As a woodworker, I am primarily self taught. This means that, I’ve figured things out myself, watched videos/TV shows to understand techniques, and read books and magazine articles to understand additional techniques. During all this, I’ve been (nearly entirely) focused on using power tools – table saws, bandsaws, hand power tools, jointers, routers, planers and others.
Over the last year or so, I’ve been trying to change my approach to woodworking. First, I’ve started using hand tools. My first big use was for a cherry blanket chest project (I haven’t posted anything on this yet but I will list it at some point in my Past Projects series of posts). I used a jointer plane (very long bed) to joint boards together. This worked out well though I’m sure my technique has a lot of short comings. I’ve obtained many planes which I use though I’m not sure in the correct fashion yet and I’ve obtained chisels. I’ve obtained a few hand saws. My first time of cutting hand cut dovetails was for a tool cabinet that I’m working on that will be wall mounted and hold hand planes, chisels, measuring and marking tools (I’ll do a post on that at some point when I finish it – I’m working on the doors right now).
All that being said, I have no intention of giving up power tools. They do things more accurately and quickly than many hand tool tecnhiques.
…though…
I have decided to give up the table saw. My primary motivation is space. My shop is small (16×12) and the table saw takes up nearly half that space (clearance and actual foot print). My secondary motivation is that I believe that my Festool circular saw (I have a first generation of the TS55) can achieve much of what I can do on a table saw – perhaps more and maybe even in a safer manner.
It’s a big leap but I’m hopeful of the space recovered that I can have a proper workbench and still have space to cut sheet goods (though I hope to reduce my projects involving sheet goods and go to more solid wood projects).
Are there others out there that have attempted this same path or am I the only one?
