I've been all over SMC asking a lot a newbie questions; thanks for everyones' patience--you've all been a great help. I wanted to ask a different kind of question.

Before I bought any woodworking tools that your every day DIYer doesn't already have, I bought a lot of books. The one that struck me the most was Peter Korn's "Woodworking Basics." Much more than other books, he emphasizes knowing how to use and maintain hand tools. There are a great many pages devoted to just how to properly sharpen a chisel or plane iron. The reader can very much tell that the activity of woodworking is just as important to him as the finished product. I could see him being the Mr. Miyagi of woodworking instructors.

As he explained how to handcut dovetails, I remembered just how many dovetail jigs I've seen. While I'm sure the jigs work well, I wondered if they cheapened the experience at all? How much more pride would I have in creating a chest of drawers with handcut dovetails vs. spending 10 minutes on it with a router?

I was just wondering if most of the woodworkers here are in it for the process or the product? Probably a bit of both, I'd imagine, but which is more important to you? Given an infinite amount of time, would your prefer to joint a board by hand and only use a bit and brace?