bob,
That was so well said, especially the "gizmo junkies".
Dan

Quote Originally Posted by Bob Smalser View Post
I'm a joiner with 4+ decades experience, not a "Neanderthal"....I use the tools that make the most sense for the task...and think a lotta this Neander stuff...and labels in general....are silly and counterproductive.

Just like I use a Lucas 26' sawmill instead of a pit saw, I make good use of the power jointer and thickness planer and tablesaw. But I generally fit and finish my joints with hand tools. And having grown up in a traditional 1950's oak and cedar commercial boatyard, I can do it all from scratch if I have to.

The converse is also true. Much as I love Norm...hand him an adze, slick and razee to cut that stem miter in place on a piece way too big to move to a machine....or a drawknife and spiling block to cut a changing bevel...and he would be likely a lost puppy.

I'm trying to strike some balance....the bottom line is the workpiece, not how you got there. After working overseas for a decade+ and coming home to (new for me) forums a couple years ago I'm truly shocked by the antique tool collectors on one side of the aisle...who wax long and loud about their tools and how to use them (complete with a whole new set of misinformation) but rarely show any work...and the power tool and gizmo junkies on the other side of the aisle raving over their drywall-screw "joinery"....both sides fueled by the tool companies and their magazine and TV shills....rampant and shameful consumerism spoiling what used to be a pleasant, inexpensive hobby done with a few saws, planes, marking and measuring tools and brace and bits.

I ain't ranting at you...just trying to explain that you are not being well served by older, experienced guys like me...some of whom should be ashamed of themselves. Look at my articles showing how simple these "legendary" skills are....certainly you have the skills...and you don't need a pile of fancy new tools of any flavor. Learn the skills it takes to rehab older, high-quality tools and do traditional joinery building your benches and shop and you'll be doing first-rate furniture work in no time. Disabilities? That's what machines are good at....get good with both and you'll need very few strokes with shoulder and smoother planes to make the piece traditionally. Just like I can teach any 10-year-old out there to sharpen handsaws just as well as the big names I hear touted (and smile at...because it's such a dead simple skill), I can teach you to handcut dovetails and drawbore mortises in a couple hours. It's really simple stuff once you learn which side of the line to cut on and how to cut square...you just aren't getting the right guidance...

...and that's my generation's fault.