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I think working with hand tools can be a great place and a terrible place to start.
To walk this fine line and land on the happy side of it, one needs to be VERY specific about what they are building and have a clear plan in mind before you pick up a tool or cut any wood.
wait, before you choose a hand tool, I’m sure you already have a woodworking plan project. but if you don’t have one, don’t worry, I can help you choose a woodworking plan project.
Want to preview some of our plans? You can get 100+ Woodworking Plans.
The Bad Side of Hand Tools
Let’s look at the bad first. Hand tools are ambiguous at best. They require a lot more sense memory to use and precision is a very relative term and sometimes an unnecessary element to consider.
Hand tools beget hand tools. While at face value one may think a smaller tool kit is needed you can very quickly amass a collection of “gotta have” tools just to complete a simple project. Yet without some time in the trenches planing and sawing the new woodworker can quickly get frustrated when his or her tools don’t function like the ones that…
