Hand Tool Vs Power Tool Woodworking which is better
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- čas přidán 23. 03. 2022
- Power Tool Vs Hand Tool Which is best.
This is an interesting argument. and we as humans love finding things to argue about.
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Hi James, I am a hand tool user for two main reasons. 1- no room for stationery power tools, my workshop is one wall in my bedroom. 2- safety, I have a essential benign tremor, in other words my hands shake ( see Stumpy Nubs X 10, I'm a lot older than James ) so the use of fast moving cutters is quite dangerous when you have no idea what your paws are going to do next. A wise man said hand tools stop when they hit bone. But I love the challenge and making stuff. Regards Jim UK.
Love it, what makes me happy is the best parameter I’ve heard. I’m converting the hand tools thanks to you and Paul sellers, Losr Art Press et al, and this fabulous dissertation has helped me navigate out of my own confusion. Thanks again James, your keen sense of humour is infectious.
Lost Art Press
Very nice video 😊
I think no one can argue about this:
***Hand powered tools are HEALTHIER! Less dust in the air, no need for mask...
*Almost no noise in your ear, no need for ear protection...
*Gives upgrade in muscles and more skillful you become(unless you have physical issues and unless the work is not very tiring, like plaining a 3 metre piece)...
*and much much safer to use, almost no risk of loosing a finger, an eye or even your life if you are not dressed carefully. ( I knew somebody that worked with a scarf! )
Indeed. That's something that hand-tool woodworking CZcamsrs could really insist more about. When I am doing it as a hobby, I don't need to be productive, I only need to enjoy myself and be proud of what I make. Hearing loss, respiratory issues, missing fingers rarely make people happy.
I started woodworking for renovating my house. That wasn't completely a hobby. I have had one near-miss with a planer.
Now that it's just for fun,, I no longer have a planer (that's what brought me to this channel, because hand planes), and I am on the brink of ditching the table saw. And until I do, I will stop using it for anything that requires removing the blade guard. Ever.
Great video! Maybe you could do a similar video on build styles. I was freed in my woodworking heart when I realize cutting dovetails was not a requirement to be a woodworker.
I have to agree with you James. While it can be fun to discuss/debate the differences between hand or power tools, it doesn't have to be either, or. It comes down to which tool works best for you and what is easier for you to use for the results you want to achieve. Woodworking is theraputic, arguing about it is too stressful.
My exercise program for the summer of 2020 was to build a Roubo bench using only me-powered tools. I cut the trees with an ax and bow saw. I cut joggles with the bow saw and hacked them off with a machete. I hand planed them into squarish beams, and then did the joinery with chisels. I had a LOT of fun, and it made me very happy. If my exercise program had been the treadmill, I would not have a bench. If I had failed to complete the project, I still would have gotten some of the exercise.
Thank you. this had to be said. The deepest and truest thing you said was "Do what makes you happy". Nice! thanks for all your videos.
Yeah, let’s get back to the important arguments. Like what the nib on a saw is for.
To use the whole blade
Which means it's from the ww2 era
“It stops, and often goes flying across the room” 😂
Years ago I heard someone say about power tools “they’re dusty, they’re noisy, and they’ll have your fingers off in a twinkle”
I totally agree with you on this topic. I get a comment on my channel from time to time in reference to this same topic. Such as "why are you using a hand tool in an all power tool shop?" Well, if there is "hand tools" and "power tools" in the shop its not an "all power tool shop". I use a tool because it is the tool I need for the job and I enjoy it. Good point and nice work on the video.
Your pep talk made me happy about being happy. Cheers!
It all depends on the goals, and being honest with oneself about your goals. If a finished product and furnishing your whole home is what you care about, power tools might be best. If the process itself, and the joy of the finished product is the effort put in more than the product itself, than 19th century methods might be best. Both, or a hybrid, are equally valid ways to feel.
Also any limitations will change the equation. In my case I simply do not have the space for a tablesaw/jointer/planner that I would not grow out of quickly. I'm thankful for that since I'm very much an "it's about the journey" guy. However after I became proficient at resawing I decided I really dislike that chore and did find room for a bandsaw. And I have a circular saw that I'll pull out now and then when ripping long items (e.g. when I made a french cleat wall) when I just want the job done.
Yes, it very much depends on your goals. Knowing what do you intend to do is important but knowing why do you want to do it is also important. I can spend a fortune on buying tools and spend untold hours learning to use them well enough, but if my only goal is to get a pair of custom-made dressers, then it may be better to pay someone else to do the job. But if I enjoy the process of the making, the learning how, or even the tool restoration, then the equation changes a lot.
Just a side note to add regarding limitations. I was run down by an SUV a few years back, and I will never recover fully from the Traumatic Brain Injury that I received. That injury has left me with 1000+ symptoms and limitations. For starters, I cannot react quickly enough to safely use a table saw for 99% of the things that one is used for, so I don't. Score 1 for the hand saws.
But moving my body through 3 axes too often or too quickly also causes me severe vertigo which often stops me for several days, so trying to mill a piece of rough lumber to S4S by hand is also something to be avoided. +1 for the tailed thickness planer.
Be safe and enjoy doing what you do the way that you want to do it.
I am a hybrid woodworker. If I have to make 1 or 2 cuts I will use a handsaw if you are talking multiple cuts its the tablesaw. With a severely messed up back I can't cut or plane too much using just hand tools as I would be in extreme pain. That is why I use both type of tools. Keep up the great work 👍.
Same here with the young kiddos. My girls are both under 2 and it kind of drove me to learn about “hand tools” so I could work when they were sleeping! And not creating dust is nice too!
Thank you Thank you Thank you. As a serious hobbyist Woodworker for the past 5 years, I have enjoyed learning the craft from sources like CZcams and Social-media. The knowable base is extraordinary. But now that I have a better understanding of the craft, the more selective I have become on who I gravitate towards when looking for advise. Basically separating the experts versus pretenders. Unfortunately CZcams and social media does not have the ability to differentiate. It's really become a popularity contest with many contact creators. The main reason that I really enjoy your channel is that you have a very down to earth approach and I can always rely on your opinions because you're not sponsor driven as far as I can tell. I appreciate the hard work you put into your videos. In my opinion at the end of the day it doesn't matter what brand of tools or what type of tools you use to create your project, what matters the most is the end result of your project. And when it comes to handmade projects if the maker prefers one method over the other, and he or she is satisfied with the end result it doesn't matter if it's a tool that was made yesterday or 100 years ago. Happy woodworking my friend!
Looking forward to meeting you Sunday at the MWTCA meet!! Love your content!
I spent a few years living in an apartment. The only woodworking I could do without getting evicted was with hand tools, simply because of the noise and the dust that would otherwise have resulted. I find my hand tools and power tools complement each other quite nicely. Your example of thicknessing a board is a case in point...if you can do the lion's share on the thickness planer, then remove the ripples with a hand plane you get the best of both options.
I love both. I have a jobsite table saw, lunchbox planer, and a bench top jointer that I use to mill and square the lumber up. I hate the effort to do that with hand tools, I’d rather spend less time doing that and more time doing the joinery by hand. I don’t use auger bits because im a construction worker and I have a impact and drill. And I’d rather spend the money on lumber for a project rather than an arm and a leg for a auger bit set. I made my own router and grooving plane even though I have a router. I only use my router for molding because having that much space reserved for molding planes isn’t practical for me. Loved this video. Do what makes yourself happy.
Loving woodworking is just enough for me. Love is kind.
Your usage matches what I have always heard. I used to sand after thickness planing, but I found, once I could do it consistently, a hand plane was faster and provided a smoother finish. In fact I have seen some writers advise wood workers using a hand plane to sand after planing to ease the polish and simplify applying consistent finish. I've never had a problem.
I am a hybrid woodworker out of necessity. I have arthritis in my shoulders and elbows. The power tools are there to make things easier on my joints. I try and use “hand tools” where and when I can but sometimes, I just need some help
Hit the nail on the head James, so to speak!! I’ve mainly used hand tools. But if I’ve got large sheet stock to cut to size, it’s table saw all the way
as a retired custom furniture maker, i prefer to mostly use hand tools as that is what my customers wanted. a piece of furniture made with traditional techniques. however, if i wanted to actually make a living from this, milling and preparing stock manually would take to long. so i use power equipment to prepare stock to flat, square and dimension. after that it is then hand planed and traditional joints made. so for me hybrid, was the way i chose to work. there are times when i will use a hand tool over a power tool as there is no set up time involved.
I've seen lots of debates over this. I find it funny myself. As so many have said "there is no Wright or wrong way to do it". So these debates are just key board jocks that apparently are tool collectors and not woodworkers. I'm mostly hand"powered" for the same reasons you as I started with a 4 yr old boy and working in my spare bedroom. However I'm a full time carpenter so I have all tailed tools as well so if I need a bunch of parts I'll rough out the parts at work and fine tune them at home to suit my needs. I do agree, who really cares how it's made. If you made it enjoy it. Some folks enjoy the ride others want to get there and do it again quickly.
I love having a hybrid shop. One thing that might make a difference to some like myself is using a tool thats been past down. I have my great grandfathers Stanley number 5 plane that he used to build his first house in this town. Not only is it a great work horse in my shop but I feel more connected to him and the past while using it. Maybe I'm just nostalgic lol.
Funny thing - earlier today I came across a video you did on this same topic a few years ago. But I agree with you 100%!! It’s all woodworking and woodworking is fun! Why would anyone argue over it? Whoever has the most fun is the one who wins that argument.
I 100% on your page with what is hand or power tool by it's definition. I mainly use hand tools but what I really enjoy about power tools is you have way more options to innovate. Myself I have a tiny shop and 100% a router is the most capable tool that can do almost anything with a jig.
Yes, yes, yes this is the best summary ever!
Which ever gets you to the shop to create is the best one................for you lol. Great channel.
Congrats on first!
I was just watching some of your videos where you were discussing the decisions you made about which route to choose. I was thinking you should watch Wood by Wright! lol
@@lauram9076 one on my favs. Thanks for watching my videos!
Better is perhaps a worthwhile consideration for a production shop or for someone monetizing woodworking. For me....it's about enjoyability, which tool did I recently aquire, safety, noise, etc.....woodworking has numerous methods for every cut, and I enjoy them all, sometimes for no reason other than I just want to. It's my shop after all!
I like to use 'hand held tools' to mean manual tools without power. 'Hand held power tools' to differentiate, and tool stations to cover all the other power tools.
like you said both is better! i am not giving up my jointer or no4 anytime soon.
I use both, I don't drag out 300 feet of extention cord to drill holes in fence posts, or cut a brace.... but a set of drawers, it's tablesaw and planer...
Thank you. It is refreshing you remind us of this. Have a great day everybody.
It was a very interesting set of arguments and I like both powered by electricity and human powered, depending on the situation. Did enjoy how you brought up the various differences, some of which I’d forgotten or not heard before. Nice to learn some of the ways people think about tool usage. Thanks for pointing out the opposite sides.
I’ve been woodworking for a little more than a year and love all types. I’m learning, progressing and having fun. I just made a cabinet with almost all electric power tools and am making a table with all hand power tools. It’s all good.
definition wise for description i say hand tool is something that is power via the body while power tool uses battery/power from the wall or generator
Love the topic, man you really hit the nail in the head on this one. I really don’t get why people argue over these things, we just need to learn to respect others way of doing things. Just do you and what makes you enjoy the craft. Stop trying to force others to do it your way.
Wise words, enjoy using both.
You and I have the same definition of power vs hand tools.
Great talk. Doing things that put a smile on your face is exactly the point, especially if we’re talking about woodworking as a hobby.
Are there any caveats? Not sure. If there’s one secret to having the perfect hand tool workshop, it’s having a powertool workshop nearby - if you don’t, there will be compromises. I don’t think there’s any real mileage in a discussion about drills, sanders or routers, but the issues around stock preparation are probably worth spending a minute on: I used to talk about “enjoying the process”, but I learned very quickly that I’m not going to prepare all the stock all the way by hand all the time. Just doesn’t put a smile on my little face.
As for “handmade” items: different opinions are available on things like CNC routers, but the only discussion worth having should be one that revolves around quality and quality control: a handmade thing is a thing that its maker has picked up, checked and decided it’s good to go.
I work in a small area of my own basement. Hand tools are what I use most of the time to prevent dust from getting everywhere in the house, and I'm pretty accident prone. I much prefer worrying about possible stitches instead of possible reattachment!
The only time I use power tools is a drill and if it's easier to drag the table saw outside to set it up than it is to make the cuts with a hand saw.
Hey, I almost made it all the way through the comment without making a joke about someone follicly-challenged splitting so many hairs in a video 😁 Oh well, maybe I'll have better luck staying away from the bad jokes next time....
Enjoyed the video James. Take care and God bless.
Personally I'm an antique geek, been woodworking for 50 years, mostly with power tools, because that was what SHOP class taught us on. All of my power tools are old, antiques, but still work fine, back in the day they were what was affordable. The last 2 years I've added the hand tool aspect, I've got a couple 100+ year old hand planes, which I dearly love to use. Hand tool woodworking has brought my ability and also my awareness of "precision", to a much higher level, which also carries over to the power tools...
So for me....I roll both ways.
Fully agree about hybrid workshop. I use the power tools to dimension lumber and then switch to hand tools for the refinement and joinery because it’s fun and satisfying.
Fantastic video. Totally agree on all counts.
Really enjoy your thoughts here
I really enjoyed the video. I’m definitely a hybrid woodworker. I just love restoring and tuning an old rip saw or plane, ripping a board and trueing the cut edge with those human powered tools. I also use sheet goods from time to time and I love my track saw for dimensioning that. Power routers are also very versatile tools…I don’t know how many moulding planes they replace (or how effective those moulding planes would be on man made boards. It’s horses for courses. If I had to make my living out of woodworking a) I’d probably starve and b) it would be power tools for the majority of the grunt work. The craftsmen of the past had something similar…they were called apprentices.
'It doesn't matter ! !' - how true . . . .
My journey is kinda similar to yours, I started using mostly power-tools but I switched to mostly hand tools because I woodwork mostly when my children sleeps and hand tools tend to wake them up far less often... And now that I know how to do some things using hand tools I usually prefer this method.
On the handmade debate if someone tells you handmade is the proper term only if you used only hand tools, then they should process the tree themselves because in all likelihood the lumberyard did not process the tree with hand tools !!!
I fell the logs with an axe then process then in my backyard hand saw pit.
Love it. Thank you!
The "best" thing to use for a hobbyist is what the hobbyist wants to use. And then there is the motivation behind your wood work. Psychologists say there are two primary motivations to making something in a hobby context - the end product and the process. I get reward from each time I do an action in making something (the process). I get joy and challenge from doing a saw cut and getting it right. As I sit here I can see a tissue box I made. I see the result of all the learnings and challenges and covered up mistakes associated with the tissue box. Others who are more inclined to search for the end product will, I hope, see a nice looking tissue box. Horses for courses.
Personally, I use power tools at work and it's loud and messy but it's fast and cost effective and that's why construction/building is 90% done with power tools.
Doing stuff in my spare time having something that reduces the need for ear defenders and dust mask is nice, plus it's a change from my day to day so it's more fun
Excellent explanation!
A pretty hand dee video. Quite power full. Thanks James the magnificent.
You made me smile 😃. I agree with you.
I spent the majority of my years in construction, and only used power tools. Time is money. Now I enjoy hand tools for the reasons you mentioned - they typically generate less noise amd less dust, and they are safer. Woodworking is mostly a hobby now so I can take my time and enjoy the process.
Great explanation, people love to argue, people enjoy feeling like their way is the right way sometimes. It seems to me if both get similar results, it all comes down to opinion and budget. I want to know if one group (electrically powered or human powered) of tools is cheaper to build a shop with, but I suspect it might come down to tool quality and opinion there too. Also luck, like being lucky and finding second hand tools somewhere on the cheap.
I have nothing to say really, but I appreciate your content, and wish to help with the yt-algorithms.
Why argue about it? Sir I'll have you know there's NOTHING too trivial to argue over 🤣
I can relate to this debate, what about calling it manually operated blade and chisel based non motorized tools?
I'm actually a hybrid worker n have lots of both but dust free and noise free keeps me mostly hand tools. Hand tools give me pleasure but the only power tools that always does is a router lol
I'm absolutely a hybrid woodworker, though I do use mostly hand tools. My philosophy on this and life in general is to not overcomplicate things unless it's done for fun. If the same result can be achieved with less effort, why put in more?
Love your philosophy on not over complicating. I’m a hybrid woodworker but more on the power side. Lately my approach has been whichever process needs the fewest/simplistic jig. Often for 1 offs it’s way easier use a few hand tools than figure out how to make a jig for the power tool.
I am definitely a hybrid woodworker. I make part good stuff and part scrap. Oh wait, you mean hand vs power. That too.
Love this video. Now do the freehand vs honing jig argument for sharpening. Hoo boy, that'll get some hackles raised. "Freehand is faster!" "Nonsense, it only takes an extra 10 seconds to put a chisel into a jig!" "Diamond plates - no, waterstones - no, sandpaper - no Tormek." LOL
Power tools are good for boring tasks like ripping a board or preparing rough sawn lumber.
Also drilling holes… that’s boring.
@@neonjoe529 *boring*
You have just taken all the fun and joy out of arguing which is best. 😜🤪
We need to go ultra traditional stone wood and grass twine only tools powered by you!!!!!!😉
I haven't watched the video yet, but I'm guessing you're going to say that setting fire to my neighbour's tablesaw was the right thing to do?
The semantics argument for me is quite simple; am I working with the material with my own power, or am I machining the wood? I find with a lot of the modern style work, it's more like machining than woodworking, and I even know some who actually use a milling machine and lathe, machines made for working metals, to do stock removal. In my head, that's not woodworking. I've got skills as a machinist, but those skills are not in play when I'm doing woodworking.
And...I find that the reason I prefer tools I power is that electrically powered tools tend to help me screw up far faster. I prefer the artisanal style where I can screw up at my own pace slowly and methodically.
Oooh people will always try to force their opinion on to you about everything. There is a 1000 ways to skin a 🐈. I would love to have a good cabinet saw, but I don't have the money or the space, so I make due with what I have. And get it done! Also, when laminating panels together, I cannot help myself to go over the edges with my joiner plane after I have ripped it to length with my tiny Jobsite saw. It's just so much fun making wood curls. And learning new skills, it's good for the brain 🧠
my only reason for mostly using hand (unpowered with pixies) tools is the lack of noise and dust, which is handy since I work mainly in my basement ;)
occasionaly using a hobbycraft bandsaw :)
I use hand tools because I don't have enough space for the power tools and I have to focus on accuracy as a major improvement. I would love to have a shop with all the power tools but space doesn't allow for it.
A wood worker should never limit him/her to just one field, woodwork should be about the right tool for the job/task at hand. For me noise is something I try to avoid and dust. cheers from Tasmania
With your mention of water power I think of Advoko Makes. He made a BEAUTIFUL water wheel for his cabin that he uses to power a variety of things. Definitely worth checking out.
Can you make a video on where hand tools make sense price wise? Like for example building a resawing saw vs buying a band saw?
There are very, very few places where making one is cheaper and more effective than buying an antique and restoring it. But that might make an interesting video. Usually it's just jigs and devices that interface with the bench. Most tools like saws, planes, chisels You're going to spend more money on making one then you would buy an antique and restoring it.
The best is the tool that lets me get the job done, depending on how I feel now.
Just because I'm old and curious I'll toss another stick on the fire. Many years ago I encountered a shop nestled in a coastal valley with a wind machine that drove a compressor rather than a generator. He had a couple very large repurposed tanks and used pneumatic tools, some of his own design. Lots of war surplus repurposed parts and pieces.
I knew an Amish woodworker that had an all pneumatic shop. He had a pneumatic table saw and a pneumatic thickness planer. He paid a guy to come over and fill up several large compressor tanks in the back and ran everything off of that
Slower makes me happy mostly because it a hobby for me
Thanks a bunch for the video, James! 😊
Personally, I use what I find easier and faster at the moment. But I'd rather use a hand tool as possible, exactly because of the noises.
Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
A little part of me died learning that James has power tools.
I switched out my corded power tools to battery models so they are technically hand tools. 😁 Actually I have no problem with my power tools. I do however prefer manual/hand operated tools because I work in a loud machine shop 10 hours a day and value quiet time. (recently scored a draw knife with folding handles!)
Brb, sleuthing for the Power Tools teaching channel hosted by your alter ego, Jimmy Wleft
Great demo and for me The best tool is the right tool for the job and the user.
I have more power tools then hand tools but that has been changing I only have so much room and have just 20 amps of 220 volt power to power the whole shop. Before I get well just run bigger wire well the main meter is 400 feet away from where I plan to put the workbench so that would be several $1000 to do.
"You can't make these shavings with power tools."
James Wright
It is simple to me. With power tools, it is 90% set up then execution. With hand tools you can slowly creep up to the part were you screw it up.
5/23/2022
Hand Tools: Any devise held in the HAND and is operated solely by the MUSCLE power of the user to accomplish some task which cannot be accomplished without a tool.
Power Tools: any mechanical devise that uses an external source of power, other than muscle power, to operate the mechanical devise.
Under these definitions; a foot powered lathe is a border line hand tool, and an electric hand held saw is a power tool.
Additionally, a hand tool can be described as any tool that preceded the introduction of electricity, or variation of one since. For example; a Stanley No. 2 bench plane or one made from wood in the 1700's.
Your argument holds up well. There is a lot of confusion regarding this subject. Boiling it down to the above generalization, helps, but throwing in this versus that makes it difficult.
I have a personal goal about tools. I want to own and know how to correctly use tools that require only my MUSCLE power, or tools used before electricity in a setting where no other outside power source is available, (tool use in a wilderness setting) and have only what is necessary.
I have learned from this channel. My big lessons came from watching you, not listening. I, for years, never could make a square cut with a hand saw. By watching you I discovered that I was holding my arm in the wrong position, once I corrected this, wow, a square cut. I learned that I could make a rip saw a cross cut saw, and vise versa, not by you doing it, but from watching you reset a saws teeth.
You teach more than just what you say and demonstrate, at least to those who do more than just watch ;-)
If it senses flesh it goes flying across the room. Hahahaha! Cool Destiny sword too.
Thank you for another great video. For me using handtools brings satisfaction I don`t get from power tools. Handplaned surface is so much more gratifying than planer made. What’s with the bokken though? Is there going to be a video about making one? The one you have lying on your bench looks so nice, I want to pick it up and swing it!
I agree.
I prefer hand tools, but when the quantity of work increases, I switch to power tools.
Breathe, James, BREATHE! 😉
Cost is a big consideration for me. Hand tools are usually cheaper, as long as you stay away from the collectable stuff. They tend to take up less space too.
Another way to differentiate could be that, for power tools, the skill and control tends to lie in the set-up; while skill and control in the use of hand tools comes in the execution.
Of course, the places handheld but electrically powered tools like cordless drills/demon braces into a third, intermediate, category. And if your CNC router runs directly off of wind power without any sort of batteries, capacitors, or other electrical power storage...
*If your CNC router runs directly off of wind power, you need to invite me to come see your shop immediately.
A tool is a tool and those who argue about it are really big tools
There the additional faction that uses computers (CAD, CNCs, or lasers) in their alleged woodworking.
While visiting Hattiesburg, MS recently, I saw the St. James Wright VFW post. You're revered far and wide.
do you need a beer after that video..... it was great by the way
Its 'handmade' if there isn't a large production line. If it was done by a few people using woodworking techniques rather than several people managing machines where the machines do all the operations and measurements, even if the person assembles it at the end it is not hand made.
you did a great job love your videos. are you a tool collector ?
Thanks. No, I don't particularly collect anything. Most of the extra tools I have I end up giving away to people who could use them.
Use a table saw, and you learn to push a board to the fence. Learn a handsaw and you can develop skills to cut to any line