View Poll Results: What kind of tool user are you?

Voters
166. You may not vote on this poll
  • All power tools

    6 3.61%
  • Mostly power tools

    52 31.33%
  • A mix of power & hand tools

    79 47.59%
  • Mostly hand tools

    26 15.66%
  • All hand tools

    3 1.81%
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Thread: Power Tool vs Hand Tool Users

  1. #31
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Longview WA
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    27,347
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    Quote Originally Posted by Joel Cress View Post
    I would add that you need to sharpen them once finished with them, so that they are ready to go when you need them; otherwise, they will be too much trouble to use.
    Howdy Joel and welcome to the Creek.

    I do try to keep my tools sharp and ready to go, but sometimes when things are going full throttle planes are set back in their home. Sharpening is usually a bit of a relief for me to take a break, listen to the music and rub a blade across the stones. If SWMBO hasn't just rung the dinner bell the end of my day is spent touching up a few edges. Though likely just as often they get touched up at the beginning of the day or mid day.

    I can think of only two or three of my tools that are kept in their boxes. One is a Stanley #55 because the box is a convenient way to keep it together. Another is a saw set with an identical one sitting on top of the box. Finally a Stanley #95 butt gauge because the box is a convenient place to keep it and its instructions. Of course my micrometers and precision calipers are also kept in their boxes.

    Some of my tools have their own drawers. Here is one for a few drafting tools:

    Compass-Divider Drawer.jpg

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  2. #32
    Since moving and still not being happy with the shop setting (part in the house/part in the garage) I find the hotter the garage is, the more likely I am to choose a tool from the inside workshop.
    “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness..." - Mark Twain

  3. #33
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Salisbury, NC
    Posts
    135
    I've been moving farther and farther towards hand tools for the last couple years. I'm not a purist by any stretch, I still have a band saw for some flat woodworking tasks but mostly for readying turning blanks. Which leads to the next one, I have a lathe as well. I've used a pole lathe before and it's a cool experience, but umm, no. Also have a drill press and an assortment of cordless power tools but I basically use the hand tool version for anything that is doable. The cordless tools sit on the shelf allot more that get used. I do actually still own a table saw, but since we moved 2 years ago it hasn't been plugged in and is just serving as horizontal work space. Still have several corded hand tools as well, drill, circular saw, router, etc. They are in the same camp as the table saw, collecting dust.

    There's a couple of reasons why I've been moving in the hand tool direction, noise (the router, geez I hate running that thing), dust, space considerations. My current shop is in a second story bedroom, so space and dust are both pretty important considerations. But at the top of that list is the fact that I just find the hand tool woodworking experience more satisfying, more relaxing. I'll say right out that if I was starting on a whole kitchen worth of cabinets there would be more power involved, but that's not the kind of work I do. For my hobbyist volume of work, the hand tools are fine most of the time and more enjoyable to use, for me. Your mileage may vary widely, just do your thing and enjoy.

    Jon

  4. #34
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Salisbury, NC
    Posts
    135
    Oh I hear you on that one. I'm currently out of work, and mostly out of the shop with back issues. 3 damaged disks in the lumbar, 1 really bad, but 2 more they are trying to decide if they address at the same time. Pretty much a given they will need addressed sometime down the road if they don't now. Picked up my No 7 the other day to pull the iron(sharpening is one of the few things in the shop I can handle right now), and the weight damn near broke me.

    Jon

  5. #35
    Quote Originally Posted by Jon Shank View Post
    But at the top of that list is the fact that I just find the hand tool woodworking experience more satisfying, more relaxing.

    Jon
    Dude, you have broken the code. It aint necessarily as good as winning the lottery (new tools!), but you have found as good a reason as there is. Woodworking Nirvana!

    Good for you!
    Fred

  6. #36
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Mandalay Shores, CA
    Posts
    2,690
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    I use mostly hand tools but I am no purist. The garage is my shop - cars live there. Often it will be faster to grab a hand saw and cut the board vs. pulling out the cabinet saw and DC. However, if I needed to rip a lot of wood, the table saw would be out in a heart beat. I also resaw most boards rather than use the planer. Flattening and all joinery is done by hand tools. Veneer is made on the drum sander (often offcuts from a resaw). Weird huh?
    Shawn

    "no trees were harmed in the creation of this message, however some electrons were temporarily inconvenienced."

    "I resent having to use my brain to do your thinking"

  7. #37
    So. There are more than twice as many folks who describe themselves as using all or mostly power tools compared to those who use all or mostly hand tools. But I guess I'm personally surprised that nearly half of us describe ourselves as using a mix of both. I didn't realize so many of us do.

    We're still only getting a 9 or 10% response rate though - sure wish more folks who "open" the thread would take a minute to respond to the poll. But I guess 10% isn't uncommon for surveys and polls.

  8. #38
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    Marina del Rey, Ca
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    1,934
    Quote Originally Posted by Frederick Skelly View Post
    So. There are more than twice as many folks who describe themselves as using all or mostly power tools compared to those who use all or mostly hand tools. But I guess I'm personally surprised that nearly half of us describe ourselves as using a mix of both...
    All 3 categories describe a mix of both hand and power tools. It should be no surprise that virtually everyone uses both. What is truly surprising to me is that anyone at all can do everything with only power tools! Not even a hammer or chisel?!!!
    "Anything seems possible when you don't know what you're doing."

  9. #39
    Love a good hand plane, chisels have there place, cutting with a handsaw is satisfying but my practical side has me turning to power tools for most things.

  10. #40
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    Whitewater Ks
    Posts
    584
    Being as I "try" and make a living at woodworking I use mostly power tools. Not saying you can't with hand tools, but that's more a niche market. I do like using hand tools and love it when the project calls for it. There's some thing where the hand tools still just outshine power.
    Only one life will soon be past
    Only whats done for Christ will last

  11. #41
    I'm always puzzled that people can have a position on this. I make the decision project by project and often step by step.
    I'm focusing more and more on design, less on method these days. Unfortunately, design is harder.

    I will say that as my hand tool skills (sharpening, sawing, chiseling, planing) improve, there are many cases where the hand is faster than the cord.

  12. #42
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    5,582
    Quote Originally Posted by Frederick Skelly View Post
    So. There are more than twice as many folks who describe themselves as using all or mostly power tools compared to those who use all or mostly hand tools. But I guess I'm personally surprised that nearly half of us describe ourselves as using a mix of both. I didn't realize so many of us do.

    We're still only getting a 9 or 10% response rate though - sure wish more folks who "open" the thread would take a minute to respond to the poll. But I guess 10% isn't uncommon for surveys and polls.

    Here are the percentages based on thread counts and postings in the various forums on this website for comparison:
    Note: - I used the term interests as a way of characterizing both thread counts and thread postings.

    45% of the interests are in General and Power Tools topics and discussions
    23% of the interests are for Turning
    12% of the interests here is in Neanderthal topics and discussions (probably half are sharpening )
    10% of the interests are for Engraving
    4% of the interests are for Finishing
    2% of the interests are for Design
    2% of the interests are for Woodcarving, Boat Building, Musical Instruments, Sawmill, CNC

    I think these numbers are close to your poll percentages.

  13. #43
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    Highland MI
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    4,511
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    95% power tools here.

  14. #44
    Quote Originally Posted by Pat Barry View Post
    Here are the percentages based on thread counts and postings in the various forums on this website for comparison:
    Note: - I used the term interests as a way of characterizing both thread counts and thread postings.

    45% of the interests are in General and Power Tools topics and discussions
    23% of the interests are for Turning
    12% of the interests here is in Neanderthal topics and discussions (probably half are sharpening )
    10% of the interests are for Engraving
    4% of the interests are for Finishing
    2% of the interests are for Design
    2% of the interests are for Woodcarving, Boat Building, Musical Instruments, Sawmill, CNC

    I think these numbers are close to your poll percentages.
    If we only look at the interest in General and Power Tools and the Neanderthal topics, the 45% and 12% is 57%.

    Further, of that group, approximately 79% are interested in the General and Power Tools and 21% in Neanderthal topics

    Mike
    Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.

  15. #45
    I think in modern industry there are equal calls for both sets of tools, the more skilled workers should be able to adapt to both!

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