Full neanderthal or hybrid approach?

[Jason Buresh]

Curious how many people in the neanderthal haven still incorporate power tools into their work. For smaller projects I find by the time I go through machine setup and hooking up dust collection in my shop I can cut one off pieces with a handsaw. When I have a really long ripcut or a lot of repeated crosscuts though the table saw usually comes out. I have a crosscut sled I can mount a stop block to so the Miter saw doesn't get used much. Actually, my two most used power tools are the table saw and the bandsaw.

How do you incorporate power tools into your hand tool shop?

[Frederick Skelly]

I use my machines for the heavy or tedious work - preparing the stock, ripping, resawing, rough sizing. I use my hand tools for the "finesse" tasks...... If I can make a cut faster with a backsaw than I can set up a machine, I do so. I cut dovetail joints and tenons by hand, but use a machine for mortises. I (usually) cut grooves and dados with a combo plane. I really enjoy shaping tapered (square) legs with a handplane instead of my bandsaw, or shaping curves with good rasps and a spokeshave. I almost never use sandpaper before finishing - I use a #3 or #4 to pulling fine shavings (for me, around 0.002") and leave it at that.

For me, this has been a very successful approach. YMMV.

[Jim Koepke]

My three biggies in the power tool world are a bandsaw, drill press and lathe. Though a couple days ago a saber saw was used to cut off part of a shelf in setting up some of Candy's rock shop equipment.

Like Jason, a lot of simple cross cuts are easier to do by hand than setting up the band saw. Though drilling eight countersunk holes in a strip of wood to mount cleats on a wall was easier to do on the drill press.

jtk

[Stew Denton]

I use an electric drill a lot, and others like circular saws, a jig saw, routers, and sanders a little. I use my table saw some, but mostly use hand saws. The table saw is not easy to get at, as room is a major problem until a shop comes my way, but will use the table saw more when it is handier to get to and use. However, even if readily available, like it has been at times in the past, I would still mostly use it when there is quite a bit of saw work to do such as repeated cuts, as I still prefer handsaws.

I hope to add a few pieces such as a jointer, band saw and drill press when space becomes available, as these are so useful for a lot of things and I don't want to go out of my way to do a lot of grunt work by hand. Basically in the past I have used whatever is quickest, easiest, and most appropriate, given my skill level, for a given task. I will probably take that same approach in the future.

All told, I like hand tools, they don't make much dust (a significant factor for me), are primarily safer than power tools, don't make much noise, and most of the time are quick and easy to set up. Thus, all things being equal, I am more prone to normally grab a tool that doesn't have an electrical tail attached.

Stew

[Thomas Wilson]

I have two shops. The machine tool one is in a stand-alone building near the lake cabin. The hand tool shop is in the condo in the city. The hand tool shop is strictly to be neighborly about noise. I have a bench top hollow chisel mortiser in that shop because it is quieter than the regular mortising chisel. I am interested in the hand tool craft. Learning to build things in the same way as they were built before the Machine Age holds a strong appeal. I want to learn how to saw straight, use a plane for both dimensioning and smoothing, to cut classic joints using hand tools, to figure out how things were done with simple tools. It is definitely a hobby and no output from that shop is expected by Janicewhokeepsmehumble.

For production, I use machine tools. A batch of Christmas presents, a wall of kitchen cabinets, a special item needed at church, those go through the power tool shop. I can do everything faster and more accurately by machine. I like tuning my power tools to the limits of dial indicator accuracy. I like to set up the machines with jigs and holding fixtures that are faster and more accurate than hand positioning. I like small production runs of items. The challenges are different from hand tool work but machine craft for me is every bit the challenge of craftsmanship as hand tools. Speed and accuracy are dual goals. I am glad to be able to do both.

[steven c newman]

The Dungeon Wood Shop is a Hybrid one....I use the tool I feel is best suited for the task I want to do.....Don't really care how "fast" things go, shop is NOT a "production" shop. I'm just a hobbyist, working to keep what skills I do have sharp. Not really into the brand name of the tool thing, either.....most of the tools I use are older than I am...about 80% of them.

If a task in the shop is taking 1 hour to do, or 3 hours to do..doesn't really matter....as long as the task is done to the standards ( what level I have) I want....usually I try to get 3 tasks done in a session....with each task getting done before I start on the next one. Accuracy? I work with wood, and it might change a size, depending on humidity....not much sense in 0.0005" tolerances, is there....this is a WOOD shop, not a Machine ( Tool & Die) shop.

Main goal when I am in the shop? To RELAX...and maybe have a wee bit of fun...not interested in "Juried Show"sort of things....after all, I AM the Jury....

[Harold Patterson]

Jointer planer, bandsaw, drill press and router table are used extensively but hand tools are used for final fitting. Generally I use the best tool for the job however I won’t do machine setups if a simple saw cut with a hand saw will work. Hybrid all the way.

[Scott Winners]

I like the surface quality I can achieve with hand tools, but I am too old and to impatient to be thicknessing boards by hand. I tried it a few times, but I have a thickness planer and a jointer both. My lathe slays electrons. I do prefer to run my radial arm saw outdoors, it makes quite a mess in a hurry.

[Scott Clausen]

I like the safety of hand tools. I also prefer it to be quiet and less dusty. I will break out the planer and jointer if I have several boards to dimension for a project but have started dabbling with using hand planes to flatten stock. I am wanting to get my saws all tuned up this winter so they will all be ready to go. I agree that by the time I get my table saw unfolded and set up I could have just grabbed a saw and cut board faster. The plan right now is to turn my existing shop into a hand tool "den" and build a larger addition to use power tools and assemble larger projects.

[Edward Weber]

The Dungeon Wood Shop is a Hybrid one....I use the tool I feel is best suited for the task I want to do
+1
What ever will give me the desired result

[Christopher Charles]

Also definitely hybrid. For the "fine" stuff, I reach for hand tools first, but have a full complement of stationary tools for house projects that are more about getting it done. The tool chest I'm working on has been ~90% hand tools. I used a planer to thickness the drawer stock and bandsaw/tablesaw for a few other cuts, but all the joinery has been handwork. I have done several projects as 100% neander and these have been very instructive. That said, the fully, truly long term 100% neander is a rare bird I think.

[Prashun Patel]

Show me one person who would claim they are 100pct Neander…

[michael langman]

Show me one person who would claim they are 100pct Neander…


We do not have too many her on the site but I think Mike Allen1010 comes very close.

[chris carter]

The only power tool I really use with any kind of moderate regularity is the thickness planer. Taking down a whole bunch of 4/4 to ¾ is time consuming. I get one side flat and twist free and then plane the other side down to thickness. If I only have one board then I’ll do it all by hand because it’s kind of fun. More than one board, or several, is not so much fun. A couple times a year I’ll pull out the table saw if I have a project where I need to rip cut a lot of boards (like building a bench or something). Anything else basically doesn’t get used for the hobby. Now home improvement – that’s where I’ll use power tools because I’m not going to enjoy the process and I just want to get it done, and I don’t care so much about the quality of the work. That said, if there are home improvement things I can do with hand tools and get away with it, I generally will.

[Robert LaPlaca]

The Dungeon Wood Shop is a Hybrid one....I use the tool I feel is best suited for the task I want to do.....

Amen brother, agree totally..

[Mark Rainey]

Show me one person who would claim they are 100pct Neander…

I think Warren Mickley is 100% hand tool. He has talent and vast expertise. I think if you limit yourself to hand tools it really makes you get expert. Few of us do that. That is why Warren's skills are unsurpassed.

[James Pallas]

Most of my woodwork is done with hand tools. It is a hobby now and not a profession. I do believe you use the appropriate tool for the job. I’m not going to go build a house with a hand saw and a hammer. I do dislike all of the things that go with power tools, noise, dust, danger etc.. I always think like I’m going to a hazmat project when the power tools come out. I feel like most people get discouraged with hand tools because they don’t have all they need. You can not do hand planing with one plane or do hand sawing with a hybrid does it all saw. When you have the proper tools the work can proceed rather quickly. For most it is a hobby. I wouldn’t want to be tasked with cutting a hundred cabriolet legs with a turning saw but four is enjoyable.
Jim

[Prashun Patel]

Warrens skills are unsurpassed because he understands wood, construction and history, not just hand tools.

It would imho be a mistake to extrapolate from Warren or Mike that they are great because they use hand tools.

[Scott Clausen]

I have also gotten in the habit that if a board is wider than my 6" jointer I will flatten my boards using hand plane and winding sticks. I will then run that side down through the planer and flip the board for the next pass. It is quicker than making a sled and better than ripping the boards narrow and gluing back together.

[Derek Cohen]

Curious how many people in the neanderthal haven still incorporate power tools into their work. For smaller projects I find by the time I go through machine setup and hooking up dust collection in my shop I can cut one off pieces with a handsaw. When I have a really long ripcut or a lot of repeated crosscuts though the table saw usually comes out. I have a crosscut sled I can mount a stop block to so the Miter saw doesn't get used much. Actually, my two most used power tools are the table saw and the bandsaw.

How do you incorporate power tools into your hand tool shop?

Jason, it should never be a case of power vs hand. While there are some good reasons why some want to use hand tools only - such as re-enacting a historical era, working without power, working without noise, and working without money - there is no special virtue in using hand tools only.

Done well, hand and power tools compliment each other. A well-rounded woodworker knows when it is best to use one or the other.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Matthew Hills]

... and working without money ...

Did you mean that handtools are cheaper, or that one will enjoy freedom from money once you hit the slippery slope of LN/LV and all of the boutique handtool makers?

And I will echo some of the above posts -- flattening a wide board (or glued-up panel) is a very useful handtool skill to learn to complement the typical hobbyist's tools.

Matt

[Derek Cohen]

Matt, hand tools can be cheap as chips. I may have some really desirable chisels, planes and saws, but that was not how I started out. I bought Stanley planes, I had a set of Stanley yellow handled chisels, and a few Distton saws. I made tools - gauges, knives, saws, Krenov planes. These did not cost much at all. The fancy tools just are a delightful extravagance.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Jim Koepke]

… working without power, working without noise, and working without money …

Regards from Perth

Derek

My beginnings of wood working started in an attached one car garage full of many other things and little extra money. Back then finding a plane for $5 or $10 at a yard sale or flea market was common.

Often working on projects at night meant keep down the noise. There weren't many outlets in the garage. Being built in 1943 meant there was a shortage of many materials including copper for house wiring.

Hand tools were what got me started in woodworking and for me they are more enjoyable than a noisy table saw or power jointer/planer.

My bandsaw is often used for long or curved cuts. A cordless hand drill is often used for screw pilot holes and driving screws.

My electric router and circular saw gather dust.

jtk

[Mark Rainey]

Warrens skills are unsurpassed because he understands wood, construction and history, not just hand tools.

It would imho be a mistake to extrapolate from Warren or Mike that they are great because they use hand tools.

I agree with your last statement…my point is that in talented hands exclusively hand tool woodworkers can develop skills that are difficult to obtain otherwise. It is just too easy to plug in. The craft of hand tools is waning. It is special to see how efficient hand tools can be used by those few who focus on them. They guide us Neanderthals.

[Joe Bailey]

Show me one person who would claim they are 100pct Neander…

I assume you're talking strictly about tools and not things like lighting or heating the workshop.
If so, I absolutely am 100% neander. And I mean not even using a cordless drill or electric bench grinder.

Make no mistake, I have all manner of portable, electric tools (drills, miter saws, impact drivers), but these are used only in DIY work.

In the wood shop, currently in an upstairs 27' x 16' room, no power tools of any kind are used.

[Tyler Bancroft]

My bandsaw is my friend. I also use a little circular saw occasionally for breaking down stock, and a cordless drill for drilling small holes. My thickness planer, on the other hand, hasn't been used in at least two years. I'm planning on building some interior doors next year, so we'll see how my hand tool commitment holds up at that point.