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Neanderthal vs. neo-neader vs. mixed shop vs. oh, nevermind....
Will the real hand tool woodworker please stand up?
Is he the old-world luthier, the blogging hobbyist, the amish man, the period reproductionist, the advanced master of all tools, the African laborer, or the traditional village craftsman?
I recently posted in this blog asking about the number of hand tool woodworkers in the world. Basically, I framed the question in as strict a manner as possible without excluding myself. (Excluding myself would be really dumb, now wouldn't it?)
It seems that the number is certifiably small, but quite unknowable. My guess was as few as one thousand worldwide as I defined the question. There are two groups I didn't take into account that could inflate the numbers considerably. First those who may practice hand tool woodworking for reasons of community/religious constraints such as the Mennonites and Amish. Also, in certain European, and Asian countries, there may also be a significant number of non-english speakers who continue old woodworking traditions apart from European and American traditions.
Frankly, the question is interesting, but somewhat pointless. We aren't talking about politics, religion, or your mother here. This is woodworking, and not even a livelihood any more for most of us. It is a hobby, therapy, pass time, what have you, but not something most of us have any reason to be dogmatic about. If you want to argue, then there is always the history of woodworking or the merits of a particular wood or tool steel.
What I would like to point out through this site is not that hand tool woodworking is inherently superior to power tool woodworking. I just want to point out the merits of hand tool woodworking as a hobby and why it is appropriate for a lot of people today. I want to lower the bar of entry and expose more people to the craft of hand tool woodworking.
How you set up your shop and what tools you use is up to you. Here's hoping you make better informed decisions regarding your shop because of this site and the sites it links to.
Most of my work is done by hand tools. But why? Several reasons:
1. Most of my work is done either on the weekends with my kids in the 'shop - they are 5 and 3 and power tools and kids don't mix
2. The 'shop is located right under the kids' bedrooms - sleep and power tools also don't mix.
3. As well as being noisy, power tools tend to be dusty - vaucuums and dust extractors make more noise again.
4. Usually my projects are modest in scale, so hand tools are often quicker.
5. Usually I don't have a major deadline for my projects, so if hand tools take lionger, it's not a problem.
6. I often feel that I have put more of me into the project if I have used more hand tools.
That said, I find a table saw and a drill press very useful and sometimes I prefer a router to a plough plane, especially if there are a lot of trenches (dadoes) to cut. If I am finishing with lacquer, I spray using a spary gun.
Some of my preferences are "irrational" - it prefer to use a Yankee spiral ratchet screwdriver to an electic screwdriver - it just works for me.
Sometimes I use an 'old' tool in a new way - not a tool, but I use hide glue, but I have an electric coffee pot warmer plate to put under the glue pot to keep it "just right".
So my shop is 'mixed' - I burn electrons quite often, but I tend to use hand tools more than what appears to be the average. But, if I had a jointer and a planer, I would use them too.
However, if you were to categorise my work, most people would say I used hand tools.
I don't think that I am atypical to most of the hand tool users in the Western world.
May I put my hand up as a hand tool woodworker.
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