# Norm vs Roy: a midlife decision



## BobD4950 (Aug 30, 2010)

Hi everyone. This is my first post. I've been reading L J for a couple of weeks and decided to sign up. I consider myself an intermediate level woodworker. Maybe I'm going through a midlife crisis, but I am seriously considering retiring all of my power tools over the coming year and replacing them with hand tools.

I have a few reasons for this:

1) Homebuilders (and my wife) work under the mistaken idea that a garage is for vehicles. It seems that they never considered I would have a table saw, router table, jointer, planer, vacuum system, etc. Consequently, I only have one outlet to work with. I'm stuck using extension cords and power strips. I could add a subpanel to add circuits but that costs money that I would rather spend on tools. I have my priorities in line 

2) Not to sound like a snob, but I think using hand tools will make me a craftsman. Using power tools makes me feel more like a machine operator. In many cases it seems like I could do a task faster and easier with hand tools.

3) Using hand tools seems safer than using a table saw, routers, and other digit removing equipment. Yes, I have stabbed my thumb with a very sharp chisel, but my wife distracted me.

4) I am not a tree hugger - being a woodworker, maybe I am - but I think eliminating the use of electrons is a responsible thing to do.

Is there anyone that has eliminated all power tools from their woodworking? Am I being stupid to consider this. I understand that the quality of my work may suffer some until I become proficient. It seems that some very nice pieces were built in the 18th century.

Any input would be appreciated.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

I think starting with hand tools is great, If you find later you want to make some things quicker use both power and hand tools.


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## knotscott (Feb 27, 2009)

Hand tools are great, but I sure wouldn't avoid power tools for the sake of doing it by hand when it's just plain easier and more efficient to do with a power tool you already have.


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

Greetings Bob,
I could never see myself giving up my power tools over hand tools. I have never been much of a hand tool guy, and having a bad back makes it even harder for me… Don't get me wrong, I think hand tools have their
place, but so do power tools…I find I can get sooo much more done faster with a tablesaw,planer, jointer, etc.
I think really it's all in what a person wants to learn and be good at…... It's a personal thing, actually. If you feel the need to give up the power tools, then by all means do so…..I kinda like having both around myself..
I've been doing this many years, and have found the need for power tools over hand tools, but that's just me…...I also think you can learn to be a good craftsman having the knowledge of both….and using both…..


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## Sawkerf (Dec 31, 2009)

Everyone has to make this decision for themselves and there isn't a right or wrong answer. Do whatever works best for you.

Personally, I've never bought into the theory that using hand tools somehow makes someone more of a "craftsman". Most of those old timers were trying to make a living and I'm sure that they embraced whatever technology was available at the time which would lessen their work load and improve their productivity.


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## BobD4950 (Aug 30, 2010)

So far I'm hearing " You can have my cordless drill when you pry it from my cold dead hand". I can understand the point of mixing power with hand tools. And yes, power tools are faster in some cases even with setup time. But speed isn't really a concern of mine. I don't do this for a living, I do it for my own relaxation. Hard to relax wearing ear protection because that router is screaming so loud. So maybe I won't outright retire my power tools yet. I'll make the move to hand tools but keep my jointer and planer just in case. I'm definitely buiding a treadle lathe in the next few months.

But I guess what I'm looking for is is it possible to build nice pieces using hand tools only and have them look as good as something built with power tools.

Can't wait to get back in the shop. The temperature is almost cool enough to get back out there without sweating all over my work.


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## Wolffarmer (Jul 14, 2009)

Hand planing saved my shoulder. At least it seemed to have helped it a lot. 
Last Nov I had my right rotator cuff fixed and I am probably one of the slow healers after that surgery. Had pain in the shoulder far longer than many others. It was painful to get things off a cupboard. Then last june i figured out how to sharpen my blades and even with the shoulder still hurting I attacked a hunk of rough maple I had for about an hour. Figured that the next day I would really be hurting. Next morning i got up and reached in the cupboard and no pain for the first since I had torn the rotator cuff almost a year earlier. I have made a bunch of curls since then ( well for me anyway ) I will just plane a board just for practice and therapy. I like having my table saw, and other power tools but also like the hand tools.

Randy


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## swirt (Apr 6, 2010)

Hand tools offer a quieter, gentler form of woodworking. It can be done. It is certainly more challenging some times. Part also depends on how much you want to produce. If your goal is to knock out 15 pieces of furniture a year as a hobby-ist, then you'll probably want to embrace electric tools more. If you are happy making only a few, then handtools only can be a real nice approach. A little time spent learning to saw to a line is a valuable skill that can save you a lot of trips to the miter saw. I used to swear by my compound miter saw. I don't think it has been used now in 2 years. Last time I used it was to cut laminate flooring when renovating my son's room when he was born. Same is true with my circular saw. Choose what feels right to you and the way you want to work. Just don't ask me to give up my band saw LOL I'm kind of on the fence about my table saw. Mine is old (1950's) and needs a complete overhaul as it no longer holds a setting and has no safeties on it at all. I toy with the idea of getting rid of it, but then every once in a while I need to rip a lot of strips for something (like slats on a chaise lounge) and I haven't found a good way to rip lots of thin slats by hand.


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## swirt (Apr 6, 2010)

added: Most people that go the way of hand tools describe it as a slippery slope because you start with one, and that opens up the idea of doing just "one more" thing by hand, and then another and another. It really is a different mindset.


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## miles125 (Jun 8, 2007)

Well to be a real purist shouldn't you use only hand tools made…..by hand?


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

#1. True, garages are under-wired for serious electrical use. This does NOT mean, however, that a well wired garage is an electrical vampire. Well wired 240v service can actually draw less amps than 120v (more efficient).

#2. "Not to sound like a snob, but I think using hand tools will make me a craftsman." Along these thoughts, why not use ONLY stone tools (no new technology metals like copper, brass, bronze, and oh yeah steel) and become EVEN MORE of a craftsman?  Human evolution involves the evolving use of tools. That is what makes us human in the first place. Each technology had their OWN "craftsmen", and modern day electrical power tool users have there "craftsmen" as well. No matter what level of technology YOU CHOOSE to become proficient in, as you acknowledge above, there will still be a significant learning curve and mistakes will be made along the way. In our hobbies, each of us is in charge of our own level of enslavement and that will not change. I think using your head through dedication to the hobby and learning from your mistakes will make you the craftsman you desire to become, NOT the tools you choose.

#3. True, as long as you leave some of those super-sharp Japanese pull saws alone. ;-)

#4. True, saving electrons is a good thing. Maybe you could also keep a horse in the backyard, instead of mowing, and then ride it to work as well. LOL!

BOTTOM LINE: The remark about level of *equipment = craftsman* probably got a lot of people's attention. It sure got mine. I have seen this in many hobbies.

Not to beat a dead horse, awh… alright let beat the horse for awhile 8^) :

A.) Garage Queen Harley Riders-Buys the Harley and never rides but spends EVERY weekend in the garage waxing it, drinking beer, and talking "Harley". I actually bought a Harley from a guy who had purchased it NEW, owned it for over a year and had ridden less than 650 miles on it! I have since ridden this bike hard, personally rebuilt it 3 1/2 times and put just under 100,000 miles on it. Am I a better biker? Maybe. Did I enjoy this bike more than the other guy? Probably NOT.

B.) Astronomy-I have 10s of thousands wrapped up in telescopes, dedicated astronomy cameras, and my own domed observatory. I know others who have added an "extra zero" (hundreds of thousand$) to their investment in the hobby in order to "be a better" amateur astronomer. I also know several folks who own just a single portable telescope who do only visual astronomy at public star parties. Which one is the better astronomer?

Check the horse's pulse, check the horse…

C.) Hang Glider Pilots-And then there were many of my HG buddies who needed the best/newest/most expensive equipment but couldn't fly worth a crap… but I digress…


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## richgreer (Dec 25, 2009)

I have definitely put more emphasis on hand tools lately, but I still do 90% of my work with power tools. I think about becoming more of a hand tool user a lot. There are some skills to be mastered to really do good work with hand tools and I agree that they are safer. I also like the idea that they are quieter.

I think if I were ever to really jump to hand tools this tool would be on my priority

list.http://www.bridgecitytools.com/Products/What's+New/Jointmaker+SW

Check the video.


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## BobD4950 (Aug 30, 2010)

Point taken guys. I don't mean to suggest that people from the NormA school (a power tool for every task) are inferior craftsman or lazy. Maybe because I'm getting older - 51 - I just want to slow things down a little.

Yes Miles, I do plan to make my own planes. I think that would be part of the satisfaction of using hand tools. Besides, how many of us can afford those L-N planes.

HorizontalMike - Horse is on order . One thing though about converting to 240V. I have run across this alot. Your statement is true as far as it goes. Converting to 240V from 120V will draw half the amps. But that does not mean that your power usage is cut in half. Power(Watts)= Amps x Volts, therefore a motor that draws 7 amps run at 120 Volts produces 840 watts of power. That same motor at 240V will draw 3.5 Amps and produce 840 Watts of power. Your electric bill will be the same. The advantage is that at 240V your motors will run cooler resulting in longer motor life. Converting to 240V will not allow you to cut that 8/4 piece of maple any easier.

Your point about evolution is well taken. While I do like to challenge myself, I don't think I want to try stone tools.

All the comments so far have really made me think over why I want to switch to hand tools.


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

I love hand tools - I always have. However, because of a demanding career in the woodworking industry and generally being a work-a-holic all of my life along with all sorts of other time constraints I have had far more experience with power tools rather than hand tools. However, now that I have my weekends, at least clear, I am working on my hand tool skills more and more and am determined to push my skills with them as far as I can.

Having said that, I will not give up my power tools either. It just means that I will hand cut dovetails instead of using a dovetail jig because I think that if they are done right then they enhance the piece of furniture, or box, or whatever. Also a wedged thru tenon is great looking in the right place. Never the less I would still cut the tenon on the table saw and the mortice by hand. I would certainly not surface lumber by hand as long as I have access to joiners and planers. I'm not going to grab my bow saw to saw a curve just to say that I did it by hand when my band saw is sitting there right in my shop. I don't have a spindle sander but if I did that is the way I would sand a curve instead of by hand.

So I guess what I am saying is that I will try to pick my projects so that they allow me the pleasure of using hand tool skills as much as I can and in an intelligent way and in a way that will enhance my work as much as possible. And, on occasion, even try to make a piece completely by hand just to learn and to keep my skills up.
So I will generally use both and would never give up either.

Of course, I am pursuing woodworking as a hobby in my home shop and not for a living so it is from this perspective that is the context of what I am saying here.


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

Rich, I'm so glad that you posted this. When I was at the Atlanta show last week I saw this saw demonstrated and it was one of the most impressive things that I saw at the whole show. Unfortunately I could not remember the name of the company; I new it was bridge-something-or-other but couldn't remember exactly.

The video that you just mentioned is true to life - I just watched it. The cuts are very smooth and accurate. It would be an ideal tool for box makers - especially for making dividers. They used all sorts of gage blocks and stops and of course all sorts of jigs can be mounted on the sliding plate.

On the bottom side I would say that this tool is probable deceptively dangerous. Deceptively, because there are no motors and rotating blades. Once you see how unbelievably sharp that blade is you will probably then understand how openly dangerous it really is. The carriage rides on ball bearing linear slides and so as quick as a wink you can push whatever is on the table through the blade. You can instantly make a cut as deep as an average dovetail in one pass, in one stroke. If you were to carelessly push that table with your finger exposed to the path of the blade it would take a finger or two off instantaneously before you were able to break the momentum of the table. I would call the blade 'scary sharp'. I would still like very much to have one, however.


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## Timberwerks (Sep 29, 2009)

I'm primarily a hand tool worker. The only power tool that I really keep in the studio is a band saw. I don't miss my cabinet saw, jointer, planer etc one bit. A drill press however is something that will always come in handy.


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

Regarding 240v vs 120v: "Your electric bill will be the same." Not really . The savings would be very small and would probably go unnoticed, but the monetary savings are there . Personally, I would think the savings would be in NOT starting a fire from overloaded extension cords running off of one circuit and the like.

Overall, it sounds like you are looking for external reasons/justifications to NOT use power tools. Just choose NOT to use power tools as NO reason is needed other than your choice/preference. Personally I spent most of my life making do with a hammer, screwdriver, and a pair of channel-lock pliers. I got tired of NEVER having the right tool and spending way too much time trying build or fix something without the proper equipment. You will find many on the LJ site that swear by and/or live by seeking out and getting the cheapest this or that or doing without. I am no longer one of those, but in the same vein I am not advocating spending the entire bank account on things either. As a fellow +50'er (58), my interests now drive my selection of the proper tools rather than the "make do" mentality that drove so much of my earlier life.


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## EEngineer (Jul 4, 2008)

…but I think eliminating the use of electrons is a responsible thing to do.

As an electrical engineer I have a real problem with this statement


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## Dcase (Jul 7, 2010)

When I set up my first shop this year I ran into some of the problems you are. However I found that updating the electric power in the garage was very inexpensive. I think I added a dozen outlets, dozen florescent lights and a few extra breakers all for less then 200 dollars. I saved a TON by researching and doing all of the work myself. Electric work is actually really easy IMO. I wouldn't let that stop you from using power tools.

I spent a lot of my extra money setting up my shop and getting the must have shop tools. When I got into woodworking on a serious level I had never planned or even considered the use of many hand tools. My dad was into woodworking and he never really used them so I didn't know much other then what I learned from him. Well as I started working on projects I discovered very fast that there was no way I was going to be able to build quality items without square and flat lumber. If I could go back I think I would have put a lot of my tool purchases on hold and I would have got a jointer. I had a lot of lumber that was rough sawed or S4S but had warped and I tried fixing with my power tools but just didn't have any luck. Finally after a lot of anger over cricked boards I decided to give hand planing a try. I picked up an old plane for like 10 dollars and got it all clean and sharp. I started cutting away and before long I was in love with it. Its very hard and takes a ton of practice (at least for me it was) but that was not an issue. As it turned out I really enjoyed using the plane. I now have 4 hand planes and I use them every single project. I reach for them before any other tool. Another thing I do with them a lot is chamfer the edges of wood. I was going to buy a chamfer bit for my router and I saw that a decent/good bit would run between 40-60 dollars. I really didn't want to spend that much on that bit. I gave it a try with my block plane instead and it worked great. I can cut a chamfer on a edge with a hand plane a lot faster then putting the bit in the router and getting that all set up and cut. Another advantage is it cuts way back on saw dust. Rather then a bunch of dust in the air from my router I just end up with nice fine shavings from the plane.

Another power tool that I don't have and cant afford right now is a band saw. I was building something that required thinner stock so I needed to resaw some of my thicker boards. I was able to do most of it with the table saw but its a little scary when working with large or small stock. So to resaw a board I now make a pass on each side with the table saw and then I finish it with a pull saw. I can cut right through the wood with the pull saw with very little effort and I enjoy doing it.. So I am in no rush for a band saw now.

What it boils down to is your preference. I think in any case you need both power and hand tools in a shop. I couldn't work without my table saw, router or drill but I can hold off on a lot of attachments or other power tools and just do by hand. I really don't think its much harder either. A nice sharp blade does most of the work for you.


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## HokieMojo (Mar 11, 2008)

I only read about 1/2 the posts, but a big factor in this would be what you plan to make. cutting endless, same sized pieces can get old fast when doing it by hand.


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## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

check out dilos projects ,
you want to do hand work ,
and be a craftsman .

http://lumberjocks.com/dilo

i would keep the 'milling' tools ,
jointer , planer , saw .

you can get to the handwork ,
and have fun quicker .


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## cranbrook2 (May 28, 2006)

Seeing as i don,t live on Gilligan's Island i,ll stick to my power tools thanks


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## JJohnston (May 22, 2009)

Are you kidding? The Professor could have cobbled together a complete, powered shop out of coconut shells and palm fronds. He just couldn't build a raft.


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

Patron, I just looked at dilos' projects and all I can say is what he does is superb, fantastic, beautiful work. It's maybe the best work that I've seen on Lumberjocks so far. Thanks for posting this.


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## BobD4950 (Aug 30, 2010)

Thanks Patron. Dilo does beautiful work. That's the kind of work I wish I had the talent to do. Maybe someday.


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## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

thanks guy's ,

*bob* ,

if you think the wife won't like you working in the garage ,

wait till she finds you working in her closet , LOL !


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## Gregn (Mar 26, 2010)

*A craftsman is only as good as his ability to use the tools he has at hand.* Power VS. Hand tools is a question we all have to answer in our own minds. I find the need to upgrade my hand tools and to incorporate the use of hand tools more into my woodworking these days myself. That doesn't mean I will give up my power tools as I enjoy them just as much as hand tools. Thats not to say that one is any better than the other or that an individual is better because of what he uses. Even old world craftsman used power in their woodworking. I wouldn't say you were being stupid, but a bit presumptuous in thinking it may be the only way to do things. I think your reasons for thinking this way stem more from your frustration of not having a dedicated work area than anything else. By all means invest in new hand tools and use them in combination of your power tools. Granted you may find yourself using the power tools less but if ever the need should arise you would still have them. Your not being any more responsible not using the power tools, yet going in the house and turning on all types of appliances for other creature comforts. Being responsible is using resources without being wasteful. Chargers and adapters and leaving on lights and TV's or radios is wasting more electrons that what your using when using power tools in my opinion.


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## canadianchips (Mar 12, 2010)

Do not be discouraged about your electrical situation.
When I moved here, my little shed has 2. 15 amp fuses.(Not breakers . fuses) I had one light in the center of building and 2 plug ins. The main panel is in the house. The entire workshop is being powered by a 20 amp breaker in the house.
THIS is what I learned quickly:
We do 1 thing at a time.
I have added extra lights using low energy bulbs.
(My table saw is the worst, I usually get to walk to the house and reset the breaker when I try cutting to thick material)
I do a lot of work with hand tools now. I have sharpened my hand saws, planes, & chisels. I really do enjoy working with these hand tools.
IN my case speed is NOT important. The other blogs all say the same thing,if you want to get it done quickly…..yada yada yada. use power tools.
Why are people in such a hurry ? I am building things for the enjoyment, time does not matter and I am relaxed. (Wood therapy)


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## BobD4950 (Aug 30, 2010)

Thanks Jarrod. I checked out that site and it seems to be exactly what I am looking for.

By the way guys, some people are getting the impression that I am just putting a shop together. On the contrary, I have full use of a 2 1/2 car garage. My wife learned awhile ago that a workshop (she still calls it a garage) is no place to park a car. It helps when I just about have her new bedroom set complete.The only thing left is an armoire. I'll get some pictures posted by this weekend of my projects and my shop.


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## mvflaim (Dec 8, 2009)

I'm 50-50 on hand and power. The only power tools I constantly use are a tablesaw, planer, bandsaw and router. Everything else I could accomplish by hand if I wanted to.

The biggest benefit for me using hand tools is hand planing vs sanding. It has been the single biggest discovery of woodworking I have ever had.


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## JasonIndy (Dec 29, 2008)

Just do what makes you happy. That is the point after all, right?


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## greasemonkeyredneck (Aug 14, 2010)

All my tools are hand tools. I have to put my hands on them to use them. Oh! That not what you meant? I'm sorry. I agree with several people here that hand tools versus power tools is a matter of choice. I have worked with hand tools most of my life (mechanic). In wood work though, I find that the typical man comes out in me. I have a habit of not just wanting a power tool, but wanting the tool with the most power. 
By the way, I'm also no expert in power use, watts versus amps, versus volts. I do know though that when I have a good month (health problems) and run power tools in my shop every day of the month, my power bill runs around $40. That aint bad in my opinion. When I first got the shop though, it had three recepticles in the entire 40×50 shop. It used to be a mechanic's shop. I run a new power box and all the wiring in that shop for less than $200. I now have plugs all over the place. I even have some that hang down from the ceiling in the middle of the shop. It wasn't hard to do. I got all my information from an electrical wiring manual I bought at Home Depot. Before that though, I had a good heavy duty cord with a power strip. I know this isn't ideal, but even though I had up to six things plugged in at a time on occasion, I was only running one of those tools at a time and never noticed any problems like power drop or anything. Now I'm NOT an electrical engineer, but I don't believe you'll hurt anything unless you plug everything in a shop like mine into that one plug and try to run it all at one time.


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## ChrisForthofer (Jan 1, 2010)

I know this was posted for the sake of discussion but my take on the subject is this, do what you want to do, its your hobby, enjoy it however you want. Whether thats the hand tool route or power tool route or a combination of the 2. I understand the garage space issue, I currently can only get one car in mine but I am working on that issue with storage (read "practice" cabinetry). My 2 cents.

Chris.


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## Quixote (Jun 9, 2008)

I have found over the years that as my skills with my hand tools have improved, so have my skills with power.

I don't think it's the tools that make the craftsman, but the craftsman that uses the tool to deliver the finished product.


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## mnguy (Feb 4, 2009)

Bob, I recommend a trip to Colonial Williamsburg to see what those folks make with only hand tools. Myself, I like my power tools, but there is room for everyone across the spectrum. I also wouldn't give up my Veritas block and low angle smoothing planes.


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## KentS (May 27, 2009)

I bet if the guys from 200 years ago were reading this, they would probably laugh that people with the tools we have would be asking this question. We want to go backwards, while more than likely, our progress with tools would truly amaze them. Would they think we we totally nuts for wanting to work as hard as the did when we have the means to do it easier?

As I thought about this thought process, I couldn't help but think about transportation. Anyone want to give up their car, longing for the good ole days. The environment would certainly be better off. Walking is good exercise, so lets all walk everywhere we go. Grow food by hand? Sure, tractors are too modern, they pollute. Cross the ocean in a row boat? If it was good enough for the Vikings, it must be better. Enjoy the journey!

My question is this-How far to you go back to find the "pure" method of woodworking. 200, 2,000, 10,000 years?

I understand the facination with hand tools as well as anyone here. If you look at my tool collection, it becomes blatantly obvious, yet I am not willing to consider giving up power tools either. I am much too goal oriented for that. I have too many projects I will never complete as it is, so I'm not going to slow myself down. Can I be a true craftsman using power tools? I think I can. Craftsmanship is about details and I'm not sure it matters how you accomplish that goal. That said, I've had multiple people working for me over the years. They often use the same tools I do. Are they craftsmen? Very few have been. I rarely see a passion for woodworking in my production shop. They are just power tool operators, not craftsmen. What I'm saying is, maybe the method is not what is the issue, but the attitude. I do a lot of personal woodworking at home. While it is much more relaxed, I am not willing to sacrifice the power tools I use daily. I will say that quality hand tools do enhance my woodworking. Using them for certain things does change my mindset, and slows me down--or maybe it really doesn't when I use them right. Again, I'm all about balance on this issue.

Bottom line--Why not both power and hand. I find they complement each other rather well.


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## LateNightOwl (Aug 13, 2009)

I LOVE my power tools! I love the whirrr and the buzz. I love the chips and sawdust flying. I love the way power tools cut and shape the wood. I love the power!

If I wanted to do slow, quiet zen work to create, I think I would take up knitting or something like that. But I would have to turn some knitting needles on my lathe first. 

I can appreciate what it means to use hand tools in the shop… or knitting needles… and I have enjoyed using those type skills in the past. I'll use hand tools when I need to in my shop, but for me, at this point in my life, I am loving firing up those machines and putting them to work.

Do what makes YOU happy. I don't really care if anyone (including myself) thinks of me as a craftsman or artist or whatever. And I don't think it is the tools that makes an artist or craftsman anyway. That comes from the soul.


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