Hot take: Hand tools are better than power tools for fine woodworking, but I just had a guy tell me I'm wrong

I was at the hardware store picking up sandpaper and this older guy, probably in his 70s, overheard me talking to the clerk about restoring a table. He butted in and said I was wasting my time using hand planes and chisels, that modern power tools get the same result in half the time. I told him a power planer can't give you the same feel for the grain, and he laughed and said I was being romantic about the past. So now I'm sitting here wondering, is it really better to go all hand tools or am I just stubborn? What do you all think, does the method actually matter for the final piece or is it just about what you enjoy more?

3 comments

3 Comments

jake98623d ago

That whole "romantic about the past" thing is the same attitude you see everywhere now, not just in woodworking. People think faster always means better, but they forget that some things are about the process, not just the end result. Do you ever feel like we're losing the skill and patience for anything that takes a few extra minutes?

wesley18123d ago

@jake986, it helps to just tell people you like the quiet time it gives you.

harper_foster23d ago

YES, "the skill and patience for anything that takes a few extra minutes" - that's EXACTLY what I see vanishing. I tried making homemade pasta from scratch last week, just flour and eggs and a rolling pin, and my roommate walked in and asked why I didn't just buy the dried stuff for 2 bucks. It took me almost an hour to roll and cut it, but there's something about the rhythm of it, the way your hands get covered in flour, that you just don't get from a box. People act like anything that takes longer than a microwave minute is a waste of time, but that's how you lose the whole point of doing it yourself.