P*w*r tool musings (a bit wordy)...

Re: P*w*r tool musings (a bit wordy)...

Dean J in MN

>FWIW -

I *gave away* my TS, never had a jointer/planer. I do have a bandsaw. I have not once missed my TS. I never did use my TS for rough lumber, and that is all I use. The BS is much safer for ripping less than flat rough lumber anyway. I woodwork for fun, not profit, so if it takes me longer, that is just more time to enjoy woodworking.

I guess it depends on how much extra "work" you are willing to undertake. I'm in the middle of a bench project, and I can say doing a 8' laminated maple top by hand is hard work. Not impossible, but it takes time. That is an extreme end of the scale however, most furniture projects require much less stock prep time and energy. Cutting joints by hand has always been quicker for me, I never did like setting up the TS for tenons, etc.

-Dean

Re: P*w*r tool musings (a bit wordy)...

Ernie Miller Topeka

>My jointer sits in the corner with boxes and other crap stacked on it think I have used it twice in 15 years and that was when I pulled it off the combination table/jointer machine so the jointer would not be running every time I used the table saw. I put it on a stand with it's own motor. ysed it to see if it worked and shoved it in the corner. I use my table saw but mostly for production runs of toys ot other fast projects. like shop wall cabinets. I get scrap osb from construction sites and knock out 40-50 in a saturday afternoon couple times a year. A couple builders buy them for $20 each to hang in the garages of the houses they build. I would get rid on the jointer in a heart beat. Guess I'll call my brother to come get it he has the saw that it was attached to so now he can have a set.

Re: P*w*r tool musings (a bit wordy)...

Jim in Burlington Ontario

>Well if your careless you'll get cut no matter what your doing. I prefer the fitting and finishing with hand tools while I perfect my skills and venture deeper into the world of hand tools.

Re: P*w*r tool musings (a bit wordy)...

Christopher Fitch @ Memphis

>I have never had a jointer and never really planned on getting one. I do have a power planer and I plan on keeping it for a looooong time. I surface my lumber with hand planes and then use my planer to get it to the correct thickness with parallel faces. Works great for me.

I have a table saw and I use it exclusively for two things: ripping and crosscutting panels or wide boards that I can't cut with my miter saw or cut easily with a handsaw.

I cut my dados with planes or a router depending on what it is.

Now if you are going to keep your bandsaw and need to cut alot of tenons fast, a bandsaw does a fine job on rough-cutting tenons quickly and relatively safely. Just something to consider.

Re: P*w*r tool musings (a bit wordy)...

Dennis McDonaugh

>I like hand tools, but I'd never give up my table saw or jointer. They excel at tasks which would take (me anyway) far too long to do by hand.

Me too ...

John Snyder, Pocono's PA

>I use my share of electrons for rough work & an array of hand tools for finishing & refining my work. I don't have the patience to surface rough stock with a scrub plane - I've done more than enough of it to know that I don't enjoy it. Pure sweat takes the fun out of woodworking for me & I enjoy the precision of finely tuned tool, be it either hand or power. Time is another factor for me - don't have that much extra time & I like to concentrate on the facets of ww that I enjoy ...

JS

Re: P*w*r tool musings (a bit wordy)...

Alan Hamilton

>Peter,

I once had a router that didn't like the bit I'd put in, so it spit it out. Luckily it spit the bit out through the door instead of at me (the door was closed at the time). But that's not the reason I no longer own or use forked-tail screamers.

When I built my boat I was forced to use quite a few hand tools. I soon found I just enjoyed working wood with hand tools more than with those electron murderers. Within a year all my floor sitters were gone and I was a much happier woodworker.

I too kept a bandsaw. Mine is an old Sears table-top model, one with three wheels. I know exactly where it is, but I haven't touched it in years. I can't remember the last time I actually used it.

I don't feel like I'm missing anything. Like you, I work wood for fun, not for profit, so I choose to do it the way it's the most fun. It may be a little more time consuming, but I enjoy working wood--especially with hand tools--so I'm not losing anything by taking more time.

Alan

Re: P*w*r tool musings (a bit wordy)...

Alan Hamilton

>Christopher,

You first work your stock with hand planes and then send it through your planer? Why? Everyone else I know who use both kinds of tools first dimension their stock with the planer and then use their hand planes. In their opinions, and mine, hand planes leave a much better surface.

Alan

Re: P*w*r tool musings (a bit wordy)...

Christopher Fitch @ Memphis

>No, I only use it to reach the correct thickness, aka The Andy Rae method...

I use a #5 followed by a #7 to get a reference face then I run the board through the planer with the reference face flat for a pass or two. After that, it's flip/flop each pass until final thickness or a bit thicker.

At that point, it's joinery time, or final sizing, etc.

I plane/scrape/sand boards after running through the planer depending on what I am making.

Re: P*w*r tool musings (a bit wordy)...

paul womack

>I'm willing to bet any 18th century cabinetmaker would have gladly accepted any power tool.

Agreed, but for him, going faster meant putting enough food on the table.

This does not apply in a hobby.

BugBear

Isn't it obvious?

Felix B.

>One good saying goes like this: if you are asking a question, than you already know the answer.

Should you sell the TS and jointer? Well, everyone has their own reason for or against doing so.

When I need to chisel a couple of mortises - i do it by hand. It's efficient since I don't need to spend time to set anything up. If there is a job and it requires 20 M&T joints, you bet I'll be using a machine. Again, because it's efficient. In my opinion, the process (in woodworking) is interesting, but the result is much more facinating.

If you base your decision on the fact that you "almost" had an accident, than I believe it's wrong. There are many people who are using power tools safely. However, we are people and accidents do happen when we are too relaxed, tired, our thoughts are else where, or we are ignoring common sense safety rules in order "to do it quick".

Anyway, good luck and SAFE woodworking!

-F.

Meant to respond to Peter Berglund's post :)

Felix B.

>

Thanks all

Peter Berglund in Denver

>For your opinions and experiences. It's not really so much the safety issue - I'm normally very cautious in the shop; learned early on with a 1/4 inch razor-sharp chisel not to have my hands in line with any cutting tool. It's more an issue of quality of shop time and space economy. I'm awfully tired of walking around, and moving around, large masses of iron in my small shop. I think about the liberated square footage with the absence of the tablesaw and jointer, and I'm intoxicated with possibilities. I start to evaluate the efficacy of these tools. I do a better job flattening boards with handplanes than with the jointer, altho a lot more physical labor and time is consumed. Similarly, the loss of tablesaw would result in a little more physical labor. Some of you have responded that this works well for you.

I'm trying to distance myself from attachment to the finished product, and the perfectionism automatically associated with it, and concentrate more on the enjoyment of the actual process. This is why I go to my shop - it's a spiritual renewal, sometimes meditative.

Probably thinking way too much,

Peter