Improved hand tool myth.

[Jacob]

Just an idle thought brought on by contemplating various offerings such as wheeled marking gauges:
Has there been any development or improvement at all in hand tools or their accessories, since, say, 1944 when woodwork was still a major industry?
I think probably not. Lotsa gadgets and ideas but nothing of substance?
More a case of forgotten tools and lost skills?
Plenty of machine development of course, and massively labour saving.
PS have thought of one - Pozidrive and other patterns of screwdrivers and screws.

 

[Just4Fun]

Glue has improved enormously I think.

 

[thetyreman]

I like a lot of poor mans' tools for example poor mans beading tool is genius, it's just a steel screw in a round piece of wood, often gets in where no marking gauge could ever get, you can use it for beads and/or as a cheap marking gauge, I've been amazed at the amount of times it's come in handy. With modern glues, they have their place but hot hide glue was used for centuries, I don't think modern glues are as much as an improvement as we're led to believe, don't get me wrong though there's a place for PVA and epoxy.

 

[Spectric]

A woodworkers expenditure on power tools because we cannot use the traditional handtools and are always looking at the tools to improve our ability rather than knuckling down and learning the traditional skills.

 

[Yojevol]

Hardpoint saws?
Hand drills almost extinct
Abrasives - all I can remember as a kid is sandpaper and emery cloth
Aerosol sprays replacing brushes for small jobs
Glue applicators - Glubot
Electronic measuring devices (I know nothing will ever replace the ROD Jacob}

Any more? I expect so

Brian

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

Just an idle thought brought on by contemplating various offerings such as wheeled marking gauges:
Has there been any development or improvement at all in hand tools or their accessories, since, say, 1944 when woodwork was still a major industry?
I think probably not. Lotsa gadgets and ideas but nothing of substance?
More a case of forgotten tools and lost skills?
Plenty of machine development of course, and massively labour saving.
PS have thought of one - Pozidrive and other patterns of screwdrivers and screws.

Biscuit joiner
Domino
Dovetail chisels
Availability of Japanese saws
Sliding tablesaws
Routers and router tables
Tracksaw and rails
Cordless tools
Improved sanders.
Improved sandpaper, especially mesh.
Dust Collectors
European hinges
Jesus, the list is endless ...

Regards from Perth
Derek

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Hardpoint saws?
Hand drills almost extinct
Abrasives - all I can remember as a kid is sandpaper and emery cloth
Aerosol sprays replacing brushes for small jobs
Glue applicators - Glubot
Electronic measuring devices (I know nothing will ever replace the ROD Jacob}

Any more? I expect so

Brian

Garnet paper if you were really extravagant.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Biscuit joiner
Domino
Dovetail chisels
Availability of Japanese saws
Sliding tablesaws
Routers and router tables
Tracksaw and rails
Cordless tools
Improved sanders.
Improved sandpaper, especially mesh.
Dust Collectors
European hinges
Jesus, the list is endless ...

Regards from Perth
Derek

He did say hand tools, which half of them aren't.

 

[Jacob]

Biscuit joiner
Domino
Dovetail chisels
Availability of Japanese saws
Sliding tablesaws
Routers and router tables
Tracksaw and rails
Cordless tools
Improved sanders.
Improved sandpaper, especially mesh.
Dust Collectors
European hinges
Jesus, the list is endless ...

Regards from Perth
Derek

Er - hand tools only, non of those. DT chisels don't count as anybody who wanted one could file one into shape in no time.

 

[Jacob]

Hardpoint saws?

No better than normal saws really

Hand drills almost extinct

But only by power tools.

Abrasives - all I can remember as a kid is sandpaper and emery cloth

More variety. We had garnet paper way back, which is still good.

Aerosol sprays replacing brushes for small jobs
Glue applicators - Glubot
Electronic measuring devices (I know nothing will ever replace the ROD Jacob}

Who needs 'em!

Any more? I expect so

Brian

Not a lot so far.

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

He did say hand tools, which half of them aren't.

Come on, a sliding tablesaw could be a hand tool ... if you tried hard enough

Most know that I am a predominantly hand tool-oriented woodworker. But I think that the original question is doomed from the start as hand tools simply become refined. It is not an area where there is likely to be change. So why ask about hand tools? The change has come with alternatives to hand tools. That has been the growth industry.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[Ollie78]

Variety itself could be seen as the improvement, I can now choose between Japanese saws ( I like them a lot ) and western style, same with chisels and almost every tool.
I don't know what Jacobs problem is with wheeled making gauges, I like them.

You could argue that there was a different kind of variety in the first half of the 20th century with many different makers in Sheffield all competing for your money.

I certainly think abrasives are much better now than even 10 years ago.

Ollie

 

[Yojevol]

No better than normal saws really

Don't have to sharpen them, now a consumable

But only by power tools

Quite

Who needs 'em!

I do (apart from the glubot)

 

[Ozi]

Does a laser count as an improvement on a chalk line, not sure if it counts as a hand tool in this case, same for digital inclinometer and vernier much easier to read and can be offset

 

[Ollie78]

Does a laser count as an improvement on a chalk line, not sure if it counts as a hand tool in this case, same for digital inclinometer and vernier much easier to read and can be offset

I think a laser should count, it is both a chalk line and a spirit level in one.

Ollie

 

[Daniel2]

Hmmm.... I think most of you have mis-understood the point of
Jacob's original post.
In the past, more was achieved in far less a time with far fewer
'tools' than we have available today.
Therein lies a very pertinent question.

 

[Spectric]

In the past, more was achieved in far less a time with far fewer
'tools' than we have available today.

Does that show they had more stamina, just worked harder or just all round skills with stamina and able to work harder and for longer. So are we becoming softer and more laid back than our ancestors and hoping automation and tools will give us easy lives. Logically with power tools we should be a lot more productive but perhaps our ancestors overcame this by having more people working on a job and getting it done. Just think back to when they turned trees into planks with nothing more than a large two person saw !

 

[MikeK]

I don't think most missed the point. I don't think the question is relevant any more than one would ask why there hasn't been much development on 5-1/4 inch floppy disc drives since the mid-80's. Technology and techniques move forward and those who don't move with it might be left behind.

I built houses and barns in the early 1970's mostly with hand tools because we worked in unimproved areas. It sucked, but we got the job done and the houses were as fancy as we could manage by harvesting the lumber on site. As soon as we started working in areas with running water and electricity, we were able to buy dimensioned lumber and the power tools came out. I hardly ever touched a handsaw again and I never again hauled logs out of the forest by tractor.

I wonder if Jacob's question rephrased for 30 years in the future would ask what happened to the Domino, track saw, P/T, electric drill, and so on as CNC, LASER, and 3D printing dominate the shop space.

 

[Dibs-h]

More variety. We had garnet paper way back, which is still good.

Once you've used Abranet (and it's clones) there really is no going back to anything paper-backed.

 

[Inspector]

Hmmm.... I think most of you have mis-understood the point of
Jacob's original post.
In the past, more was achieved in far less a time with far fewer
'tools' than we have available today.
Therein lies a very pertinent question.

I think it is a thread to create argument and not add knowledge. Any tool you like and suggest will just be a launching platform for the "just do it my old way" argument that is at the heart of all his posts. Try to disagree and get pounded and worn down with the same repetitive replies. Can't teach an old dog new tricks.

Pete