Tradition and hand tools

For many, hand tool woodworking is all about tradition. I suppose that is particularly true for the older generation of craftsmen who had fathers, grandfathers, and great grandfathers who earned their living working with hand tools. I respect that tradition and appreciate it. I think it is a wonderful thing and a good reason to work wood with hand tools.

I can appreciate the old catalogs and vintage tools sales. I like to watch wood working demonstrations of a craft from years gone by. I am glad for those galoots who are really into that sort of thing. I appreciate what they are doing as well as their skill and level of craftsmanship. In many ways, I would like to be able to emulate what they are doing. However, for me, it really isn't about tradition. I don't have any relatives I am aware of who were skilled hand tool woodworkers. I appreciate history, but I don't particularly care to relive woodworking history. I happen to like the times I am living in. This is my generation. I am living in the time slot God assigned to me in the history of human kind. I am fine with that.

UnpluggedShop.com is a reflection of my attitude, and in a sense is the story of my journey. It is not all about tradition even though tradition is an enormous part of working with hand tools today. There are already several other wonderful woodworking sites that are all about the tradition of working with hand tools.

UnpluggedShop.com is different. It is more about peace, relaxation, tranquility, art, family, community, and respect for the wood we are working and the place the finished piece will have. That is why we call it Therapeutic Woodworking™.

Yes, tradition is part of that. It is sort of the jumping off place, but it isn't the final destination. Therapeutic Woodworking™ is more about building on tradition. It is about a get-away from our modern desk jobs. It is a quiet rebellion against the commercialism and hype of modern society. It is about actually creating something with our hands and teaching our children to do it. We understand the place of modern machine tools as well as traditional wood working tools, but we have chosen a different path for ourselves and our families.

We lean heavily to traditional construction materials and methods. We borrow very heavily from the old masters and craftsmen. We are also ready to adopt new methods and materials as the situation demands as long as they are consistent with our philosophy. Therapeutic Woodworking™ is not about the tools, it is about enriching our lives and the lives of those we care about.

Luke Townsley
www.UnpluggedShop.com
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