: Hi All-

: I claim responsibility, I guess, for building the hornet's nest last week.

: I can't argue with Rob at all, in the least. He has shown his ability to use
: his system flawlessly. But, it doesn't mean that other systems won't work.
: Using sandpaper improperly or with poor technique can cause many of the
: same problems attributed to using planes, and faster if you're using power
: tools. The point for everyone is to find the combination that works for
: you personally. I still think that it's a matter of personal taste. Some
: people are better with sanders, and some people are better with planes.

Hi Mike,
Yes, it is a matter of personal taste. But also how you were taught or learned.
As a youngling, the only powered tools I had access to were drills and circular saws. The saws were too heavy for me, so I didn't use them. I use power tools now, alright, but mostly doing work for others. Most of my personal work is still all hand tools. You never know when the power will go out.

: If you go to a museum you will see the absolute most amazing cabinetry you
: have ever seen in your life, things that haven't been built that well in
: 200 or more years and probably couldn't be duplicated today, and they were
: produced without power tools of any kind, let alone sanders or sand paper.
: Even the multitude of curved pieces. Building curves was a way to show you
: had mad skills.

Don't worry, those skills aren't being lost, I've seen some very good cabinetry, 'copies' of old pieces, and the only difference was the extra patina on the original.
The reason that pieces as good as the old ones aren't so common now is that the old ones never were that common, and the same reason for that applies now, cost.

: I use a range of planes and spokeshaves, and even the occasional carving
: gouge. I don't want anyone to have the impression that I do everything
: with one plane, or even that you can. Also- I couldn't make it work
: without sandpaper, either. Part of the issue, I'm sure, is that planes
: don't work unless they're ultra-sharp, and sharpening is a skill that
: takes more than casual practice so it's hard to do if you don't do all it
: of the time.

: And what's the deal with glue? Scrapers are for glue! If you guys are
: cleaning up glue slop with planes get better glue or clean up as you go!
:

Planes used for cleaning up glue-lines? Horror. I usually use a sharp knife with a curved end. Just skim it gently along the glue-line in a pulling motion, maybe like using a crooked knife. It's much easier to re-sharpen the knife than a plane.

Mike Savage
South West Cork