Full neanderthal or hybrid approach?

[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.