Bowis

My answer is "it depends". I get very little satisfaction out of things such as sharpening, dimensioning lumber, sanding, and applying that 5th coat of varnish. However, I get a great deal of satisfaction from design, lumber selection, component layout, joinery, and finish planing. So I invest in as much big iron and automation for the tasks I don't enjoy so I can spend more time on the parts I do enjoy.

Just one point of clarification (since I attacked the notion of buying purely based on country of origin). I don't own a single hand plane that wasn't made in the U.S. or Canada. But those decisions were made based on buying the best quality tool I could afford. My LN smoother is probably my favorite hand tool, but I also own a post-WWII Stanley #4 that is a virtual piece of garbage. Both made in the same country, but with widely varying quality. My point is, evaluate on quality and value, not country of manufacture. I know a lot of beginner woodworkers that can't afford a $300 plane, so if Wood River can offer them something of usable quality at half the price, this will only help to drive competition, innovation, and build our craft.

I think there is a little too much emphasis on copy-catting here. Most handplane manufacturers (Lee Valley excluded) make no bones about basing their designs on the Stanley patterns. The patents on those planes expired long ago, and many woodworkers look for tools that are familiar to them, that they know how to tune and use. There is no harm in that strategy, nor infringement on any patents.

That being said, I take exception to the folks condemning the purchase of non-US tools. It is that exact mentality that got the US auto industry in hot water. That sort of anti-competitive behavior leads to a stifling of innovation and quality over time. Buying a product simply because of it's country of origin is fine, as long as you think of it as a charitable donation, not a sound purchase.

I would submit that Canadian Lee Valley has thought outside the box, and developed higher quality tools of their own design, that are even better value for the money. Ever use a Stanley or LV shoulder plane? LV revolutionized the design by adding a swiveling knob to save your knuckles from shredding on the tenon shoulder with each stroke. Just because they are made in Canada, I'm not going to deprive my shop of a higher quality, higher-value tool. But if you consider your bloody knuckles a badge of patriotism, then more power to you.