A recent thread on the choice of router plane lies behind a question that I would like to pose to the forum.
The thread was ostensibly about buying a router plane to use for trimming tenon shoulders. Warren replied that one should rather learn to saw straight. He also went on to suggest that a router plane is an unnecessary tool, with the implication that there are few tasks that one cannot perform instead with a chisel.
The issue is about tools versus skill. Does one simply pare back all tools to the very basics and learn skills, or does one continue to support tools for specific tasks? Do tools such as a router plane fall into the "special" category, or are they today more among the "common" group (such as a smoother)?
In my own mind there is no simple answer. I consider a router plane to be exceptionally useful and a boon for many tasks, such as tenon shoulders, stopped grooves and dados, inlay, hinge mortices, etc. At the same time I agree with part of Warren's message (if I understood him correctly) that one should strive to develop hand skills and that, as one does, the need for certain aids drops away. For example, while I may correct a badly out-of-square tenon with a router plane, this rarely happens to me these days since I can saw pretty straight, and then I do indeed (as Warren suggested) more often just use a wide chisel. Mostly I sharpen blades freehand, however I do continue to use a guide when specific angles are needed.
The associated question is whether it is actually possible for most, if not all, amateur (i.e. part time) woodworkers to develop the hand skills to forgo tools such as the router plane at the outset? This question assumes that (a) there is a hands-on time frame needed, and (b) that all woodworkers have the same mindset to achieve this objective. In reality these factors differ widely among amateurs, and I believe that laying down commandments will encourage some and discourage others.
In my thoughts there is also an unstated concern for newbies coming to our fine obsession (:) ) who believe they must purchase every tool imaginable before they will be ready to build anything. This reflects both the low insight and the insecurity of the inexperienced. We do want to send out a message that says "Just go for it" and "Learn work arounds". Practice does not necessarily mean "perfect"; however the more one practices, the more one develops a broader range of intellectual and practical skills. In time one can and may choose to use fewer tools. I just wonder if this knowledge calms and is meaningful to the heart of those starting out?
Regards from Perth
Derek