Which phrase best describes your use …
user-1119429039
| Posted in General Discussion on
Which phrase best describes your use of hand tools?
- They’re all I use
- I use them for everything but dimensioning lumber
- I use them to prep surfaces and trim joints
- I use chisels a lot, handsaws and planes occasionally
- I hardly ever use hand tools
- Other (post in Knots)
You will not be able to change your vote.
Replies
I use hand tools where every they are necessary. Most of the time it is easier to grab a hand saw and do something than it is to set up the table saw and the cross cut fence.
Kaleo
http://www.kalafinefurniture.com
http://www.kaleosworkshop.com
David,
I gotta tell ya those damn recalcitrant handtools are the bane of all woodworkers. Ya gotta sharpen 'em all the time! The planes beg to be fettled and chisels chip at the site of a knot.
Then to top it all off, they require a bench with all manner of jigs, fixtures and all those little dogs all over the place causing holes all over the nice bench. Besides that they all want their very own space so's they don't get to bickering during the night and damage themselves. Then its even more work to make 'em happy.
Ya gotta measure everything cause you can't just take the measurement off the taped on ruler like the one on my tablesaw. They ain't no good on plywood neither.
I think it's a conspiracy too. They're like potatoe chips, betcha can't eat just one. Once you start down that slippery slope there ain't no turnin back. And it'll cost ya a bundle to get all that rusty old crap too!
So I say to heck with all that junk! Besides, like Tim the Toolman says, "If it ain't got lotsa horses under the hood, what good is it?" Power tool users unite!Send all them handtools up to the landfill and I'll see to it there prpperly disposed of.
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Edited 2/26/2008 8:33 pm ET by KiddervilleAcres
Edited 2/26/2008 8:48 pm ET by KiddervilleAcres
Edited 2/26/2008 8:49 pm ET by KiddervilleAcres
"Send all them handtools up to the landfill and I'll see to it there prpperly disposed of."
Or, if you prefer, send them to ME, & I'll take care of it for ya.
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA
The biggest problem I have with power tools is that if you don't have the work completely secured before you begin, and it's small enough to be thrown, it WILL be thrown. I have a scar on my left elbow made by a triangular piece of 4/4 pine created while trying to cut a miter on the end of a 1 by 2. There are probably dents in the walls of the garage as well. Ever since then, I alway cross cut or miter cut through a larger board bolted to my table saw slide.
Man. I'm in the tiny minority of "Other". Always knew I was a bit odd. ;-)
Sometimes the job would be easier with a power tool, but I just wanna "feel the wood" while using a hand plane; or I use a mortising chisel instead of the mortiser just 'cause I feel like pounding on something; or I use a handsaw just to keep/hone the skill of cutting to a line.
Sometime I use hand tools 'cause they're quicker, or because you can't do a job practically with a power tool (like cleaning up square corners left round by a router).
Sometimes I use a hand tool 'cause it's in easy reach of my hand at the bench, and the power tool is on the other side of the shop, in a cabinet or systainer.
Sometimes I use "hand tools only" on a project, start to finish, just because I had some Zen-like impulse when starting a piece to make it without plugging in.
Sometimes I use a hand tool because it gives me more control over a delicate operation.
Sometimes I use a hand tool because I'm not near a plug and I don't wanna untangle the extension cord.
Bottom line: I use hand tools whenever I feel like it. I like being just as comfortable with my work iduring a power outage as I am when I can plug in. ;-)
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
A vote for other. I use whatever tool is right for the job at hand, sometimes it's power, sometimes it's a hand tool, sometimes it's a combination of both. Who cares what you do it with, you get paid for the finished project not the shavings on the floor.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
Hadn't thought about it much until the other day when I picked up a hand drill that had been my fathers, and I used as a boy. Realised that my father had died 24 years ago that day. Looked around the shop to see all the tools that used to be "ours". Often times it's just the mood I'm in, or the right tool for the job. Lots of hand planes, many old wooden ones. Chisels, all sharp and ready to use; plus I like the relaxation that comes with simply spending some time sharpening. There is a nice variety of power tools as well. Nothing better to cut a full sheet of 3/4" plywood than a large table saw with extension tables. Yet still love the serenedy of fine-fitting a jewelry box drawer with a hand plane.
Short answer, depends on my mood and the task at hand.
butch
What I appreciate in any tool is precision, be it a hand tool or a power tool, basically if my cuts are square and my surfaces are perfectly flat I am happy. Any tool that does what it is supposed to is worth the extra dough.... I have recently made the switch to Festool and I can not tell you how happy I am. Sure they are expensive but you can not put a price on precision. They can even make sanding a pleasure. On the other hand I purchased a new Porter-Cable Router in July for my router table. It turns out it had a huge amount of runout and could not turn a small panel bit without rattling itself off. I sent it back to PC and since have received 3 new motors each of them having a ridiculous amount of runout. Now I have a useless router that cost me 200 bucks, so spend 400 once and know you have a quality tool.
Back to the discussion, I do have some nice hand tools, but I love a good power tool.....
John
I spend most of my time working, and don't have much control where my efforts are placed. I work with wood to relax. I find that I enjoy working with, maintaining, sharpening, or sometimes just looking at my handtools. If I didn't enjoy it I would do something else. I love my power tools just as much, and to be honest, they take just as much time to set up, maintain, etc. . and take up a whole lot more space in my workshops. If you have any tools that are aggrevating you, please feel free to send them to my newly established "Home for Wayward Tools". I will see that they are cared for with love and respect.
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