Power tools spoil the fun?

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

1. Have cheap and plentiful power tools taken away the fun (and/or skill) in hobbiest woodworking? or the opposite?

2. Are people looking for a finished item for their satisfaction or enjoying the actual process of the build?

3. What satisfaction is there to be gained from a power tool set-up type of exercise (or do people tend to combine power and hand tools? - if so, in what proportion?)

Hi Tony

I think that your question is really aimed at hobbiests (like myself) rather than the pros, since the issue is whether woodworking is an artistic outlet for many, and whether handtools are more likely to facilitate this that power tools can.

Like most hobbiests, I started woodworking with power tools (about 30 years ago). This was because (1) it was easier - I lacked handskills, (2) it was easier - it required less physical effort with power tools, (3) it was quicker (you thought I was going to say "easier", didn't you ) with power tools, which was important because we were renovating a house, or needed a bed, or something relatively urgent.

Contrast this with those who complete an apprenticeship - they are more likely to use hand tools first, master them, then move to power for the sake of efficiency so as to remain competitive.

While there are no doubt many aspects about woodworking that provide pleasure for hobbiests, I have this belief that most dedicated power users slowly gravitate to hand tools as they gain confidence in their knowledge and sufficient dexterity to use such tools. That is not to say that all will inevitably use handtools - some I know become ever more entrenched in more complex and expensive power tools - but they at least incorporate some handwork as the limitations of power tools for detail work becomes evident.

In my own workshop I have and use both hand- and power tools. I like to think of myself as predominantly a handtool user. However, I must acknowledge that I could not (and would not choose to) forgo my drill press, bandsaw and lathe. I seem to use my tablesaw increasing less and less, I hardly ever use my routers and router table. By contrast, I recently bought a thicknesser (but still do not have a jointer).

I get my pleasure from using handplanes, spokeshaves and, especially, chisels. This is probably seen to be a luxury by the pros who are production-orientated. I am no longer in a rush to complete things (as I was in my early days), although I do manage to get projects done as quickly as ever.

I am sure these comments may be echoed by a dedicated power user, which just goes to show that there are no absolutes in life.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[Anonymous]

Like many of the posters above, I attempt to make a living from woodworking. Most of my work basically consists of making boxes (cabinets) with framed and panelled doors, drawers, or a combination of the two.

Now I can appreciate the pleasure gained from crafting your dovetailed drawers by hand, indeed I've done it myself many times in the past, but would anyone out there seriously consider making a raised and fielded panelled door entirely by hand if there was a router table, spindle moulder, or even table saw available?

Ultimately, for me anyway, the satisfaction comes from a job well done, a unique design succesfully realised, a complicated construction puzzle solved, a happy client, and yes, a banked cheque!

The route to this satisfaction is, to me, of secondary importance. If I'm making a table, I may well cut the mortices and tenons by hand, as it's not really any slower than using power tools when you take into account the time involved in setting up. More than one table (I recently had to make 22 identical ones for a pub) and a little production line really becomes essential.

Similarly, if I am hanging a door with butt hinges, I will let them into the door with a sharp chisel rather than go to the bother of setting up a router and making a jig. If I was hanging a whole kitchen of doors, however, I wouldn't even consider doing them by hand.

The thing is, I get just as much job satisfaction from seeing all those kitchen doors hanging neatly in their frames after being routed as I do from the one I have done by hand.

The pint of Guinness that that pub landlord handed me after delivering his machine-made tables tasted just as sweet as it would have done if I had made them all by hand and delivered them a fortnight later!

It's not just about time and money, though. If I was a hobbyist with a workshop in my shed, I think that I would still want to have all the powered assistance that I could at my disposal, even if I didn't use it all the time. I (and others) do experience a particular thrill and exilleration from owning and using these loud and potentially dangerous boys' toys! :lol:

And for that, I guess, we should blame the unnassuming Norm. :norm:

Cheers
Brad

 

[engineer one]

surely the whole point is unless you know how to use both, you cannot chose to use the tool which is best for the actual job.

for instance for a one off, many power tools require too much set up time, so if you can do it by hand, then do, whereas for production work the time is worth spending if it speeds up the overall job.

i do however think that the are areas where there has been a cross over from power tools to hand usage. for instance, because routers can only really cut in one plane at a time, it has become practice to either use a number of cutters to make a moulding shape, or indeed make it out of a number of built up sections, where as often a complex hand tools was originally used, but i am sure that now, many people would chose the built up route, but made by hand.

inevitably in any industry the introduction of power tools changes things, but after a period those who have the experience of using both types will alternate to get the most "cost/time benefit".

paul :wink:

 

[woodbloke]

My take on this one is varied. As an amateur hobbiest worker its very easy to get sucked into the maelstrom of buying just about every power tool there is, you only have to go into one of the sheds or leaf through the Axminster catalogue to see that a power tool can be bought for just about any woodworking application, I think it really depends on where you draw the balance. I use a range of power tools, both hand held and static and it depends on what I am doing.

Power tools are essential for some jobs (how would you cut your own veneers without a decent bandsaw?) but much can be done completely without the use of power tools (furniture by Sidney Barnsley from the begining of the 20th century being a case in point - entirely made by hand) It is also interesting to constuct a piece or joint for example that can't be done by machine such as a birdsmouth mortice and tennon joint.

The finished item is unquestionably the thing that gives the most satisfaction, but almost as much is the journey, striving to make the job as good as you can make it. It will never be perfect, but just as long as its the best that you can do and recognizing where the errors are is important - that way you can hopefully overcome them and make the next piece better than the current one - Rob

 

[Fishmat]

I feel it is very much a matter of personal opinion. Quite often, power tools can destroy a workpiece anyway, especially in the hands of the inexperienced. If woodwork were my hobby(it is my job) my rule would be 'power tools for rough cuts and hand tools for the finishing'

One thing to remember from a practical point of view is to 'keep your hand in'. Don't rely fully on power tools or you lose your touch.

 

[Anonymous]

Agreed on the power/hand balance. To say that only

hand tools are 'real' tools and the others are somehow vulgar or otherwise undesirable

I don't think anyone did. I certainly didn't.

But if you are going to reject them just because they're modern, does that mean you'd prefer your dentistry done with a treadle drill and no anaesthetic?

I find this kind of answer dissapointing, I was hoping for thoughtful repsonse not silly comparisons.

I am not, and do not reject power tools and neither does anyone else here as far as I can tell

My questions is aimed at amateurs who do this stuff for fun, not professionals trying to make a living.
My musing is really to ask if people find it is often be more fun to use hand tools more often and learn some skills rather than simply set up a machine

 

[Anonymous]

Well, I cut some tenons by hand today rather than on the table saw for shoulders and bandsaw for cheek cuts as I usually do.

Took the same amount of time, the finished shoulders did not require any clean up after the saw cut (usually require a little tidying with the shoulder plane after the tablesaw)

Much more enjoyable throughout the pricess and the finished result was more satisfying too

Be interested to hear more comments from members (particularly those who do this for fun rather than to earn a living)

 

[tiler99]

Today i was in the workshop and used a router and a hand rebate plane to tweak a few tenons. I enjoyed both, i was amazed at the ease of making the tenons by table router and also putting a groove along a rail with a hand router. Then i picked up the rebate plane which did give a satisfying feeling to feel the wood shavings being removed.
What i dont like is when the power tools are always used just because they are there. It was easier for me today to grab a hand saw to cut some 6mm ply than it was to plug the table saw in.

 

[PowerTool]

My introduction to woodworking was at secondary school,back in 1976.
Made a box with through dovetails.Made a box with housed dovetails (all done by hand with school tools,and still have both of them)
Made a small table (which my parents still have) to learn about mortise and tenon joints.When you had proved you could do them by hand,you were allowed to do the rest using the morticing machine.

I have a reasonable collection of power tools,and an adequate (for my needs) selection of hand tools.When hanging doors,I do the hinges by hand,not with a router;when I fit the locks,I use a cordless drill,not a brace-and-bit.

So for me,it depends to some extent on the scale of the job - the table saw gets used for ripping;unless I have a lot of repetitive cuts to make,crosscutting is done with the handsaw rather than one of my mitre saws.For rounding edges,I use the router table rather than a handplane.

But I still get an enormous sense of satisfaction from making well-fitting joints by hand

Andrew

 

[Paul Barrett]

Perversely, I get a sense of satisfaction from doing something easily with a power tool that I now will have have taken time to do by hand - which means that you have to know how to do it by hand to get that sense of satisfaction.

Maybe it's thd calculator principle. I have seen peope use calculators to produce some obvioulsy stupid results. If you are capable of mental artithemetic you can see when a calcustor's result is way off - you have an innate sense for it.