I have had it with power tools

[Dale Cruea]

Thanks for all of the reply's.
I am totally new to hand tools. My last 3 projects were made using some hand tools. Mostly hand planes.
I have a start on my hand plane collection. From #3 to a #7 bench planes.
I love hand planing. I like to see the curls come off of the iron.
I always do dovetails by hand. I tried a router and jig but gave that up in a hurry. Too much trouble and looked like crud.
I have Chris' book and have read it from cover to cover. It was full of good information.
I did not use my table saw much, just to rip and cross cut. Sounds stupid but I did not use it for dadoes or mortises or tenons.
I have a set of LN chisels and a set of Pfeil chisels and I have been practicing with them on dovetails.
I have not used a hand saw much since the 70s and then I don't know how good the saws were. Craftsman I think.

I know it is a good sized leap from power tools to hand tools. But I am sure you guys will get me through it.

I was looking for some suggestions on what and where to buy some hand saws.
Thanks. It looks like I have several places to start.

[Bill Moser]

You might want to join a gym and start working out! I think you are going to find that just saying you're going to start working wood with hand tools is the easy part. Actually doing it becomes a test in physical activity.

David Turner
Plymouth, MI.

You won't need to join a gym -- the wood-workout will BE your gym . Thicknessing is the most physically demanding part. I would mostly prefer to start with wood that is within 1/8" of my desired finish thickness, but that's not always (ever?) possible. I like to use the wood I have on hand first, before running out to get more, so sometimes that can mean scrubbing quite a bit more off than 1/8". I had a thicknesser, but I gave it away -- just prefer the quiet and sweat to the noise & dust, I guess. Also, its not like I'm just knocking out the furniture left and right here

[Dale Cruea]

Anyone know if Pax or Lynx are good user hand saws.
The only ones I have able to find on the internet are Pax and Lynx.
I would like to start with something new.
I don't want to learn to sharpen right away.

[Tim Null]

For new panel saws, check out Wenzloff and Sons. You can get a complete saw or a kit and save a few bucks. For tenon, carcass, dovetail etc take a look at BadAxe. Mike and Mark are both great guys and will not steer you wrong. Bit of a wait for both though. Lee Valley carries some of Wenzloff's saws in stock. LN are also worth a look, have not used them myself. I have the two LV carcass saws, with the phenolic handles. They are great for the money, but the BadAxe tenon and dovetail are amazing. A little heavier than others, but just cut like they were powered........sort of....LOL

Good luck!

[David Keller NC]

Anyone know if Pax or Lynx are good user hand saws.
The only ones I have able to find on the internet are Pax and Lynx.
I would like to start with something new.
I don't want to learn to sharpen right away.

Thomas Flinn & Co has a serious case of "doesn't get it". They make saws to the same standard that they did in the 1970's, which is to say that they're suitable for "weekend warrior" homeowners that just need to crosscut a gnarly 2X4 into 2 pieces on a Saturday morning once in a blue moon. The steel may well be good, but the totes (handles) are totally, absolutely unacceptable, and no self-respecting woodworker should really even have one in the shop (yeah, I know - "tell us how you really feel").

As far as I'm aware, your main choices for new panel saws that are actually acceptable (more than acceptable in these 3 cases) are Lie-Nielsen, Medallion Toolworks and Wenzloff and Sons. Note that Lee Valley and The Best Things retail Wenzloff & Sons products, and their selections are different than what is available directly from W&S.

Backsaws? The list keeps expanding rapidly - Grammercy Tools (Tools for Working Wood), Lie-Nielsen, Bad Axe Toolworks, Medallion Tool Works, Wenzloff and Sons, Winsor Saws, Two Lawyers Tools, etc... All of them are fine saws.

Finally, if you're looking for full-sized panel saws, there really isn't any need to limit yourself to buying new. There are 2 members of the SMC forum that regularly post in the classifieds that sell restored panel saws, and both have quite a reputation as saw filers. The proprietor of Bad Axe Tool Works also sells restored saws from the golden age of Disston, and has a similar reputation.

[Rob Fisher]

... Buy Chris Schwarz's book "The Anarchist's Tool Chest", and buy the $12 DVD that goes with it. In the book, he gives an absolutely excellent guide for putting together a minimalist set of tools necessary for the generalist hand tool woodworker. In the DVD, he discusses the specific brands of the tools that he recommends, as well as several good explanations for why he chose them.It will be the best $50 you ever spent, and will save you hundreds and hundreds of dollars buying tools that you won't actually need:http://www.lostartpress.com/books_s/12.htm...

I completely agee with David here. The ATC is a great book, and although I do not yet have the CD, I will. Schwarz's advice has definitely shaped my thought and understanding of what can be done with fairly few tools. Plus I would argue that it's a pretty fun read.

[Russell Sansom]

In my comments earlier on saw choices, I didn't address lumber prep. Our forefathers had a whole commercial infrastructure of sawyers and apprentices who did this for them. They could buy quality boards in the dimensions they wanted. This is no longer the case. ( My local "hardwood" store sells boards that are run through a planer, not even jointed on one side first and selling them for $15 - $45 per BF! Absolutely mind bending ).
A big band saw can do most of the ripping close enough that you can do the finished jointing by hand, but it won't joint the reference face for you. But board prep for even a small job like a little table or a wall cabinet is a tedious chore. I'd seriously consider some machinery for board prep. An alternative is a local per-hour coop workshop. I've heard of a few here in the SF Bay area.

[Mike Holbrook]

I am in the process of learning to do more of my work by hand as well. Once you get started it is hard to go back to all the dust. I have an old Inca band saw, which I will continue to use for longer, or curved rips. I may consider replacing it with something larger but for now it works fine. The other power tools I do not plan to give up are Festools. A Festool Circular saw and edge guide are IMHO excellent compliments to hand tools. A Festool edge guide in conjunction with the saw allows one to break up sheet goods quite easily. It can also produce as good or a better edge than a table saw ripping boards, at least for me. The Festool saw also has the advantage of being able to produce an edge that can prevent the need for a jointer. The Festool circular saw with the auto retracting blade and kerf blade is a tool I feel much safer using than the tools it replaces for me. If one has one of the Festool shop vacs, then the system is great at keeping the dust out of the air as well. I will do more and more with hand tools but the bandsaw and Festool saws will likely remain in my shop too, providing faster ways to get the big jobs done without all the dust. At least in my thinking at the moment this system is a great compromise, retaining advantages of both worlds and making a air filtration system unnecessary.

[Noel Liogier]

When it comes to do woodworking with hand-tools, saws are necessary, but the pleasure comes for using quality rasps

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

I work in a tiny back room, a portion of our "guest bedroom". With downstairs neighbors, and my excuse for a shop, handtools is pretty much it. After I finish the bench, the next step is proper storage, these shelves just don't do a great job with a lot of my tools. But man, if I could figure out a way to fit a bandsaw in there (I mean, and be functional) . . . I'd be all over it.