Powered hand tools are butt ugly. So, too, are most large powered tools, but let’s just ponder hand tools.
Not only are they butt ugly, but they are disposable. They get mistreated — shoved into fir-plywood cubbies under a side bench when unpowered handtools costing much less get pride of place on an oiled, cherry and ebony shelf.
Now why is that?
It’s time that somebody did for hand power tools what T. L-N. has done for planes. Here’s what needs doing:
1. Cords on power tools need to be detachable. The attachment should be done with a twist. That way, it will no longer be necessary to wrap the cord around the tool. Every shop will have a rack of 4′, 6′, 8′, 12′ cords ready to plug in.
2. Motors should be changeable, repairable, and replaceable, as should bearings, bushings, and other wear items.
3. Fences and beds should be cast, flat, and workable — iron or bronze
4. Handles and switch triggers should be rosewood, cocobola, etc.
5. Casings and guards should be opportunities for creativity; cooling and venting would be optimized for long life
The way this might work is that you’d buy the body of (say) a saw from a craftsman, then order a motor, install it, get a blade for it, plug it in, and go to work.
Replies
Not every one beats up their power tools, I have some that are going on 50 years old that are still in good shape.
Many portable power tools are well designed, and if not quite as beautiful as a Bedrock plane, they certainly aren't "butt ugly" and a few are beautiful. Perhaps you are showing a prejudice against power tools, or maybe you're just yanking our chain a bit to get a lively discussion going.
As to older stationary machines, "old iron", many of them are works of art as well as superb tools.
John White, Shop Manager, Fine Woodworking Magazine
I wish that I were merely "showing a prejudice against power tools." But it isn't my prejudice alone. Look at Scott Landis's book on workshops, or at Scott Gibson's book. Where are the portable power tools? On the floor, or on the bottom shelf.Look at Jim Tolpin's The Toolbox Book. Portable Power Tools get no respect until the last five or six pages. I'll grant your point about "old iron." Rp
The reason for this (at least for me) is that while my power tools are not cheep I have to say that the cost of a good hand plane or such is noticeably more. It may not cost more to buy a hand plan then a good power tool in absolute dollars but the cost for the hand plan is noticeable more when you consider that a lot more is needed to make a powered tool. Note that this is not to say the cost is out of wack just that the powered tool is just not as expensive when compared to say a set of LN chisels. And when you look at the fact that most power tools can take a beating and keep going (although they may get scuffed) and that a good hand tool getting kicked just once across the concrete floor will do really bad things to it.
So the perceived cost of the hand tools is more and the maintenance is a lot more. I mean I have an airnailer that does not even need oil. Talk about low maintenance. In my other hobby (Railroads) steam engines (a vastly better looking way to move a train) were replaced by diesels. Everyone thinks this is because the diesels are more powerful (they are not) or because the diesel were cheaper to fuel (not really, and today it would be cheaper to go back to coal) Some think it was because One engineer could run many diesels (something that was needed as it took a few diesels to do the work of one steam engine) but really we could have figured out how to do that also if we wanted. The reason steam went the way of bedrock planes and dodo birds is because it cost way to much to keep the running. This is the same with most hand powered tools. They take a lot of time to set them up and once they are set up they can be knocked out of set up very easy. Anyone want to drop a hand plane off a work bench onto the concrete floor? I have done that with, my circular saw, my saber saw (needed a new blade) my ROS (several times) and a few others I am most likely forgetting (and lets not talk about what my demolition tools have gone through)
So I think it is perceived cost (in money and time) and the fact that they are a lot more delicate.
And I don't want to even think about what a LN Circular saw would cost. Shuddderrrrr.
Doug Meyer
So John, why don't you do a feature for FWW on the best portable power tools -- the ones that can still be found, serviced, feel good in the hand, etc.Rp
We review tools all of the time and typically we comment on how the tool actually feels in use. Trying to determine the ease of servicing the tool would add a tremendous amount of additional work that would be hard to justify.
John White
John,Correction: you review NEW tools all the time. I don't recall reviews of those 50-year old tools you mentioned.Rp
I would love to do that, and I have suggested it more than once, but until they make me the boss, it doesn't look like it will happen.
John W.
Back in the day, my grandfather was a Craftsman man through and through. His drill, circular saw, jig saw were the most beautiful mirror shiny metal. At all of 5 or 6 yrs. old he would hand me a can of Pep-Boys car wax, an old undershirt and put me to work on them. I wonder how they never went flying out of his hand right across the shop. It wasn't till I was about 16 when he finally let me actually USE them! God they felt great. Untill my first time with a woman, nothing had surpassed that feeling! Now being married for 32 yrs. that feeling.........no, I'd better not. Any way the day after my grandfather died his youngest son went down the basement,took them and sold them. I'm o-k with my power tools, but appearance wise theres no comparison to those old Craftsman. I miss my Pop-Pop too.
<<God they felt great. Untill my first time with a woman, nothing had surpassed that feeling!>>Too much information.Seriously though, I recently aquired an old Sears (late 50s -- early 60s) router with a trigger handle and finished as you describe. It doesn't have a ton of power, and the collet is a bit wimpy, but it's the most perfectly balanced, ergonomically designed hand-held tool I own. It disproves Riverprof's statement that powered hand tools are butt ugly. And, I don't think that tools made today are necessarily ugly -- form follows function, and that's a beautiful thing.
"God they felt great. Untill my first time with a woman, nothing had surpassed that feeling! Now being married for 32 yrs. that feeling.........no, I'd better not. . . I miss my Pop-Pop too."
"Too much information"
Ya think?!
Due to a death in the family, Iwas away for a few days, so I just got to your reply. Before nature,the powers that be or GOD himself decided that my pancreas could use a tumor I was a self-employed plumber for over 30 (mostly good) yrs. Working on re-habs, renos & the like alongside other guys swinging some real dangerous tools right next to you there was an unspoken trust, and in our discussions during breaks there was never any such thin as too much information. That was a comraderie I sorely miss. I've been on disability for three yrs. now and on my good days I'm in my basement shop for as long as I can take it. I enjoy it very much and it's very helpful,but woodworking is also so very solitary. I guess I transfered that old anything goes talk here into knots. I'll restrain myself in the future and if I join in promise to stick to the subject at hand. My apologies.
glasswd, No apologies needed at all. Fact is, I konda hate the new restrictions here and the trend toward political correctness in limiting some of the things we're supposed to talk about. We were just joking about "too much information." Sorry to hear about the diasability. Stay in the workshop as much as possible. You're right about woodworking being a solitary activity much of the time. I used to help my dad in his workshop, but my own sons are grown and thousands of miles away, in 3 different directions, so working in the shop is pretty solitary, but much of the stuff I make is destined for their homes, so I'm always thinking of that as I work. Rich
<<My apologies.>>glasswd,Ditto Rich14's comments -- no apologies needed. You'll find that there is a fair amount of good natured kidding around here -- it helps to offset some of the "deeper" discussions that take place from time to time. I'd stick with your anything goes approach. Mike
Edited 1/7/2007 2:40 pm ET by Mike_B
If you can't get them to do a full review of the old power tools may be you can get them to allow a historic prospective article Then and Now comparing the old models to the new models and what has improved and what hasn't.
Jack
Edited 1/3/2007 12:14 am ET by JLMCDANIEL
Thank you John, for that comment. An power tool is a tool, and deserves the respect of any tool, although I must admit that some new (as in manufature date) are not well designed. I have a few old power tools that are well designed and a pleasure to use. They are all part of the process of turning this piece of rough wood into something useful and hopefully, beautiful.
although I must admit that some new (as in manufature date) are not well designed.
it seems odd about design getting worse, doesn't it? i mean if there are good designs on older tools, one would think that the newer designs would only make improvements. it's quite puzzling.
<one would think that the newer designs would only make improvements. it's quite puzzling.>Most design (and redesign) of mass produced items is aimed at the lowest unit cost, given a certain set of parameters. So design isn't intended to make a better object, but to make a cheaper object.
I know. As a left-handed(right brained) person, I am amazed that in this day and age, it is still a problem with trigger locks. It realy isn't rocket science to make them in a nutral position.
i'm with ya there dude. i use many tools lefthanded as well and the trigger lock often gets locked on by accident.
I am right handed but I do a lot (well almost everything but wright) with my left hand as much as my right (I am close to be ambidextrous) and I have had this a happen to me. The most recent is with the PC biscuit jointer when I was putting face frames on some cabinets. This thing seams to always lock on when used left handed. I love the tool but it really needs a better lock. For that matter I am not even sure why it would have a lock. Not like you use it for long periods of time.
Doug Meyer
interesting to hear that about your ability to change hands. i do that as well although i write left handed. many times it's just easier to do things with the left hand, but i can do most with either hand. golf, hockey, baseball, all things i do righty. many tools wind up in my left hand by preference. bisquit joiner left, but circular saw right, maybe just because the circs are by and large designed that way. i could go on, but it's just good to know of others in their right mind too.
My dad says when I was little I wanted to use either hand but I tended to be left. But he kept getting me to do things with my right hand. He did this as most things where (and still are) set up for right hand use. SO I think I am really a lefty that was taught to be a righty.
As for the switching I do a lot of stuff Like a lefty, water ski, use tools. I do tend to use saws in my right (Circ saws) if they have the blade on the left and I use my left if they have the blade on the right (we have one of each) So it all depends. Last night I was putting in a dowel into a wall an a column (one dowel each) so I could hold a railing in place and after driving the dowel in I had to cut it do length. I did not think about it but where I was working was between the two so I cut the one with my right and and the other with my left using a little hand saw.
I am a draftsman by training and I used to drive my teacher nuts as I would draft with one pencil in my left hand and one in my right so I did not have to pick up the other pencil when I needed a different lead. Of course now it is all computers and the mouse is in my right hand.
Doug Meyer
I was ambi until I broke my shoulder as a teenager, nearly lost the left arm, lots of nerve and tissue damage. Threw things left handed, hit either way. Now I can't hardly throw anything because the foot work is all wrong. If I have time to stop and think about it, I can throw right handed, but I can't just field a ball and throw it.
Drove teachers nuts as a kid, because I did math and numbers right handed, and wrote, drew, etc. left handed. Still can't write decently and it's been close to thirty years now. When I was surveying it always used to amuse the Engineer I worked for, because the field book entries were done in tiny but perfect numbers, (legible raised and reduced decimals on 10th inch lines), and my daily logs and reports were barely decipherable.
Of course now it is all computers and the mouse is in my right hand.
oops! there's where you messed up. the mouse definitely belongs in the left hand as with my logitech cordless left handed mouse. i still use the right handed mice everywhere but home. of course the keyboards are often a problem because i taught myself to use the dvorak layout.
:)
"oops! there's where you messed up. the mouse definitely belongs in the left hand as with my logitech cordless left handed mouse. i still use the right handed mice everywhere but home. of course the keyboards are often a problem because i taught myself to use the dvorak layout.
:)"
Hey I'll second that! Also keep in mind this:
The left side of your brain controls the right side of your body. Therefore, only left handed people are in their right mind! Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
do you have a dvorak key board? is it better? I'm lefthanded, but I use the mouse with the r hand, it where it always is. I'v been interested in that keyboard, it can't be any harder to learn than this one.
Sounds like you may have found yourself a nice little nich market there.
But now, ponder this...
You have a 10" wide by 10' long piece of 4/4 cherry. You need a 4" wide by 10" long, 3/4 thick with a sliding dove tail on each end to use as a divider in the high boy you are making.
What are you gonna do?
Well, you're probably going to take the board to your - powered - TS, cut about 10 1/2" off it. Then your gonna run this piece through your - powered - thickness planer to get it down to somewhere in the nieghborhood of 25/32". Then it's back to the TS - still powered - to rip 4 1/8" off. Then it's over to the - powered - router to rough out the dove tails.
Now you take the piece to your bench and, using your paring chisels (the set of which cost almost as much if not more than your - powered - planer and which you spent a good day or more lovingly puting an edge on that could split an atom) carefully working those dove tails down to where they g-l-i-d-e into their sockets (also so carefully cut with one of your precious chisels). Then you use your unbelievably expensive Lie-Nelson plane to clean up and square up the edges and your carefully burred cabinet scrapers to bring the final thickness down to an exact 3/4".
So I guess I really don't know why I would treat my hand tools so much more carefully than I do my powered tools
I spent a fortune on deodorant until I finally realized that people didn't like me anyway.
I guess I'm biased, but I reckon that my collection of Festool cordless tools are not "butt ugly". They all have twist off power cords and stack away in systainers which in turn go into sysports. The only problem is in Europe they're even more damn expensive than a Lie Nielsen plane. My selection of old Stanley planes and spokeshaves (which rarely see the light of day are hidden in a drawer!
Prof: I have a lot of portable power tools all of which are well cared for. Most of the large ones are in their own container, if they did not come in a fitted plastic box I bought something they would fit in to keep them from banging around and getting shop dust or overspray on them, except of course when they are being used. I have a Kennedy tool box bolted to the bottom of my Rousseau miter saw stand that houses all the smaller power tools (corded drill, angle drill, heat gun etc.) and some of the accessories. The few tools that sit on a shelf naked are the large and small worm drive saws and the grinder. Of course keeping the bench grinder in a case would too much even for me. At least three of the tools have removable power cords and the vents on most are arranged for proper cooling. The one exception on the vent/cooling front would be the Milwaukee Magnum Hole Shooter drill where the vents are placed where the hand frequently covers them. Alas all of the trigger switches are plastic, but functional.
KDM
"... Buy the best and only cry once.........
Nice thought, but my LN costs 4 -5 times what I paid for my Buck Bros plane.
The tools you describe would be sweet I am sure, and at 4 -5 times the price would be better cared for. But is that where we want to go?
Would there be a market? Probably for someone as savvy as LN in hitting that market just right, but don't hold your breath.
Robert asks: "Are you more interested in aesthetics or productivity?"
There are two ways to answer this.
First way: This is a false choice. I've always found that a well-cared-for tool makes me more productive, and the tools I care for most are the ones that look good to the eye, sound good to the ear, and feel good in my hand.
Second way: Aesthetics, of course. If I weren't more interested in aesthetics, I would not be interested in woodworking.
Rp
I am just old enough to remember my fathers old powered hand tools. (Mostly from Sears) and they were all much better looking then anything you get now of days. On the other hand anything built today seams to do a better job. So it is a toss up. While I would love to have a better looking tool, I want it to work better even more. And I don't want to have to pay a LN price for a router (man that would cost a LOT) But their are things that could be done to make things look better and work better and still fix a lot of these issue. I used to work in computer sales while in school and I remember when they were just standardizing on the shapes and parts used in them and no one really thought they would be able to do that (PCs that is) also they used to sell software in about 5 billions shapes and sizes of boxes, but now days most soft ware comes in one of three or 4 pretty standard sizes. This made it much simpler to stock the shelf and to ship.
So it would be possible to do some of this. You could make them look a bit better, and the better companies are already making the more comfortable. Add in the removable cord and a more standard size box (Kind of like those guys that we will not name but that start with an "F" do) and you could get 75% of this for little to no cost. In fact if the cords and such standardized enough it would most likely make things cheaper for the makers. Look at your PC odds on most of the power cords used on it (at least in the US) are a standard cord that fits 99% of the PCs on the market today and for the last 15 years.
If you wanted and if the standard items were used you could then do after market upgrades. Better grips or triggers or some such. I can just see it now anyone for "Pimp my Power Tools"?
Doug Meyer
I am sure that we all have some tools in our shops that we never or hardly ever use because they do not give us the results we want, either because of their weight, design, whatever. These are ugly tools. The ones that do what we want them to do, these are beautiful to behold! This applies to machinery, electric hand tools and manual hand tools. So I would vote for functionality when choosing tools. My awareness of their beauty will develop with time. JL
Edited 1/7/2007 1:24 pm ET by jeanlou
My belt sander is the ugliest tool that I own, and that is only because I don't own a sawz-all. Ugliness to me has to do with the method of work as well as the physical appearance of a tool.
<<Does the same also apply to other activities such as driving(automobile aesthetics as opposed to just getting somewhere)>>
You bet. I'm building an MG TC from scratch and parts. I'm going to have the same kind of answers about the lawn, the paint job, etc.
<I am personally more impressed with tools that make workshop life easier. Whether the tool is "pretty" or not is really irrelevant. There is no relationship between the beauty of our tools(or lack of it) and the product of their work.>
If you think that "aesthetics" means "pretty," and only that, we aren't talking the same language.
My stepdad used to own a TC, and my mom an Austin Healy 100, and a106? great cars. Good luck.
Is this the 40's version or the remodel?
I had and rebuilt a TF, including the wooden subframe, and thought it a great project. Good luck on some of the parts, and take care of the threads - lots of them are not anyones standard except Lord Nuffield.
Dave.
By definition, all (male) woodworkers are "butt ugly." If yer not, get out of the craft! ;)
Rich
Robert, your question ("can a "butt ugly" woodworker produce work that is aesthetically pleasing?") goes off in a direction that I don't care to go.
Let's stick to the topic: tools.
I think I'm saying that the choice between productivity and aesthetics is a false choice. But even if it weren't, I would not trust a woodworker to make me a piece of fine work if I knew that the woodworker valued productivity over aesthetics.
It's turtles all the way down.
Rp
Powered hand tools are butt ugly. So, too, are most large powered tools, but let's just ponder hand tools.
Not true for all power tools, but your point is well taken. It would be nice to have better designed hand power tools.
Not only are they butt ugly, but they are disposable. They get mistreated -- shoved into fir-plywood cubbies under a side bench when unpowered handtools costing much less get pride of place on an oiled, cherry and ebony shelf.
Now why is that?
It's time that somebody did for hand power tools what T. L-N. has done for planes. Here's what needs doing:
1. Cords on power tools need to be detachable. The attachment should be done with a twist. That way, it will no longer be necessary to wrap the cord around the tool. Every shop will have a rack of 4', 6', 8', 12' cords ready to plug in.
I have yet to see anyone make removable power cords that are interchangable. Several on my electonics devices over the years have had removable cords, but they were all different.
2. Motors should be changeable, repairable, and replaceable, as should bearings, bushings, and other wear items.
That would be very nice to have, especially the reparible part, but I'm sure the cost of the original would be much higher along with the cost of replacing the motor.
3. Fences and beds should be cast, flat, and workable -- iron or bronze
Right on.
4. Handles and switch triggers should be rosewood, cocobola, etc.
Nice idea, but not practical. Too much cost in the manufactoring process. Molded plastic can be made in bulk.
5. Casings and guards should be opportunities for creativity; cooling and venting would be optimized for long life
Where possible.
The way this might work is that you'd buy the body of (say) a saw from a craftsman, then order a motor, install it, get a blade for it, plug it in, and go to work.
Well why I agree that most cords are not interchangeable the standard 3 prong electrical cord used on most PCs is interchangeable and most monitors also use as well as a lot of printers. And for several years HP used the same 2 prong cord for printers and notebooks (Compaq).
So this has happened but it is unlikely to.
Doug Meyer
It's not the plug that goes into the wall that I'm talking about. It's the connection to the device, in this care the tool. Companies would all have to adopt the same technology. This would involve licensing the same one by all the companies. I don't think that will ever happen. There is also the problem of two prong vs three prong. Not all hand tools have three prong plugs anymore.
I am not sure where you are from but if you are from the states (and maybe elsewhere I don't know) the wall plug for the vast majority of PCs (not sure about Macs) has 3 prongs on the wall side but the side that goes into the PC's power supply has three female connections. The plug is shaped kind of like a rectangle with two corners knocked off. It is this end that I was talking about. At the PC I am sitting at right now this plug goes into the back of the CPU powersupply, It goes into the power supply transformer for my LCD display and it plugs into the standard monitor that I have (I have duel displays) It also goes into the printers power supply that is on the next desk over from me.
At home it goes into all three PC's (three different brands and this one makes 4) as well as my monitor (well one of them is different) and at least one of my printers. I don't remember about the other two printers. All the same connection on the hardware end. So their is an example of an industry that standardized on a design. And you can even get extensions that go between this plug and the hardware devise. Some PCs even have an output on the back of then that uses the other half of this connect to send power out to other devises.
Doug Meyer
You answered your own question. This is true of some computers, not all. A few companies have bought into this design, but others haven't. Getting all to do the same thing would be very different. That technology has only been "standarized" for three prong connections. As I stated, power tool companieshaven't eve settled on three prongs or two prongs. Many of the tools today are made with plastic cases, so the companies save money by using two wires. It's all a matter of economics. If one could prove to tool companies that it would be cheaper to adopt your idea that's what they would do. Somehow I don't think that it would be cheaper for them to go with your one-cord-for-all system unless they made the cord optional, like some computer companies have done. Again, for this to work all tool companies would have to adopt the same technology. Personally I don't think that that is possible.
Well I don't think it will happen either but I could be done. And if it was it would be cheaper as they would be able to buy in bulk for the hole industry. Issue is the cost of the connection may offset this. As for standardizing well I am not sure if it is a good idea or a bad but the idea of being able to put the tool someplace with out having to wrap the cord around it would be nice. Also please keep in mind that this is not my idea I just said that it is pretty standard on PC equipment in the states. I would say that of PC and PC related stuff it is on about 99% of the desktop PCs and quite a bit of all the other peripherals. Not bad for something that was never really intended as a standard and was just something (as far as I know) that was adopted buy a lot of companies.
Still it could be done and generally it has been proven that a standard item even when a bit more complicated tends to be cheaper when it is used in vary large quantities. So if all the power tool companies started to use it I would expect it would become pretty cheep. However as you have said I don't think we will ever see this happen. The industry can not even use the same battery or battery charger.
And frankly the cost of a good looking and better made or better designed or what ever power tool would I expect be so expensive that at least I could not afford it. Still in a wouldn't it be nice kind of thing it would be nice.
Doug Meyer
Doug:My new Bosch CS has not attached cord and the handle takes a standard three way female plug (it also comes with a very nice separate power cord)Regards,Joe
Did not know that about the Bosch.
As for cutting the cord short, well if that voids the warranty then I think I have never had a circ saw that made it very long with it warranty still intact. Or did you mean you had to cut the cord off on purpose? :)
Doug Meyer
Of course we need to cut the cord on purpose...all adults need to learn how to cut the cord. JL
How about cutting of all the power cords close to the handle, but leaving them long enough to put a wiring device to receive all the extension cords that can be hanging in a corner of the shop? Same wiring devices, same extension cords. The only oops is the tool manufacturer's warranty that may no longer stay active if this is done...but it does work. JL
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