I am building Bill Schenher's split top saw bench with mostly hand tools (Billy's Little Bench). I wonder who first came up with the design. Schenher states up front it was not he, but his plan is the oldest I found when was looking to build something like this. This is from 2013. If you know of an older plan, I would like to give it credit.
I am only able to duck into the Cave of the Modern Neanderthal for an hour here and there. I am spending a lot of time watching the construction of the new power tool woodworking shop at Norris Lake. Several weeks ago, I was able to plane the lumber square and to cut two dovetails for one side of the bench. Another weekend, I had an hour before a concert. So I marked and sawed the tails for this dovetail. The next morning I thought I had enough time to clear the waste and then cut the matching pins before I left for the lake house.
Now, Billy's saw bench involves big, sturdy dovetails that give good practice and are a good test of sawing accuracy because the wood is 1.5 in thick. I am using David Barron's dovetail guides as an aid to accuracy. I thought I was doing great--nice clean sawing, clearing the waste without crushing the baseline. Then, I took an actual look at the shape of the "tails". Hahahaha! These are nice big, sturdy tails but I won't be able to hammer this joint home. Oh well. I need to keep my head in one place to build things.
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Some people take on the hand tool approach for authenticity of the craft ort o figure out how their grandfathers built stuff with the tools they inherited or just for the challenge of it. For me, it is to build stuff quietly in an apartment. I am using a rubber mallet and I put a draw liner pad under my sacrificial board when I am chopping. I have no reluctance to use various guides and modern tools when I can do more accurate work with hand tools. There is no historical authenticity and there is a minimum of skill in my projects. I will happily tell you if a guide on a plane helps a beginner with planing a square edge (it does) or whether a dovetail saw guide is helpful (it is). These devices are little different to me than a bench hook or a shooting board or a miter box. If it helps me, I use it.
I am suffering imposter's syndrome when I post things here. It is all about telling a good story and getting a response. Have a great day and may all your dovetails have an airtight fit.