(09-14-2022, 11:07 AM)normp Wrote: Some of the foreword of the book...
The premise of book is the dichotomy of hand tool woodworking in a modern world. I delve into how working with hand tools might appear antiquated and anachronistic, but the merits disprove this. Woodworking with power tools and machines have become normalized over the past century. Our lives are rapidly being overtaken with technology that performs the labor-intensive tasks we were once accustomed to. Machines bring an inordinate amount of noise and dust into our lives. This is the consequence of introducing expediency to our woodworking. Advancements in technology are viewed as progress, but our minds and bodies have perhaps not kept up.
Our bodies were designed to move and work. Hand to eye coordination is a trait developed over thousands of years. We are moving away from this by having technology overtake our daily lives. It is unlikely we will ever return to our former lives where tasks were hand powered. We need to strike a balance in our lives between progress and maintaining tradition. This can occur through hand tool woodworking. There is much to be said of how woodworking was performed in earlier times solely with hand tools. Through exposure to hand tools and their application in furniture making, I have come to appreciate that woodworking and furniture making is far more fulfilling with hand tools. The tactile feedback of working with the nuances of wood is incomparable. The compelling reasons for hand tool woodworking revolve around a quiet, dust free shop environment. Creating furniture without the overarching concern for noise and dust allows me to enjoy the process and better focus on the task at hand. After a mid-career furniture making education, I pivoted to using hand tools in my furniture making. Early doubts about the longevity of this change were quickly erased.
Thanks. Many here share the views you've written above. I still find myself using power tools for the ''grunt" work but have been drawn to hand tools more and more. Time is my enemy.
Doug
