I'm Not a Chimpanzee

What a thorny subject it is to those overly romantic so-and-so-s. The “evil” of machines and power tools within woodworking. Some of us, yes, there are some, that choose to work by hand for decent reasons. The joy it brings, the direct involvement of working with our two hands, discovery and to preserve skills that might otherwise be cast aside. All of those things and more are the reasons why I like to work primarily by hand in my own time. There are many ills in the world, we know this, but power tools and machines are not those ills despite the many straw men that are made to the contrary.

As with anything, you can’t create much without buying something along the way. This is often a cornerstone conspiracy from the purists. They’ll pop on their tin foil hats and declare that magazines and websites are packed with advertisements for machines and power tools pressuring you to spend so very much money, otherwise you’ll never be able to make something good from wood! The twist here is that hand tools are often just as expensive and also take up a lot of advertising space. A honing device for your drawknife, £100. A honing guide for your chisels and plane irons, £100. A trio of sharpening stones, £200 one chisel for £100! And so it goes on. The reality is that it is always very hard to navigate your steps through anything new. I don’t give a damn how, why or how much you spend, that’s your business and nobody else’s. With the guidance of someone that posses experience, you can negotiate your early steps with a minimal outlay. The most expensive singular outlay will likely be your workbench.

The next straw man is to blame the professionals for not using hand tools! How ignorant have we become when we constantly denigrate others to make ourselves look good, or worse, some kind of savior? Yes a modern workshop, of which many are still small, is different to the highly idealised ideas of the past, but that is because it’s a professional environment trying to employ people, comply with legislation, mange clients needs and turn a modest profit. What should we do to that industry? Ask them to turn off the power and dust off the pit saw? Sell the planer and sharpen the Jack Plane? No problem! The romantics can subsidise the process, clearly they have a plan? I would dearly love to drop them into the 1780’s at 60-61 St Martin’s Lane London and watch them drown in their lack of skill while clinging to their life jacket of utopian craft ideals. And just so the purists know, modern professionals are just as able to maintain their tools to a good standard, we just don’t have a book to sell you on the subject. Remember the sales trick, convince people they can’t do something, provide the reasons why it’s not their fault, blame it on the power tool bogey man then sell them all the cure for their problems. Books, courses, plans, subscriptions. There’s always a cure.

The reality for those of us lucky enough to have a space at home in which to work is that we will at best have modest machines. A small bandsaw, a lathe, a battery drill and perhaps even a planer if we are lucky. Here begins yet more comedy, look over the shoulder of the “holier than thou” hand tool clowns and what do we see? Industrial sized bandsaws of various types, lathes, pillar drills, dust extractors, spraying equipment all in big lofty spaces or in curated make believe theaters for your viewing pleasure. A notable romantic some years ago described those of us who use the correct protective equipment when required in a typically dismissive way “perhaps it is just a coincidence that he closely resembles a chimpanzee!”. Well, they gave some hand tools to an Orangutan and she got to grips with them, but sadly no primates were found using woodworking machines!

There are indeed risks when using machines. If we don’t protect ourselves properly and encourage others to do the same we are ignorant. At one moment when we use a machine we are labelled as chimps, or the task dismissed as something any fool can do. How is it then that people become injured? I think much of this is a lack or training, education and respect. To get the most from a powered tool you need to understand how to use it safely and this takes time. If you are a professional it is likely that you have been trained properly on safe use. There is less chance of this for the home woodworker. This is why I spent a day with a professional woodturner to get a feel for, and achieve basic competency on the lathe. I recommend a home woodworker to get some advice and training on how to use their machines should they wish to add them to what they do. Machines and power tools aren’t the tools of chimps and describing them as such is silly and increases the risk of injury greatly.

Thankfully if we choose to be sensible we can control the risks of powered tools and manage them. For many people, machines and power tools can lighten the load, remove some burden and for some even expand horizons. After all, Tabitha Babbitt is credited with inventing a circular saw along with many other innovations. She happens to have been a Shaker and I’m sure in 1813 her community were impressed with her ingenuity. Perhaps we could send our hand tool purists back in a treadle powered time machine and prevent her work? Luckily, the only injuries of a serious nature I’ve seen during my time have been with chisels, edge tools are dangerous too.

If you are concerned that using powered tools over hand tools has an impact on the waste of materials, please don’t worry. In fact machines can recover timber extremely well. The real waste is what’s going on between your ears. Are you creating shoddy work and coning people out of money with what you create? You can do that with both hand and power tools, and if you are a con artist, you are an ass. Bit if you try you’re best, and are motivated to produce good work you are already halfway there, be it by hand, power or a mix of both. Don’t be dictated to, choose a path that makes you feel good about what you make. The rest falls into place.

I have often heard of terms such as “craft woodworking” or “art and craft of woodworking” introduced to separate the purist from the great unwashed (me). Power machines are unfriendly for they are very noisy and make a lot of unpleasant dust? Someone forgot to tell my 9 year old daughter! We spent some time together a few weekends ago as she decided she wanted to make something with me. We went through the safe use of machines as we went along and she wore the correct protective equipment. There was no dust, it was properly extracted, this is something you must add to machines and power tools should you choose to use them. She wanted to have a go so I made sure I picked a very simple task and she took much satisfaction in using the machine. I once read a paragraph that said “Anyone that says a machine is a tool can never understand the art and craft of woodworking. As long as we think and express this, we will never see children and women in the wood shop working with their hands.” And so it was that the next job my daughter did was to use the venerable and easy to master 151 spokeshave to clean up the saw marks of the round stool top I had prepared. I employ strict supervision when working with my children, regardless of them using a machine or a hand tool. I denounce those who would undermine her steps into woodworking and spending time with her Dad, making something, and yes it was craft, it was the work of a young artist and it was good work. My daughter also drew three sketches of different versions of what she wanted to make before we started. I was most proud of her efforts. And yet further comedy today. I picked up a large chestnut board from a local supplier and heavens above a woman was operating the machines! What a joke some of these commentators are. But I do concede, machines can be intimidating. That’s not a bad thing, it can create a healthy respect.

It is true that machines can add speed to production and this has led to reduced standards in some situations, but beware those straw men! Again, the issue is not machinery but what goes on between the ears of us humans. The ills of humans began well before factories and it was no surprise that many things were wrong within factories. Amusingly though, many communities sprang up around factories and were sad to see them go when it was decided to send our dirty work to other shores. If you want to know what good factory furniture looks like, take a look at some mid century Ercol chairs. Beautiful! Sadly we don’t celebrate the work of Lucian Ercolani or George Russell (incidentally my Granddad made a version of the dressing table shown in the link for my Gran) instead we have the usual suspects wheeled out like Ruskin and Morris. Good mass production brought quality design and products to more people than ever before thanks to Lucian and many others. The die-hard followers of Ruskin and Morris ended up trying to create their own Utopia, so concerned were they about the ordinary person on the street, but the twist was the only people that could afford their furniture was the very rich and many like Morris were independently wealthy. Always be cautious of those promising a Utopia.

I will state my view clearly, if I have not done so already, contentment, happiness and satisfaction in a job well done can be found both as a strict professional, amateur or anywhere in-between. I state to anyone that asks me what the difference is between me as an amateur and as a professional and it is this. I make what I want to make in my own time, this is the difference. I research, explore techniques, design and sketch something and then apply myself without worry about the needs of a client. This is where happiness is for me, this is where my craft lives. Being judged happens everyday, but I am my only judge where my craft is involved. I refuse to accept the imposition from others on what craft is and what it isn’t. Perhaps one day people might buy something I make with my own pure creative urge at its heart, perhaps that will never happen, at this moment it’s not something I worry off.

People have been quick to point out that the word “craft” when used as a verb is to make an object, typically by hand. Or as a noun, making things by hand. What is “handmade”? By the book it is made by hand, not by machine. I know of virtually nobody who meets this standard. Especially those that espouse hand tools. They must understand that as soon as they pick up their electric drill, a bandsaw or an electric lathe spins the wood it is no longer “wood craft” or “handmade”. The reality that you should be aware of is that just about everyone that promotes hand tool skills, to a greater of lesser extent, still relies on power tools along the way. So to the purists I say, I don’t consider your work woodcraft, craft, handmade or any other facade you wish to hide behind. It might be of a superb quality, I acknowledged that and I might admire it greatly but I won’t be fooled, especially as many of you would judge, categorise, and deny the title handmade or craft to others.

I’ve never worried that others are creating things using power tools, machines, or even CNC. We’ve touched on the straw man of cost of machines etc and it truly is so packed with straw you could bed a horse with it. You can pick up good, cheap second hand machines that are perfect for home woodworking as easily and as cheaply as used hand tools if you are prepared to be patient and put in a little work to get them purring nicely. My bandsaw was £100, my lathe the same. Most people spend more on sharpening supplies! I don’t have a router at home and I admit, it’s not a favorite tool of mine. But it’s effective and could be right for you. Without the help of the electric router I would never seen my Dad create some quite marvelous flights of stairs. The clients would never of subsidised routing out in the housings in the strings by hand. I have little that needs to be sent to a saw doctor at home as I don’t use carbide tipped saw blades. Some people are cautious to sharpen their £420 handsaw (yes, hand tools can be expensive) and they send them off for sharpening. Who am I to judge!? Must someone do everything to escape judgement?

But what about the quality, surely handmade is better quality? NO! You and I are responsible for quality. Without our engagement nothing happens. It is not a machines fault if you leave planer marks on the wood, it is not a hand planes fault if you leave tearout, it is not the brush or spray equipment’s fault if you have runs in your finish. You choose, be motivated to good work and it will come. If you don’t have any neighbors to annoy you might well choose to run out material by machine for a dining table and say six chairs, not an unreasonable project for a home woodworker. The work wont suffer. It might look bad if you try to plane it by hand with a lack of care and tear it to shreds, it might look bad if you run a crude ogee round edges with a router. The work will look bad if you design them poorly. That’s on you, not the tools, be they powered or not.

Although it is possible to make pieces entirely with machines it must be understood it is not as easy as just saying “Hello computer, please make me some attractive furniture for my home.” I personally have no interest in learning the skills involved to take that journey, my path leads elsewhere. But I don’t look at that other path with spite, I hope our paths cross and I can take in what is possible by means other than my own. Our tinfoil hatted hand tool friend will often cite that magazines and websites have corrupted us. Sadly you can seamlessly purchase thousands of pounds worth of hand tools, books, enroll on online classes all with the swipe of the finger using your saved payment method. It is just human behavior. All the gear and no idea? More money than sense? This is not a new phenomenon.

I wonder, how would our hand tool purist would get on presented with the challenges of using some of these expensive magic machines they assume do all the work for people? I can tell you there is a skill to machine work and it is not something that just happens. Money is never a short cut to any skill of worth, you still need to put in the hours. Money can buy you time and access to resources that can greatly speed up your learning. After all, if rent and food are at the forefront then enrolling on a course, online or otherwise is not likely to be viable. Professional apprenticeships are still around these days but the term has been hijacked by the Utopians who will suggest that the modern apprenticeships don’t have anything to offer. While I personally feel that the real length of an apprenticeship is 6 years for a good level of skill to develop, allowing a diverse range of projects to be undertaken with a high degree of competency. It is also true that apprenticeships are shorter in duration than they used to be. My advice is to say humble and continue to be a good student of your craft, even after your 6 years of full time work. A respected woodworker once wrote along the lines that you will often find people in small workshops ready to take the next step into another sphere of work such as pure furniture making. I think this is a great option. Join a small workshop and apply yourself fully, earn while you learn and progress your learning in your free time too. The more you learn the more you realise that you will only scratch the surface of our wonderful calling, regardless of how many hours you put in for however many days a week. You will never master it all, the heading of woodworking encompasses more than any one person can ever hope to master.

You can be sure if someone completed a formal apprenticeship in the UK after 1964 it would not be indentured apprenticeship of old. I don’t actually worry too much about whether someone has served an apprenticeship. The very word apprentice sounds right in the ear, it has the feel of an old system of mysteries and secrets along with a rubber stamp for quality. While it is important to be trained properly for your job you must still to strive for better if you want to learn more. This has always been the case. You only get better at something when you stick at something and feel invested in it. No amount of formal training can change that. I have heard of carpenters turning up on sites with a carrier bag of average tools and cutting on a superb roof and on the other hand another individual who spent a fortune on chisels and saws only to never make anything of use. One of the very best people I have worked alongside with had only basic tools, an ANANT No.4 with a crude handle he had made, nondescript chisels and all maintained on a Norton India. Remember, it’s what you have between your ears. Good tools are a joy and ease the burden but time, practice and work move us forward.

We could trade blows of noted people of craft from years past and I am sure there is much we can learn from them. But be cautious, it is easy to create idols and gurus of people we have never met and some of those were very flawed characters. The brave thing to do is take as much responsibility as you are able for yourself and your progress withing woodworking. I do appreciate those that wish to promote hand tool use, I truly do. We just can’t afford to be extremists here. Tub-thumping folks with straw men at the ready should be avoided.

A question for you. How many hand tool purists have a metal hand plane? A spoke shave? Were these not born from the industrial process? Their very introduction reduced the “craft” of wooden plane making to the dustbin. So too the steel used to make the cutting edges of your tools. Was your steel organically grown or was it instead created thanks to innovation of the modern age? Even a simple scraper, a scraper! The most humble cutting tool, the scraper, is a piece of steel. Modern advocates have not changed this, industrial diamonds on steel plates, but what of natural stones? Modern tools made with CNC machinery, where is the craft in this my purist friend? If you’ve already drank the Kool-Aid then no matter. But where does the nonsense stop? I am very happy with my metal tools made with the unique skills, craft and nuanced understandings that bought them to my bench be they new or 200 years old.

In a strange way I would welcome further intrusion within my life from machines. I found myself recently working in my creative space at home, balancing what I’m doing with the knowledge I will be preparing meals, washing clothes, seasonal work to a small garden etc. I take no real interest in those tasks, no real passion. If Alexa were able to be more helpful I’d happily employ its skills with something more useful to me than dimming the lights or playing a piece of music. And the only reason I can work in my space is thanks to the marvel of electricity. I have no windows in my garage. Natural light would be most welcome, but we make do with what we have. I already possess everything to do what I need, perhaps not just enough time to do it. So if a bandsaw can cut my curves, an electric lathe spin the wood and light give me vision I need then I am happy and still feel a craftsman. Perhaps in the future technology will reduce some more burdens of existence. It wasn’t so long ago that clean running water in homes was pure fantasy so maybe more free time for application to our passions is not so outlandish.

The Shaker “style” has, well, never gone out of style! Although the layman thinks Shakers never used ornament or adornment, their Victorian pieces speak differently, but I will concede they never went Neo Classical. No matter, I do enjoy the “classic” shaker designs that most of us think of too. I am pleased that the shakers are often mentioned within this discussion as they are a perfect example of what craft can be. They used machines, power, heck they even invented some machines! But their work, even when used with these advancements was not diminished. This is because of how they applied themselves. “Do all your work as though you had a thousand years to live, and as though you were going to die to-morrow.” Ann Lee (1736-1784).

Once again we can find people at the heart of these issues. Customers, clients if you will, have a tendency to demand a level of clinical perfection. Machine work is well placed to deliver the engineered look. This is perhaps a phase, perhaps soon it will mellow and will be replaced with more balance but I doubt it. This is okay. If handwork is an addition to an already rich tapestry, the finishing touch, then let it be that way. There will always be a market for a chest of drawers, a chair or a table. But the market might be small and perhaps you are the one to deliver it to yourself. There has always been people interested in craft and design that is sympathetic to craft methods, and the real kicker is that most of those people have been quietly going about their work for hundreds of years, right up to the present day. Just because you don’t know about them or see their work, it does not mean they don’t exist. Join the club, it’s not as elitist as it looks from the outside and it is very rewarding.

Today when I enter the corner of my garage I feel very much at peace (most of the time). I deeply enjoy using my hand tools, my mind and my creativity. I take my planes, sharpened for the task at hand and shape the wood as it needs to be shaped. Sometimes with vigor when using a jack, sometimes with a delicate touch when removing an arris. The ability to say goodbye to abrasives. But I also am comforted with my bandsaw and lathe and don’t think less of myself. And if you choose to add an electric router or sander then you should also be satisfied. Just as if you wish to spend £200 on sharpening stones when a £20 stone would do the same job, it is up to you.

If the odd person or two finds this letter posted on here, perhaps they will be reassured. Your work is defined by you and you unique qualities and skills, let nobody tell you different. Never give up what you enjoy but do stay open minded. Your next project will most likely not be made good by those three water stones in plastic boxes, nor will it be made better by that slightly better router, electric or otherwise. But that will be for you to work out. Time is my enemy, if they make a machine for that, well! But for now I will share what I’m doing for as long as I am able, not because I am the last word and I have no desire to be, but to show that there is enjoyment in making things is possible and it is very much CRAFT!