It no secret that I am a hand tool zealot. I sometimes go out of my way to use only hand power when working on projects. Every now and then, it is time to re enter the 21st century and flip some switches and smash some electrons. Well it has been some time since I flipped some switches in my own shop and like a neglected girlfriend, the response was not exactly favorable.
I haven’t used my table saw in over 5 months in favor of my growing collection of hand saws. So when I got it set up to rip some Ash and the power went out halfway through the first cut, I thought the hand tools gods were intervening to tell me about false idols and pillars of salt and such.
I tweeted this observation as at least my iPhone still worked during this outage. I was greeted with the expected ironic response from my friend Brad (TreeFrogFurniture) saying “maybe it is actually the power tools gods punishing you for your inattention.” I laughed at this until I tried to start up my thickness planer and dust collector. Immediately the on board circuit to the dust collector blew and I could not get it reset to run the collector. I do not recommend running a thickness planer without dust collection as you will very quickly be swimming in chips. It turns out the circuit breaker had actually blown for good and would need to be replaced. The fine folks at Steel City were very helpful and a new part is on it’s way to me as I write this. Of course the real reason for turning back to my power tools was to quickly batch out some parts for a new commission that needs to be delivered by this Saturday (more on that later).
So my punishment for using power tools or neglecting my power tools (depending on your point of view) is to have to use my power tools sans dust collection. Thank goodness for my respirator but believe me the shop will need a thorough cleaning when I get finished with this little project.
So if you will excuse me now that I have appeased the power tool gods, I have to go hand plane some wood before my planes get mad at me and start tearing out the wood.
4 responses so far ↓
1 Jeremy Kriewaldt // Apr 20, 2010 at 3:51 pm
Maybe this is how we find out when we have reached the level of too many tools – they punish you for neglecting them for too long!!!
2 The Village Carpenter // Apr 20, 2010 at 4:46 pm
Might I suggest a wood sacrifice? Sounds like the power tool gods are pretty vexed. Better go with Pink Ivory.
3 Larry Marshall // Apr 20, 2010 at 7:14 pm
Fun post, Shannon. I think, though, the power tool Century was the 20th. This 21st Century has a lot of high-quality hand tools being sold and a lot of ink spilled explaining their use. I think the 21st Century is quickly becoming the century of the ‘hybrid’ woodworker.
Cheers — Larry
4 Rick // Apr 21, 2010 at 10:44 pm
Don’t flinch Shannon. Never let’em see you sweat. Show them who is boss. If your DC is giving you fits blast some nasty MDF into the tube. If your tableaw is acting up, treat it with a dull blade. And that planer, just disconnect the DC for a few board feet. You will be back in right standing. Remember, you are the alpha dog! Or is it too late?