I am amazed when I sit down to look at numbers (cost benefit analysis, it's your best friend in business) to find out how many power tools simply ARE NOT WORTH THE MONEY. A lot of them don't save you any real amount of time in the long run (assuming you are a small business and not a big factory) when you consider maintenance, setup, adjustment, etc. etc. And even if they do save a bit of time, they don't save you money. They take electricity to run, need new parts now and then, need new cutters/chains/belts/paper/whatever, and ultimately need replaced after a few years. You have to do a LOT of work all the time for a lot of this gizmos to pay for themselves. And on top of that, hand tools are quieter, easier on your body in a lot of cases (vibration does nasty things to your bones)and more enjoyable to use. Sometimes I just like to put down the electric drill and use the old brace on a mortise or two...
I find it is the case that if you really know what you are doing and have good sharp tools, hand tools can often be faster (that's right) than power tools. The big thing is they just aren't as easy, and they require a lot more skill. Modern Americans don't like things that take time to master. We want instant results. A master with an axe and chisel can outdo anyone with a 16 inch saw or or chain mortiser. I've seen it.
Let history be your teacher, too. That is likely one of the reasons you are into TF in the first place, but don't ever let that fall out of sight. Learn from the past, learn from the cultures that still do it. Let's not try to reinvent the wheel here. (Sometimes I feel like we are doing just that). and most important, never, NEVER, limit yourself to one set of ideas and one way of doing things. The master at any craft is the one with the most insight, the one who sees things that others don't and innovates. And if you are not striving to be a master at your craft, then you are no craftsman at all. It is find, by the way, to strive for something that you don't think you will ever accomplish. In fact, I think the best goals we can have are the ones that we will never quite reach, the ones that ALWAYS leave us with something more to reach for...
Sorry if I get a little philosophical. But then maybe I am not. I think it is important to be a craftsman, and I think any good craftsman needs a solid philosophy. That's why I love wood, and that's why I love geometry, and that's why I love any way of combining the two...
