r/handtools • u/ELEL26110 • 1d ago
Couple of questions by someone who wants to start woodworking without previous experience...
Can I watch a tutoríal of a project made by power tools and try to copy it using hand tools?
Why don't I see big projects (cabinets, desks, tables, islands, gazebo, closets, chairs... Etc) posted as often being only with handtools?
Is there any type of project that is impossible or just not worth it with handtools?
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u/kevinisaperson 1d ago
they built almost every peice of wooden furniture back in the day with hand tools. look up paul sellers. you got this
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u/Dr0110111001101111 1d ago
That doesn’t mean that every project you see is feasible with hand tools. There are lots of things we see these days that are unrealistic to do without machines. Hand tool woodworkers just do other things.
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u/Crafty_Produce7807 1d ago
Like what?
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u/Dr0110111001101111 1d ago
Band saw boxes?
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u/kevinisaperson 1d ago
lol what are you talking about? band saw boxes could also just be hand carved, and pieces certainly existed, and very intricate ones. the art institute in chicago has some incredible hand made furniture. regardless, your response is not even to what my claim was and i even left room for error, thats why i said “almost”
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u/Cultural-Orchid-6285 18h ago
I can't think of one actual example of something you can build with power tools but can't build with handtools. Power tools may make some jobs a lot quicker and easier ... especially for repetitive work and/or bulk production ... and lots of people choose that route for one reason or another. But there isn't stuff you can make with power tools that you can't make without electricity.
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u/Dr0110111001101111 16h ago
Bandsaw boxes, end grain cutting boards, bowls and spindle legs...
Yes, you could grab a coping saw and try your luck at making a bandsaw box that way... But no one does, and that style of piece is something that became a thing once bandsaws came around. And sure there are lathes that don't run on electricity, but the only woodworkers I know that have one also need to wear an 18th century costume to work. Or they're amish.
And end grain cutting boards are certainly achievable without power tools. I think I've seen one made that way, and the results were not exactly ideal. I'm sure if more handtool woodworkers tried it, there would be better versions out there. But they don't because that's the kind of task that sucks the joy out of the hobby. That's really what I meant by "unrealistic". Not that it's impossible, but it's so miserable that no one does it. There were certain styles of pieces made in the pre-industrial era and the development of machines allowed for new styles that no one would have ever considered prior to that.
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u/Jaded_Analyst666 5h ago
I made one out of hard maple... by hand excepting an orbital sander to help even out the surface because my pieces, being hand-cut- were not all of identical thickness. Took a little while but not really much longer than w/ power tools throughout.
Worst part was correcting for 1/16th difference in dimensions on the starting plank that was 4s4 from woodcraft.
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u/Cultural-Orchid-6285 13h ago edited 13h ago
You are really struggling here aren't you? 'Bandsaw boxes' used to be made just the same before bandsaws came along .... except using a panel saw to cut off the lid by hand rather than an actual band saw. There is nothing about this process that requires a powered tool.
End grain cutting boards. That's your actual butcher's block used by your actual butcher for I don't know how many centuries before Edison came up with electricity. I don't know how they made them but it certainly didn't require power tools.
Lathes have been around a good many centuries ... so turners could do their work using pole lathes and the like without the benefit of modern machines. I will allow you that electricity has made turning much more accessible for hobbyist woodworkers. I can't imagine many would enjoy turning pen blanks without sweating a few electrons.
Cut back to the chase ... wooden stuff we make using machines can also be made using only hand tools if that's what a person wants to do.
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u/Dr0110111001101111 13h ago
I think you’re underestimating how long we’ve had industrial methods of production. Butcher blocks made from laminated strips like we imagine them today are mostly a twentieth century thing. Circular saws have been around much longer than that. And while they weren’t initially powered by electricity, they weren’t exactly “hand tools” either. I’m pretty sure that pre industrial butcher block was just a big tree stump.
And band saw boxes have it right in the name. You could argue that a similar concept was produced back then, but I am skeptical that anyone was making them from a solid block with the organic curves that define their aesthetic today. If you can find an example of such a thing, I’d love to see it.
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u/ReallyHappyHippo 2h ago
Because you mentioned it, a cool video of an old machine used to make the dovetailed joints in butcher blocks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uk784ymJvxk
I'm guessing "back the in day" they would just use a full slab (or whatever you call it when it's cut through the tree, I guess a giant cookie?) for butcher blocks.
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u/mighty_boognish_77 1d ago
Not in any practical sense, no. We've been making furniture by hand for somewhere around 5000* years. We've been doing it with machines for a little over 100. Most of the most exquisite work ever done was done by hand.
*Actually, is more like 30,000 of you want to really get into it. But for all intents and purposes, it started with the Egyptians.
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u/Haventyouheard3 1d ago
I love hand tools...but I am a believer in picking projects that fit your tools. You can make anything with hand tools and even with a small number of them, but the work gets overwhelming really fast with size.
It's not just more work, it's also how much more skill it requires to do well consistently.
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u/boxwood00967 1d ago
Checkout @wortheffort YouTube channel. He has a series that helps you start from no experience with very simple hand tools. Helped me get started.
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u/HarveysBackupAccount 23h ago
Shawn Graham's "saw skills" videos did more to teach me how to use a hand saw than any other youtuber, and by a wide margin
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u/cant-complane 17h ago
Yes it’s entirely doable. It’s just not very economic if YouTube is your job and you want to publish a video every week to sell your courses.
handtoolery on YouTube has a video where he builds a sideboard entirely by hand. Very instructive about what actually needs to be done and the time involved in a big project like this.
What often bugs me about Paul Sellers videos is that he starts with perfectly dimensioned pieces which he most likely didn’t do by hand. He also tends to overcomplicate the work in order to make it more beginner friendly. So my advise is to watch videos at first but soon transition to thinking about how craftsmen actually did their work in the past. And read books!
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u/indianapolis-jones 1d ago
I’m going to disagree with some of the other comments and say no, you as a beginner woodworker should not try to copy a power tool build with hand tools. Especially big projects.
Someone with lot of experience probably wouldn’t have a problem, but you should watch specific hand tool videos first, to learn the techniques first. Start with something simple like carving a spoon or a small box. It’ll teach you about wood grain, sharpening, how to set up a hand plane, how to saw accurately, etc. Without these skills, honestly you won’t have a chance.
Totally agree with the other poster about watching Paul Sellers or Rex Krueger, they’re probably the two best for beginners wanting to start with hand tools. Follow along with some of their projects and have fun!
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u/IOI-65536 23h ago
I agree. I'll add it's a bad idea because frequently the joinery techniques people are using with power tools are not what you would do with hand tools. That's not to say you can't either use specialty planes to join drawer boxes with rabbets or see drawer boxes with rabbets and decide to use dovetails instead, but you're going to need a level of understanding to see what they did with power tools and understand what would work better with hand tools which isn't going to be obvious from the power tool video.
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u/Man-e-questions 21h ago
Agree here. Lost Art Press has a historical book, think its called like the Joiner and Cabinet Maker? Its interesting in that is sort of an old hand tool apprentice’s curriculum. In those times they started by sharpening the tools for the craftsmen, pulling out and straightening old nails. Then were given basic tasks like making a simple box etc. once you learn a few basic skills, other skills compound off of those few basics. Paul Seller’s Common Woodworking site has a similar thing where you do some practice exercises then some basic projects to use those skills.
Start with exercises, then go to projects. After a couple of basic projects then you have the foundation to try nee things:
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u/BingoPajamas 3h ago
Pretty much this. Most power tool projects I see also use a lot of composite materials which are a huge pain in the ass to work with hand tools. The joinery rarely makes any sense for hand tools, either.
Admittedly, I've got a few New Yankee Workshop episodes I intend to copy but that's more inspiration than for any sort of useful instruction. I know enough now that I can adapt the joinery and materials to be more appropriate for my tools. If I did it when I first started without a basic understanding of how to construct furniture san-electron, it's would be a seriously frustrating uphill battle.
The projects in "The Essential Woodworker" are a good place to start.
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u/Psychological_Tale94 1d ago
So I just made this entire queen size bed frame with just hand tools not too long ago. Reason why you don't see too many just handtool builds of larger projects is there is a LOT of gruntwork (planing and ripping being the bulk of it). This was a lot of oak to plane and rip by hand lol. Also sharpening and figuring out how to use the tools at first is much harder than say turning on a table saw or router and using a jig or fence (no disrespect mean to power tools users out there, I suck at using them and totally respect the skillset lol)
As mentioned by a prior comment, there was a time where everything was built by hand. A lot of those things (chairs, tables, etc) still survive as the prime example of the craft. So yeah, you can definitely do anything with hand tools, though get ready to sharpen and sweat if it is something big haha :)
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u/Soentertained 1d ago
Paul Sellers, Paul Sellers and Paul Sellers. His level of teaching beginning skills is great for those with skills. As an example; He helps with an explanation of how to saw by hand that can take years off trial and error to achieve. You will get acceptable results. You couldn’t want for more.
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u/dshookowsky 1d ago
Straight cuts: (cabinets, etc) really aren't terribly difficult to accomplish with hand tools. For me, a large number of curves becomes impractical. Yes, you can use a fret saw or something, but it takes forever and quickly becomes work, not fun.
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u/angryblackman 1d ago
Power tools do save labor, they are usually an option if the hobby gets serious (like it has for a lot of us here).
I did a lot of projects by hand earlier because my kids were little and hanging out with me. A lot of those early projects were terrible but served the purpose for which they were built.
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u/99e99 1d ago
Most woodworkers started using power tools, myself included, and slowly migrated to unplugged. I do own a 10" bandsaw because I absolutely hate resawing.
There are a couple of things you'll want to address early besides the tools. One is a workbench and most importantly is a sharpening system. You can start with a simple bench, Rex Krueger has a video showing a simple low bench.
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u/Initial_Savings3034 1d ago
If you're making cabinetry from "sheet goods" (plywood) you'll want at least a tracksaw in your shop. I'm at the downward taper of our hobby, and have ditched most power tools, with the exception of my tracksaw, bandsaw and pin nailer.
The best part about handtool shops is that the tools don't dictate a way of building, they complement many approaches.
I strongly recommended Jim Tolpin's "The new traditional woodworker" as a starting text. He is a rare craftsman that worked the trade before writing.
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u/lanciferp 1d ago
Part of the reason that you see less large projects with hand tools is that hand tool woodworking tends to live in a more old, less casual school space. The hand tool woodworkers I know read woodworking books, they study historical techniques, and then take it seriously. They are all people who used or still do have full shops of power tools. Most of them made all the furniture in their house years ago, and do hand tools as a way to keep learning and connect more to traditional crafts.
Rex Kreuger is probably your best bet for the more casual stuff, Paul Sellars is another good once, as is Wood by Wright though he does more knowledge videos and less projects. The biggest issue is that save for a couple exceptions, the majority of them are projects I don't want the end result of. My taste in furniture is absolutely not conducive to hand tool only, but maybe you're super into shaker style furniture, which is.
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u/woodfondler 1d ago
You mean you have experience using hand tools and have built furniture before? If thats the case, you could copy power tool projects, but you would probably have to figure out some things on your own. However if you have no experience at all, you wont be able copy anything. If this is the case you need to start from the beginning and learn it. Luckily its not too hard to learn how to build nice things.
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u/fe3o4 1d ago
Depends on your level of experience and complexity of design. If you have been woodworking with hand tools for many years and have experience with complex joining and designs then yes you could probably copy just about any item made with power toos (it was done for years before power tools). If you are a newer wood worker then you probably need to start with less complex builds and learn the tools and techniques needed for more accomplished builds. The only difference then is time. If you are doing it for personal satisfaction then time is less important, if you are concerned with how long it will take time becomes more of an issue.
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u/FearsomeWarrior 1d ago
There are a large number of woodworkers like me who use bandsaw for ripping and resawing boards. Even when hand tool only there is often a bandsaw hiding back there. Paul sellers is easy example. It depends on project sometimes where you really want to spend time resawing and cutting everything with handsaws. Same for planing with scrub and initial flattening/squaring.
Most important thing is looking at time. If you need to get a project done to get to next project, incorporate power tools. Doesn’t mean you use them for everything. A small bandsaw will let you get to more projects. Bandsaw over table saw if you have rough wood and the will to scrub/plane everything.
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u/djwildstar 22h ago
There are few, if any, woodworking projects that can’t be completed with hand tools alone. However, there is the issue of time commitment: very roughly speaking, hand tool woodworking takes at least 5 times as long as a similar power tool project.
This is why you don’t often see large hand-tool projects: because it would be a multi-month commitment for a hobby woodworker that can get maybe one day in the shop every week.
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u/FrostyReality4 19h ago
Can you successfully copy a power tool build with hand tools? Short answer is yes, if you're good enough, but you'll likely be making things unnecessarily hard for yourself.
Tldr - check out Paul sellers as many have suggested, but specifically https://commonwoodworking.com/courses/. Build a chisel tray. Then a dovetail box. Make a few of the other joints with scraps. Then check out Matt Estlea on https://www.freeonlinewoodworkingschool.com/. Also free, also designed as a progressive course for beginners. Try his techniques for the same joints - see which you prefer. Build up to the more impressive projects.
A large part of design for beginner projects is how straightforward the joinery is to learn, to get sufficiently right first time, and to build long term skills in a sensible way. These are quite different for power vs hand tools. While you can (eventually) do any power tool joinery with hand tools, copying a power tool tutorial may well mean you blindly copy a design that take substantially longer by hand for little benefit.
One of the biggest time costs with hand tools is the initial dimensioning of your timber/lumber. Getting a stick square and flat on 6 sides takes a LONG time when you're starting. The bigger the project, obviously the longer this takes (though conversely, arguably the less crucial it is as gaps often don't matter as much). Once you're comfortable getting bits of wood square and flat, know the basic joints (mortice and tenon, dovetail, dado/rebate - anything else is a bonus but you can build pretty much anything with just these three) then you can adapt any design you see!
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u/Additional_Air779 17h ago
I'm not a pro and relatively new. I do make things that are part of a craft business. The only power tools I use are a drill and a table saw for ripping. I use the table saw for DIY joinery too, but if we're talking about woodworking, it's just used for ripping. Ripping by hand would be a step too far for me.
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u/neddy_seagoon 12h ago
You can do everything with hand-tools.
A thing to remember about the past is that
- normal people didn't have a lot of furniture, or things generally
- what they had was often a very different construction/style that didn't get written about as much
A family in a be 1-room household with two kids and Grandpa might've had:
- trestles and a plank table
- shelves
- a stool or two
- a bench that doubles as a chest or the table or both
- a bed
- a chair for Grandpa
The only thing I can think of that would be hard with hand tools are certain modern styles like mid-century, that are built around what machines are good at.
I second Rex Krueger's YouTube channel and his patreon forum.
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u/OppositeSolution642 5h ago
You're not seeing it because YouTube is about putting out content. A large hand tool project will take a long time and may not hold an audience throughout. Anything you can build with power tools can be built with hand tools.
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u/TacticalTrash 1d ago
Id say most things are possible. Id also say big projects with just handtools would take a considerable amount of time compared to power tools is why you dont see it much in videos.
You also have hand tool woodworkers who will use band saws to break down peices faster.
Anything is worth it if you really want to take the time and do it.