to do with anything. I guess part of Marc's success, aside from his woodworking skill, is his class and skill in dealing with "hater's" because it appears no matter what he does, someone will find a way to knock him.


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## MarkDavisson

Thomas, my comments were directed to Marc. If he asks me to explain them, I'll do so.


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## ScottStewart

I reread the pop wood sale page, and I do think the book is more accurately described with Marc's description than what is on pop wood's order page. I want to thank Marc for the reasoned discussion.

In the general case, disclosure of sponsors is important because it allows the reader to understand the author's possible biases. After reading Marc's remarks, I believe the sponsor issue to be less than I intimated because this is a book more describing where Marc is on the continuum rather than a book to help a person find their own spot on the continuum.


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## woodenwarrior

As an aside, you said that you were only able to get the electronic version of the book in PDF format. If you read a lot on e-readers (I assume you do) you might want to look at downloading Calibre. Its a free e-book management program that will sync your devices, allow you to read as an e-reader in its own right and also change the format of the book you're using to sync with a multitude of devices and different formats. Just my helpful two cents…


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## ScottStewart

Great minds think alike. I tried calibre, and there is something about the formatting that when it gets transformed, the lines from the 2 columns are interspersed. I was able to read it on my wife's android fine.


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## jdh122

I agree entirely with CharlesA when he says: I realized I'd rather learn about hand tools from the true believers and do my own version of hybrid woodworking.
I'm certainly no purist myself, but Roy Underhill, John Alexander, Peter Follansbee, Mike Abbot are the authors I most enjoy reading and especially watching. 
In terms of hybrid work, Curtis Buchanan is pretty awesome too.


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