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Handtools win again! - Printable Version

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Handtools win again! - cwarner - 06-07-2016

Grandfather calls today to have me come down and help him take their sliding barn style bathroom door off the rail as something was "rubbing " and causing some resistance when operating the door. My uncle happened to stop by as well.Take it off and it's obvious that the door is slightly rubbing the floor on a few spots. The ensuing conversation was classic:

Uncle: " I wish I'd known and I would have brought my belt sander"

Grandpa " Well I have an orbital and a palm sander"

Me " Or I can run home and grab a hand plane and make quick work of this and easier to clean up". (I live 3 blocks away)

They both jumped at that.

As I was using the block plane my uncle just watched in amazement and said " look at that! Why did these ever things go away, that thing is great"

I just replied that they didn't go anywhere, people just jump to power tools thinking they are better by default.


Re: Handtools win again! - hbmcc - 06-07-2016




Re: Handtools win again! - Window Guy - 06-08-2016

........ Great story I have most of the powered tailed cousins but other than my Bandsaw and 3/8" electric drill I use occasionaly I seldom use them. Much prefer the handtools myself. I even used my Goodall Pratt Miter Box with a 28" saw to put up a chair rail and crown molding in my Daughters home next door. My S-I-L couldn't understand why I wouldn't use my Makita SCMS on this. I told him him he needed to learn how to hold boards to give him something to do and to keep him from getting hurt grin:.


Steve


Re: Handtools win again! - Carl Grover - 06-08-2016

That would have been a slow miserable job with a powered sander. Would have been really easy to wreck the door with a belt sander too.



Carl


Re: Handtools win again! - Peter Tremblay - 06-08-2016

Good for you!

Truth is I don't often think of how easy the clean up is with a plane verses a power tool.

But I don't clean my shop often enough


Re: Handtools win again! - AHill - 06-08-2016

How ironic that the younger generation is reintroducing hand tools to the older generation! Good on you!


Re: Handtools win again! - Bill_Houghton - 06-08-2016

I had a similar experience some years back, cleaning off a corner of a door that was rubbing. Dad was grumbling about the inefficiencies of the tool, even as I got it done; and I really should have sharpened the plane before going down to his house!

I remain grateful to him for all he taught me, even if much of it was power tools oriented.


Re: Handtools win again! - C. in Indy - 06-08-2016

I had a contractor in for a house room-remodel estimate last week (so I'm the lazy one.... but I digress). In the basement he walked by my recent hand-cut dovetail practice piece, and he definitely noticed.

I sent my brother a Millers Falls 14 jack-plane 5 years ago, freshly sharpened, and he went on and on about it. We agreed that lots and lots of folks with the big-box home-improvement experience have never really laid hands on a sharp plane.


Re: Handtools win again! - JimReed@Tallahassee - 06-08-2016

A sharp handplane in action pulling wispy shavings is a sight of beauty.


Re: Handtools win again! - cwarner - 06-08-2016

Peter Tremblay said:


Good for you!

Truth is I don't often think of how easy the clean up is with a plane verses a power tool.

But I don't clean my shop often enough




Peter,

This operation happened right outside the bathroom in the house. Knowing grandmother, keeping the mess minimal was appreciated. The task was done in less than 1 minute of block plane work.