Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA
When I was young, I remember watching Dad cut a rabbet on a board with his little Skil sidewinder circular saw, while I held the board. I tried it once or twice when I was a younger adult, and, yes, it can be done, but it's a high wire act.

On the other hand, I went down once to ease a door that was binding, and, when I pulled out my Stanley No. 5 to plane the edge, Dad pooh-poohed the idea that I had the right tool.

To each his/her own.