MAGrimmett

There are as many approaches to how to do woodworking as there are woodworkers. There is room for everybody on the spectrum. Some of us like to do as much as possible with hand tools for philosophical reasons. Others have businesses to run.

If CNC processes make a wonderful piece of furniture more affordable for a customer, then the customer is satisfied, will probably come back to the woodworker, who was helped his or her business. This seems like a win-win situation to me. In past centuries, the cost of goods was expensive and labor was cheap, which allowed for a high degree of ornamentation that is not economically practical now. It's one thing for a hobbyist to spend hundreds of hours building and detailing a dream project by hand, but shops don't have that luxury. The picture of the sideboard is lovely and I know several people who would be pleased and proud to display that in their homes. That the grills were done by machine doesn't necessarily detract from its beauty. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and if the use of a CNC system allows more people to patronize a custom shop, then yes, computer driven woodwork has a place in fine woodworking. It can't be the only tool in the shop, but its utility makes it a welcome addition.

I'd also like more information on period pieces and how to build them just using hand tools. I'm always on the lookout for new handtools and would like a couple of planes to round out the collection as well as interesting obscure old hand tools.

I'd love the L/N block plane. I'm moving into all handtools-all the time and that plane would be a brilliant addition to my tools. I'd also like a shiny new Adria dovetail saw.