Hand tools only?
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I too am now mostly hand tools but I am considering a bandsaw. My brother on the other hand has every major power tool- table saw, thickness planer, jointer, dovetail jig, router and I think they make sense for high volume/ production work. we tried to make a canoe paddle, squared the shaft on table saw, then used router to try and create a nice round. ended up burying the router into the shaft. (Next one, it’s drawknife and spokeshaves). Working by hand I find I get ‘lost’ sharpening, flattening, sketching, planing, creating, handsawing, not that I lose concentration, but more so ‘becoming one’…. Certainly would not ( and have not in the past) felt that type of attachment over the drone and whine of a electric router or thicknesser while being stifled with a dust mask. Just my 2 cents
Brian J., Thanks for keeping this post going. There’s a lot of members who should take a little time and add their experiences to this thread.
I’ve been renovating my house (while living in it for the past two years) room by room primarily with hand tools. An electric drill has been the only power tool I use in the house. The reason this had to be done by hand was because the dust and debris that the machines create would have permeated every inch of the living spaces. Whilst I do have a table saw, planer and joiner in my garage I used them very little. Hand sawing and planing in the house without a table and vise was difficult but do able. I did get a bench built and now could use a second work table plus tool storage cabinets.
Is it a slow process? Yes indeed. But seeing a room where you paneled the ceiling, made the flooring, wall paneling, window frames, book shelves, doors and cupboards from wood you worked is more than inspiring. I have done a lot of construction work with wood over the years but refining one’s skills into an art form is what I get out of Paul’s lessons. This course is teaching not only hand woodworking but being a creative artist also.
Hand tools are an extension of our own hands connected through to the eyes and the brain. Our hands exercise direct control over the tools and into the work. Power tools get in between us and our work. The physical and mental control required to use power tools inevitably separates us from the work to the point where we are merely attending the machine that is actually doing the work for us.
The machine production argument will always be made when it comes to the numbers game. But I have never played a single computer cut production made guitar that ever sounded like a finely crafted hand made one. Remember, all of the finest woodwork done since ancient Egypt right up to the Eighteenth century was accomplished with hand tools only. Those of us who want to continue this tradition are in good company with those who preceded us. Should we say: ‘Machines in moderation, hand tools whenever possible’?
Joe B.
10 December 2013 at 3:59 am #23451Of the projects that I have done over the last two years, where I have chosen to use hand tools, all have been gifts, and have been some of the most memorable and rewarding work that I have ever done. As Paul recently suggested in one of his blogs, when you make something for someone else, it seems to bring life to it. This is the work that I get “lost” in and find most fulfilling.
I do however have a pretty good collection of power tools, and I do use them when I do the bulk of my woodworking. The outdoor furniture that I make and sell would be impossible to make “profitably” without them. But I am finding that I am choosing my handtools more frequently to do certain tasks rather than going through the process to set up a machine. When I do find myself “lost” in the power tools, it is usually with safety glasses & earplugs, and I am usually thinking about the next “hand tool” project that I am wanting to make.
I was just thinking about this very topic as well. I’m fairly new to woodworking and seem to have aquired a lot of power tools even though I wanted to stick with primarily hand tools. Its funny, I only bought three machines last year, thickness planer and band saw and palm sander and that was before I found this website. But was given a Table saw/jointer, router, table top drill press, portable drill and chop saw. I work out of my garage and don’t have the room for these machines, but I can’t get rid of them either. Most were gifts, the table saw come from my wife’s great uncle. Its a cool machine, built in the 1940’s by Delta/Milwauke by Rockwell manufacturing.. Apparently all the companies were the same at one time? the band saw is a small 12″ atlas saw, made in the 50’s. I think these old machines are a delight to use. If I use any of the machines its the thickness planer, table saw and band saw. All of which Iuse as if they were rough milling machines. I did use the router, for some edge profiling on some Christmas gifts, because the router was a gift from my brother and sister, and there is always the sound of disappointment from them when I don’t mention the use of it. And truth be told, I’m afraid I’m going to loose my finger tips from a mishap with it.
As most with others here, I get lost in working with hand tools. Its a creative outlet.. and working in a cube farm, for a living, just doesn’t provide any creative outlets for me….lol
Franco… building my bench with all hand tools was a great learning experience for me. I think you will really get the taste for using hand tools when you do this. It was a great early project for me because of the variety of tools and techniques that come into play, and obviously it is so critical to have a good bench.
That’s great everyone. Thanks for adding your experiences. I think it is very helpful, particularly for us newcomer’s, to have these reassurances, and to know that most people go through similar constraints, doubts, and concerns when starting out.
It reminds me of when I began playing the guitar. When I couldn’t do something, it was always because I never had the right pick, the right amp, effects pedal, a good enough guitar, etc. I think I am going through the same phase with learning this new set of skills.
Hopefully the bench-build will push me along a little. Although, with only one leg-mortice chopped so far, it may some time. The end result will be worth it though.
10 December 2013 at 10:18 am #23471I have a band saw and find it incredibly useful but I have space, even in a shop smaller than 5x3m, and the convenience of having the shop at the bottom of my garden. The reason I bought one (and am on the lookout for a planer/thicknesser) is because I loathe milling timber by hand. I do it when I have to, or when it will take me longer to set up the band saw than it will to rip the board with a hand saw, but I get no satisfaction from it and want to avoid it altogether. It’s doing the joinery by hand that I love.
My band saw actually broke just last night so is out of action until I can source replacement parts. It’s a pain but not the end of the world – I just took a hand saw from the rack and used that instead. I was only making a dozen or so cuts in thin stock so didn’t take long. The machine would have done it quicker because I’d done loads of similar cuts at the weekend so the right blade was already installed. All I needed to do was tension the blade with the quick-release lever, turn the machine on and run the boards through. When using the lever, however, one of the tensioning components sheered itself in half rendering the machine utterly useless. Hopefully replacement components won’t be too expensive or take long to arrive!
Personally, my approach will be using machines for milling components, then hand tools for all the joinery.
George.
10 December 2013 at 12:07 pm #23476I’m with George on this one: mill the components on machines and do the fun bits by hand. It makes perfect sense when your shop time is extremely limited.
Hi Franco,
I’m going the hand tools way simply for the main reason of safety . I started out trying to use machines but every time something was wrong and the cuts or drill holes or whatever were off.also there were a lot of occasions where I had near misses of rotating power tools just barely missing my fingers. I even started to build a home built table saw. After reading and seeing about possible dangers of those machines (kickbacks and chopped off fingers) I’m now happily going the hand tool way. Thankfully I found Paul Sellers in time before I started to get body parts missing…
I have no schooling in the manner nor do I have the space to put large machines.
I’m still setting up shop and have yet to build a bench which will be definitely a Sellers type. At the moment my ‘bench ‘ is an old table and a b&d workmate set up where I have space left. It’s always great fun chasing the workpiece on the workmate while planing…The few things I managed to produce so far are a dovetail box and a ‘hesp stand ‘. Both are too hideous to show anybody willing to see them but my skills are ever increasing, right now I’m working on my first ‘free ‘ commissioned project:a custom picture frame for my mom.
Adding to the safety aspect is also important to note that hand tools produce very little dust. Where I’m working a few metres away the laundry is hanging to dry. Also I manage to produce excellent grade fire starters. Usually when I’m fooling around “working ” wood (chasing the piece around) there just happened something wrong and I’m busy cursing myself for beeping such an idiot… Cue the significant other :”Hi honey, I’m home! What are you doing? ” *kiss* Me (swallowing my last self encouraging notes to self) :”nothing, just making more fire starters! ”
At that point you get that mocking pityfull look and you know that The next time you see her friends they’ll know …
At least you don’t get any complaints about the loundry!Oh I do get cuts in my fingers but nothing serious it just shows that I managed to sharpen right 🙂
Hmm maybe a bit too much self criticism here…
DiegoBrian,
I have an assortment of power tools myself and have made many a project with them. I was in the process of learning new techniques and how to build new jigs and fixtures to augment the use of these tools when I came across Paul Sellers and this web site. Although I still use my power tools because of a lack of skills with hand tools, I find myself using the power tools less and less for just the reasons you have stated. I no longer look for the latest power tools or the newest ways to cut something on my table saw. Hearing the soft sound of that rip saw is much more relaxing. The sound of the plane cutting and listening to the wood as Paul would say is as soothing as soft music. Now I look for ways to use my hand tools and have found that the satisfaction I get from making something completely by hand is so much more thorough.Diego,
That’s funny stuff. I’ve told many times how I try to make something presentable to friends or family, but if I fail it’s still useful to keep us warm while undertaking my next attempt… Actually I was looking to build a “Spill Plane” I’ve found that I don’t need to make fire starters on purpose.. 🙂10 December 2013 at 5:38 pm #23534hand tools only for me when i started this journey called Masterclasses i sold most of my machinery (floor standing morticer, table top bandsaw, table top planer,) for the simple fact i liked to take the easy route,but now i’d rather spend a little longer with a gauge and a bench plane and all my fingers ,but i must admit i still have a small table saw which i use from time to time as i did yesterday when i had to rip a 2.4 m length of pine for my daughters new house yes i could of done it with a rip saw but as i said i will take the easy route if i can (sometimes) but i still had to take the table saw into the garden as i didn’t have enough space to run it through in my tiny 9×14 shed
10 December 2013 at 6:24 pm #23539A few years back I used to do a lot of game shooting… Mainly wildfowl, rabbits and such. Earlier this summer I decided it time to quit as it was becoming very expensive and a lot less rewarding.
Woodworking was something I have always wanted to pursue, and has been for many years, ever since I was a school boy in fact. One of the most vivid memories I have was woodwork and how much I enjoyed using the wood lathe in class. It’s one of those memories that’s will stay with me forever I think.
So, earlier this summer I decided to sell my shotguns and shooting gear and reinvest money from the sale in some power tools.
I purchased a bandsaw, thicknesser planner and a wood lathe. That was before I had heard of Paul Sellers or Woodworking Masterclasses.
Having only discovered this website, this community and Paul approximately six weeks ago now, I’m having some BIG regrets on my power tool purchase. I wish I had been less eager back in the summer and waited a while longer and invested that money in hand tools… Which I still need to buy by the way. Through shear ignorance and no knowledge of woodworking at all I thought that if I buy the right tools I’ll be able to make anything… How wrong was I. The dumbest thing of all is, I don’t even know how to use them properly.
I wish I could turn back the clock just a few months and start over.
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