Recently I have been framing walls in our new home's basement. SWMBO has
agreed that I can have the entire basement for my office and workshop
(less the usual utility room), so this is a labour of love.

Last night I had a simple task - fit several wall studs around a
horizontal pipe afixed to the wall. It took only a few minutes - just
hold the stud in place, make a couple of marks, a couple of quick cuts
with a Disston D-8 crosscut saw using a bench hook, a few taps on one of
my chisels with my hand made mallet to remove the waste and on to the
next stud.

The process wasn't important. What did strike me was the way my approach
to woodworking has changed in the few years since I joined the list.

In the beginning, say 1995, I would have first had to figure out whether
to mount the dado blade on my table saw, spent 10 minutes adjusting the
blade height and making test cuts, carefully balanced an 8 foot stud on
the miter guage and made multiple passes - heart racing as I coaxed too
much semi-dried wood past a screaming blade. The entire process would
have taken at least 30 minutes and aged me ten years.

This was my "Stage 1" galoot period. I knew about hand tools but never
stopped to consider them for routine operations.

By 1997, I would have approached the task differently. I would have
known how to do such a job with power tools, but would have taken the
time to think through how to do the same job with hand tools. I would
have carefully marked each line, making sure it was square. I would have
used a marking guage to scribe the depth of each cut. Carefully
balancing an 8 foot stud on my Stanley miter box, I would cut the cheeks
down to the chosen depth, checking carefully as I went. Then select a
chisel, touch up the blade a bit (they always needed it, or so I
thought) and carefully remove the waste. Then a few minutes more with a
71 router to assure a smooth, flat bottom and I would be done. Average
time, maybe 10 minutes a stud - but hey, I was working with hand tools.

This was my "Stage 2" galoot period. Use hand tools when possible, but
slowly and with great care, substituting thoroughness and caution for
experience.

By 2000, I would have used hand tools unless time or arthritis made
power tools necessary. I would still mark each line and mark the depth
with a marking guage. Then over to the bench. No need for a miter box
now - I just grab a saw from the rack and perpare to cut. Hmmmm - this
saw is a little coarse for these cuts, and the finer one is too long for
comfortable work on the bench top. Perhaps I need a panel saw. Check the
stored web pages for panel saws to make sure I am right about their
length and TPI. Yup - a panel saw is definitely what would work best
here. Check the For Sale lists for a panel saw - send a couple of
e-mails - get a new saw. When it arrives, spend a satisfying Saturday
sharpening and setting it. Now - why did I need it again? Oh yes - the
stud. Back to the bench. Damn - this won't work without a bench hook. I
knew I should have made one. Check my library for bench hook designs -
look for scrap wood - experiment a little. Finish the bench hook and get
back to work. Finally make the cuts and chisel out the waste. Elapsed
time - about 8 weeks for the first stud, somewhat less for the rest.

This was my "Stage 3" galoot period. Hand tool use was becoming normal,
but every job need a new tool, or a new accessory, or something I hadn't
bought or made yet. This is the acquisition stage. Research, planning
and purchasing occupy 90% of the time on each project. The emphasis is
on the "loot" in galoot, because this stage can be expensive.

Now I am in "Stage 4". I have all the tools I need, and almost as many
as I want. I know how to do most basic tasks, and some advanced ones,
using those tools. I know the difference between carpentry and cabinetry
and don't confuse the two. Sometimes "close" is good enough - especially
when workshop time is limited. I still spend extra time on joints that
show, but I spend more time on those things which show than those which
don't. I still use hand tools, but now know enough to use them because
they are good enough, or even better than, their powered alternatives -
rather than just because they are hand tools.

I wonder what the next stage is? I don't expect to reach the "Stage 10"
galoot - where you sell all the power tools, tear out the hydro lines to
your home and look for a supply of whale oil for lighting purposes.

Any of you "Stage 5" galoots out there want to tell me what lays ahead?

Alan N. Graham