Description
This article is from the Woodworking FAQ
Collection 1, by multiple authors.
47 Advantages of Older Woodworking Tools
Old tools were made in an era when there were many craftsmen and
tradesmen that relied on their tools to earn their living, thus
they had to be durable, effective, and ergonomic. These would
often be used for hours on end, so the handles had to be
comfortable. Older tools are often made of superior materials.
The castings are heavier and more carefully machined, the tote,
knobs and handles are often of brazilian rosewood, the blades are
of quality steel and properly tempered. In addition, the blades
are often of laminated construction. A thin piece of (then quite
pricey) steel was laminated to a softer iron back. This had the
(perhaps unintentional) effect of enabling the steel to be left
harder, since the soft iron would absorb some shock. This same
method of construction is still used in the best Japanese tools
today. Some observe that all tools made in yesteryear were not
superb. The quality of what remains is a result of the survival
of the fittest and there is alas no shortage of poorer quality
oldtools to be found as well.
The standard reference for USING old woodworking hand tools is
Michael Dunbar's _Restoring, Tuning and Using Classic Woodworking
Tools_ (ISBN 0-8069-6670-X).
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