Hand v Power Tools

All Topics | Latest Posts

Steve Jones	27/09/2007 20:00:00
75 forum posts 37 photos	Evening to everyone, as I had an argument with the mitre/chop saw in work the other week,(one badly cut and fractured finger later...oooh it hurt!). I've had a bit of time on my hands,anyway there's only so much day time telly you can take. So i took my self off to the shed (for sanity's sake),having recently looked on the t'internet for a turning project (If you haven't already, check out www.MarleyTurned.com and watch the videos). I decided to have a go at the Christmas ornament. I had a piece of Beech to use, but as most of my tools are locked up in work and I haven't got any power gear at home it was back to basics. After cutting the Beech to the sizes I need I had to plane it up square.Face side and face edge then to width and thickness. The only tools I have at home are a Tennon saw, Panel saw, Hammer ,1" chisel, tape,square and my dads old Jack plane.At first I thought it might be a daunting task, but what i'd been taught as an apprentice soon came back to me. The blanks are partly glued up now. And do know what, with no noise I had a great time.I think its nice to get back to basics, as when in work there is no time these days to do it all by hand! and using surface planer/thicknessers does tend to make you a little lazy.What does every body else think?
Big Al	27/09/2007 21:23:00
1602 forum posts 73 photos	I love to work with hand tools, even though I am a wood machinist, I have access to cnc and traditional machinery, and have my own collection of machinery and hand tools. Likewise there is a lot to be said when the only sound that you can hear is the whoosh of a hand plane and the radio or the sound of birds singing Yes machinery can make you lazish, but it does speed up the process of milling up your timber.