Has anyone ever thought about ditching the power all together, going "Roy Underhill'ish" on the world with your wood shop? It appeals to me. I have given it much thought, and the idea of no power just seems very compelling to me. I am almost ready to put my machines up for sale, and use the cash for a fleet of hand tools, build a saw bench, work bench. Been investigating some cool websites all about going powerless. Graham Blackburn is a great resource for this at http://www.blackburntools.com/index.html

There are plenty of shops around our nation that are completely off the grid, both professional and hobby. I have noticed that chair makers are famous for off the grid woodworking. Much of the chair making is performed on a shave horse. I just love the idea, any thoughts on this from anyone?

Been trying to get away from electric stuff.    Handsaw work is a bit too much for my health.   But i do try to use all them fancy hand tools I have....

Been trying to get away from electric stuff.    Handsaw work is a bit too much for my health.   But i do try to use all them fancy hand tools I have....

Steve, you are the one here who is closest to the origins. I know work can be limited, for example it may be hard to build a Maloof inspired rocker by hand tools, so much of that process is machined, but a whole world of work and art is still to be had by hand tools only. I know at first I would be limited, but as my hand tool skills grow, the world would keep opening up.

Back to your sawing issue at hand, at what point do you have to switch over to power for sawing?

I'm more of a "Norm" type of woodworker.

I never did have enough coordination to do much of any type of hand/eye stuff. Couldn't even play sports (Scuba diving was the limit of my "athletic" prowess). Barely mastered the 4 string banjo.

Dovetails are by hand saws.   Long rip cuts..Circular saws.    Some crosscuts are by hand, most are not.   It would depend on how much needed to be cut, before I start a-whezzing. 

 

Mortise and tenon work...usually by hand tools.  Curved cuts?  That is what they make bandsaws for....

 

Small mitre cuts, like trim work, I have a hand-powered Mitrebox with a decent backsaw in it.  

 

All depends on what I am doing, and how good I am feeling that day. 

Not just "No" but "Heck No!"

I can barely draw a straight line with a square much less doing hand cut dovetails. 

I can see the appeal of working with hand tools. I always enjoy when gluing things up and doing some hand sanding as it is peaceful in the shop with my iPod plugged into the radio/cd player playing some "Big Band" or "Blues"music or listening to some bible teaching on the radio or my favorite guy Chuck Missler as I have a bunch of of his studies on MP3. Doing some chisel work putting in hinges is fun as well. But there is no way that I could make projects without the power tools.  But to each his own.

Power tool woodworking has opened up the field to many of us klutzes that would have never been able to create anything without them. 

I have an extensive, but far from complete, set of Stanley Planes. As the need arises, (as in power tools won't get the job done SAFELY) I use them.   

I guess I'm a hybrid woodworker that leans more towards power than hand tools. 

The journey is satisfying but the end results are more so. I see no need to prolong the journey. 

You don't have to ditch power tools altogether. 

There were versions of lathes, scroll saws, table saws, drill presses, band saws etc. that were powered by treadles like a treadle sewing machine.

It might be a bit rough on my old eyes to work under the light from a kerosene lamp though. 

I like the hand tools, but I am not ready to ditch the power in the shop. As Larry said, I am not ready to work under the light of an oil lantern and I don't have enough windows for that much natural light.

I have times when I use some of the planes I have and my chisels, but I am not ready to be using only those. I enjoy watching Steve build the projects he does and I am amazed at his talent, it is just not the way I want to work in the shop.

Once in a while the idea sneaks up on me to do that.

 

Then, sooner or later,  I end up having to saw something by hand and   that helps me get over it.

I'm a real fan of Reddy Kilowatt and I can see no plausible reason to ditch electricity.  But if it floats your boat, go for it!

I was born 100 years late. 

"Steam Power" 

Thanks for all the feedback gents, great stuff! Larry, I would not ditch my lighting for a kerosene lamp, and I would definitely want treadle power by human in this shop. All that being said, this would have to be a stepped transition, because first off I want to build the proper workbench with power tools, and I'd like to get a saw-bench built as well by power and other needed mainstays of a hand tooled shop. The machines and power tools would eventually be sold off as they sit more and more on the shelf and my work adapts more to hand tooling.

Here is a really cool website http://www.theunpluggedwoodshop.com Tom Fidgen runs the business and he is a dedicated powered by humanoid woodworker. I have ordered his book Made by Hand which I can't wait to get it and dig in. I have long been interested in this, it's only lately I have actually thought of it seriously and have gone over and over in my head why I would want to do it, and how I would do it. When my family subscribed to Netflix a couple years ago I was able to watch all the Roy Underhill shows and that was what really planted the seed in me. So this has been percolating for some time now. Here is a really cool video of Tom Fidgen, he is promoting his book The Unplugged Woodshop in the video but he does it with actions not words so it's a nice video to watch, not too mention the sound track is nice too.

Thanks again for all who responded with your thoughts, as I progress with my own thoughts I'll share them here.

 

Once in a while the idea sneaks up on me to do that.

 

Then, sooner or later,  I end up having to saw something by hand and   that helps me get over it.

What he said^^^^. I do enjoy using some handtools, but can't get to the unplugged shop concept. I do enjoy reading potst like Steven's and watching Roy.....but it's not for me.

Has anyone ever thought about ditching the power all together, going "Roy Underhill'ish" on the world with your wood shop? It appeals to me. I have given it much thought, and the idea of no power just seems very compelling to me. I am almost ready to put my machines up for sale, and use the cash for a fleet of hand tools, build a saw bench, work bench. Been investigating some cool websites all about going powerless. Graham Blackburn is a great resource for this at http://www.blackburntools.com/index.html

There are plenty of shops around our nation that are completely off the grid, both professional and hobby. I have noticed that chair makers are famous for off the grid woodworking. Much of the chair making is performed on a shave horse. I just love the idea, any thoughts on this from anyone?

When I worked at Greenfield Village, I had a tredle wood lathe to use in making patterns for the iron foundry.  It worked just fine.  However we bought buggy/carriage wheel spokes, hubs and felloes from an Amish company in Ohio and they used water power machinery to make them.  So even the Amish see the value in power machinery.  Go figure.

When I worked at Greenfield Village, I had a tredle wood lathe to use in making patterns for the iron foundry.  It worked just fine.  However we bought buggy/carriage wheel spokes, hubs and felloes from an Amish company in Ohio and they used water power machinery to make them.  So even the Amish see the value in power machinery.  Go figure.

Thanks Ernie, I am not opposed to powered by alternative sources. But I would be opposed to modern day machinery regardless of how powered. For example I would not want a 10" Powermatic TS in my shop powered by wind or water. I guess I'd be looking to stay within a time period of what was available at the time, what that time period is has not been thought of yet. But most certainly a foot treadle lathe, or even a foot treadle table saw would be fine in my future shop.

What he said^^^^. I do enjoy using some handtools, but can't get to the unplugged shop concept. I do enjoy reading post like Steven's and watching Roy.....but it's not for me.

Thanks Fred for the comments, I know it's a scary proposition for most, it is even for me, but it calls. Even the way it can be financed is not ideal. lets say for example I sell my 6" jointer, I may get 300 bucks for it, now what do I have to buy in order to get the same results? I already have most of the basic bench planes I'd need to satisfy the jointer operation, so I guess I would come out ahead in that regard. So now I could use that 300 bucks to start purchasing matched planes for mouldings. I can sell my table saw for 800 and that would give me a great start on a saw bench, some nice saws, and make my own bow saws and re-saws. Hmmm, lots to think about.Whatever I do it needs to make financial sense because I cannot rob my family budget to afford this dream. It must support itself with what I have already. It will be a process for sure. I don't even know if I can plan it out, it may just have to happen as it can happen. Just musing here, thanks Fred.

John,

We were both just born about 150 years to late.  

There was a velocopede scroll saw on craigs list by me, it didn't last long even at $1500.00. 

John,

We were both just born about 150 years to late.  

There was a velocopede scroll saw on craigs list by me, it didn't last long even at $1500.00. 

Thanks Larry, that would have been waay over my budget anyway my friend. On top of that I think the joy of starting a shop like this would be to build it myself!

Thanks Larry, that would have been waay over my budget anyway my friend. On top of that I think the joy of starting a shop like this would be to build it myself!

John,

Some collector must have been looking for one. 

It was listed for about 20 minutes total and was gone by the time I went back to copy the photos to post here. 

So I went and found a photo of a similar machine. This one is a W.F. & John Barnes Co. No. 2 Velocipede from around 1890.

Could you dig it?