Rex Krueger
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A Plague of Choices
🕑 Added 2021-04-01 12:00:05 +0000 UTC(This article is part of my monthly newsletter Fabrication First. There's no reason for Patrons to subscribe to Fab First. You already get all the same content, but you get it early.)
I recently finished a two-part series on buying and restoring wooden planes. My viewers left me dozens of wonderful comments, but the most popular comment was: “Hey Rex, when are you going to try a Japanese plane?”
I’m not. Probably not ever.
I love Japanese woodworking. Westerners like me are left slack-jawed by even the simplest Japanese timber-framer. But I’m not a timber-framer. I’m also not a Sashimono cabinetmaker or builder of teahouses. I build early American and English furniture, usually in the country style, usually without machines. What place would Japanese tools have in my world? None that I can see.
I can already hear the objections. “Rex, you don’t understand. Japanese planes leave an unparalleled finish. It’s better than anything you can get with a Western plane. The shavings will be the thinnest you’ve ever seen. The surface will glisten like frost on a windowpane. You don’t know what you’re missing.”
That could be true, but it’s also irrelevant. The tools I use are already very good. Look back at my last video and see how my affordable German jack plane left a shimmering surface on highly figured hard maple. What else could I want? How could my work possibly be improved by a different style of plane when I’m already satisfied with the ones I use? If I planed that same maple with a Japanese smoother, would it look any different? I doubt it.
A new plane is unlikely to improve my work, but it sure can mess things up. Japanese planes work on the pull-stroke, but everything on my workbench is set up for tools that you push. The bench hook, the shooting board, the planing stop; none of these will work on the pull-stroke. I can always put a piece in the vice and plane in any direction, but that’s not where I do most of my planing. Using the Japanese plane at my current bench means (at minimum) grafting on a bunch of extra stops and peg-holes to accommodate pulling the tool. That doesn’t sound like a good use of my time.
The problem isn’t the plane. The problem is choice, the drug of modern woodwork.
Go to an online forum and tell the members you’re struggling with…anything. Right away many people will say, “I used to have that problem until I bought ____________.” And they urge you to make the same purchase. If you can’t cut a dovetail, you clearly just have the wrong saw. You need to try a few. You need to choose the one that works for you. Your saw.
This is nonsense.
Rather than slowly working your way through the choices, buy one, high quality saw and then put in the hours to learn it. If you cannot afford a quality tool, then some strategic buying is called for. A Japanese Dozuki is affordable, accurate, and cuts like a razor straight out of the package. A tool like this will get you going. But these saws—tools really intended for softwood—are also fragile. I’ve torn the teeth right off one while cutting white oak. I bought a new blade, but this bumped the price of my Dozuki from $30 to $50. A few more replacements of the unsharpenable blade and I might as well just pay $130 on a stunning Florip dovetail saw, which also cuts straight from the package and can be sharpened by the user. Stop and think: could you wait just a few more weeks, buy a really good tool and then never buy another?
Every time you buy yet another version of a tool you already own, you are wasting time. You will spend hours adapting to that tool, learning its quirks, and fitting it into your system of work. Every minute of this time could be spent making things.
I’ve been there. Part of my job is reviewing tools and I have about 15 variations on every tool you can think of. I’ve found that traditional, modestly expensive tools work great and won’t leave you wondering if you made the wrong choice. I love affordable tools, but by the time you’ve purchased three or four versions of a tool, you could’ve just bought a good tool and been done. Look at the craftspeople you admire and get what they have, or as close as you can manage. Get something that’s been road-tested by people better than you. Then go learn how to use it.
Do not open a tool catalog. Many of the “tools” you see in them are merely “fixtures” or “guides” intended to make a difficult thing easy, or at least easier. The tool companies know that we struggle to master our craft. Some of them really want to help and they design tools in that spirit. Other companies are staffed by crass opportunists who cash in on the ignorance of inexperienced furniture makers. The “choices” they offer are merely ways to squander your money while distracting you from actually making things. Every time you buy a tool and set it aside because it doesn’t fit your own wonderfully unique self-image, someone profits, but it’s not you.
Choosing woods creates a similar problem. Go to your hardwood dealer or your local Woodcraft and all the diverse species are laid out for you. Each is cut and planed into tame boards. Each is stacked in a convenient slot and lit to show its grain and color. The message is clear: wood is all about options. You were going to make a coffee table from cherry, but please. Haven’t we seen enough of those? You need the wood that will make it your coffee table. Have you ever seen one made from cocobolo or meranti? Well, there you go. Step out and be bold. Live a little!
Or don’t.
I think most woods are equally attractive if they’re finished well. I do pick wood for color, but I’m mostly thinking about the lightness or darkness needed for the final destination. Maple will brighten a dim room; walnut is more somber. Beyond that, I think about structure and workability. I don’t pick oak for its dramatic, open grain. I pick it for its toughness and dependable splitting. I love maple, but I really love soft maple because it looks like its harder cousin, but it cuts like cherry. I work faster and better when the wood cooperates.
I’m sure some people come to the craft and get intimidated by all the choices. Hand saw, panel saw, or half-back hybrid-tooth saw? The choices are bewildering.
But for plenty of people, the choices are thrilling. I’m probably one of these people. I’ll walk down the aisle of the tool-merchant, trailing my hand along the various bits of steel and brass. I’ll picture each one in my shop, in my hand. I’ll think about buying many of them and lining them up on the wall ready to make the perfect choice for each situation. I get a little intoxicated by options. But I shouldn’t.
Woodwork is a craft, not a buffet.
**A note for Patrons: Of course I own a couple of Japanese planes and you'll see them eventually, probably as part of a full Japanese tool kit. This whole project is a ways in the future and will probably not appear until next year.
Comments
Paul Mouradian
Hi Rex, outside of all these discussions which are good, I enjoy your rationale on making choices and like so many others I tend to look at more and more stuff to buy which I don't have room for. I am a timpanist and I own 75 pairs of timpani sticks and have a tendency to look or make more sticks. I don't think its the craft or subject but rather the influence of media and advertising
James Anthony
Great post as always. I know I find myself tempted to buy the full set whenever I see a new tool (the WoodOwl auger bits spring to mind), but forcing myself to only buy what I need has saved me a fair bit of money, not to mention space. And the fewer tools I have the easier my decisions about how to approach a problem are.
Carl Moore
Woodworking who is like the written word you can have it you can have it is there any disabled people out there joiners
Bob Templeton
Martin, you can expect the same results if you apply gentle taps with a hammer, even a small brass hammer.
Martin Hartley
A few years ago I saw a demonstration where a kitchen knife was successfully sharpened using a brick paver found on the side of the road. I then decided that my two-sided oilstone was just fine and I didn't need to go out and spend hundreds of dollars on diamond plates or Japanese water stones.
Martin Hartley
There is no possible situation adjusting your significant other with a screw-driver that doesn't end without you in jail, a psych ward or a mortuary...
Jeff Hill
I get it, for a beginning woodworker the array of tools to select from and what is the best purchase is staggering. That is why I appreciate your teaching style and the projects and advise you provide. Your advise is down to earth, understandable and sensible. I don't have the budget for top of the line tools and never will. I also find the lure of using the old tried and true tools of the past nostalgic. When my father passed away I received two panel saws, four chisels, a brace, a #5 Stanley plane and a block plane. When using them I feel a connection to my Dad and that feels good. I have purchased at garage sales, estate sales and antique shops a few additional hand tools and often think about the craftsman that used the tool before me. I enjoy working with hand tools and hope to pass on the tradition to my own son and daughter.
Cyn R Johnson
Australian hardwoods make you really take your time and choose tools with care. Sometimes it means trying more than one type of a tool. We’ve wound up learning a lot of hybrid skills. We’re always learning. Thanks for being part of that. Be well and stay safe.
Andrew Wyatt
Hi Rex, the concept you have written in relationship to a multitude of tool choices is great example of the psychological economics syndrome that Dan Airely wrote about in his 2008 book, “Predictably Irrational “ in chapter 9 “Keeping Doors Open”. Greater productivity is always found when you reduce deviating choices - removing “doors” or the next “ new new thing” that simply complicate the need to stay on track for what we might want to achieve. The endless search for the perfect wood bench is a classic in our craft.
Colin Green
The use of hand tools is amazing...after the dust and mess power tools, it makes things almost peaceful! Our house is small, so I am always making things to "fit the space". I urge to buy more tools is always a battle, but sometimes getting a top quality blade just pays for itself.
Michael Gross
Rex, I find that I have no choice but to agree with you.
Sean McGown
At any rate, I think this sidebar has gotten a little windy :)
Sean McGown
Unfortunately, on trumpet, you can blow at being a good trumpet player too.
Michael Bennett
I also want to add that for someone like me who has decades of muscle memory, using western tools. Turning Japanese (now I have a song stuck in my head) can be a steep learning curve and can actually screw up your body mechanics with western tools. So really it's best to choose one style of woodworking and stick with it.
Michael Bennett
I agree with Rex, the low bench makes a great sawbench. it would be a shame to lose that. You put all that work into it already. If you'd like, you can cut the low bench into parts. A ~24-30" part to use as a sawbench, and the remainder can be used as the top for a Moravian-style bench with a tool trough. You might want to add a couple more 2x4s to widen it a little bit.
Scott Johnston
Hi Rex great post, I have always tended to buy tools individually, drills, chisels, screwdrivers. I find that you get much a much better bang for your buck. The steel is usually harder and they tend to last longer. I have a strange collection of tools these days lol. The Japanese chisels look interesting the laminated steel manufacture makes them look like a traditional chisel made with modern steel. It should give them a harder edge and greater strength against being deformed when you hit them, though I don't have any the good ones are a tad expensive at the moment. But good tools often are, it's making sure you get a tool that you are going to use again and again that is the trick. I love walking down the tool aisle at Bunnings or the local hardware it is like being in a lolly shop.
Michael Bennett
I think I see your problem. You're supposed to blow a trumpet, not suck at it. ... I'll see myself out.
Todd Maurer
Do I buy tools? Yes I do. But this past year I have restored planes, used parts to build planes, made dozens of tool handles from file handles to plane totes, made turning tools, a burnisher and a few other things. I guess I like having tools, hardware, wood, why? Because in my mind’s eye they are possibilities. An bunch of steel rods salvaged from ink printers are now turning tools. Wood
Tom Manseau
LOL! How many guitars, amplifiers, and effects are enough? I know, trick question.
Rex Krueger
I play guitar. I have GAS.
Jason Ransom
Rex, again you have a wonderful article showing all of your cards in your hand. I get so side tracked with all the stuff I can buy to become better in a short time. When in reality I just need to work at what I have and do the KISS method (Keep It Simple Stupid). I convince myself that I need that tool or need to watch this video to do that thing. Rex always brings me back, I have tools and lots of pine to do simple projects. That's what I need to do, simple builds will bring better builds. Had a rough day at work and reading this article helps out with the chaos of the day. Keep up with the great content and look forward to your next video.
Richard Young
Oh yeah it's great. I just meant I don't ant to abuse it. I hope to be working on a 4" Red Oak bench top in a few weeks....
A. J. Giurato
I'd love to hear the answer to this as well. Right now I've just got decent #5 and a cheap #4 I converted to a scrub. Since you're in a similar boat as me, I'll share one idea I'm toying with. I bought some extra plane irons off of Amazon. I plan to grind one with a heavier camber than what I have on my jack now, but less than what I've got on my scrub. Since my jack also functions as my smoothing plane right now, I'm hoping I'll be able to keep using the current iron for light to medium cuts. And the heavier cambered blade to make deeper cuts and use the jack as more of a fore plane. That way my #5 really will be a jack of all trades.
A. J. Giurato
Thanks for the ideas! No luck Googling "mortising stool". All of the results were about making stools using mortise and tenon joints. And if my low bench became a secondary bench, I'd probably look to shrink it down from its current 7' length to save space. I'll take these two thoughts to the Discourse forum to get some more brainstorming on them. Rex's community on Patreon and Discourse really is the nicest I've seen online.
Bruce Rose
Once again, Rex---You have nailed it! Woodworking style, like tools and their use are indeed all about choice...Pushing a specific tool on someone is kinda like proselytizing religion...it's always a personal choice.
Eric Boyd
Hmm, I was wondering if a Japanese smoothing plane would end up in the WWFH kit! They're awfully inexpensive and the thick blades are easy to sharpen. It takes some guts to pare the mouth open, but it's really not hard, and that's why they're cheap.
Eric Boyd
I've built the $30 bench and the joiner's bench; I really like having them both available. For most sawing, or for anything where I prefer to be atop the workpiece, the low Roman bench is ideal. I've clambered atop my joiner's bench to add dog-holes with a brace, the leverage helped but it was NOT easy getting down :)
Jake Lilevjen
Thanks, Tom!
Tom Manseau
Rex, where were you 8 years ago? I really needed this advice over those years. I call this Gear Acquisition Syndrome (GAS). I've really pared it down to a list of things I would need to get started over again. Get good with those basic tools and it's surprising how efficient you can be. The more tools I end up with, the more I end up back at the basics.
Tom Manseau
The jack is called that because it really can do pretty much 95% of the things you need. I went w/ a 5 1/2 & while I've got others, I always gravitate toward that one because it just gets the job done, no hunting around. Just get on with the work.
Jake Lilevjen
Regarding choice: I already have a jack plane, but am considering a jointer. Should I just stick with the jack plane, or is it worth the money to just go ahead and invest in a longer plane? As it is, I have more money than time, so the hours of learning are pretty valuable. I know I have watched too many of Rex’s videos when I can read his entire article and hear it all in his voice. Is it weird that I enjoy that more than I would if I heard it in my own voice?
Matthew Leigh
That's the funny part 😊
Rex Krueger
I've got nothing against Meranti; I just randomly picked a wood with an exotic name.
Bob Templeton
Rex, a saw or a plane usually responds well to efforts to tune them up. Be careful trying that with your wife.
Rex Krueger
Man, I try to be a better husband, but it's easier to improve my woodwork!
Rex Krueger
"Something sucks here." Classic.
Rex Krueger
AJ: Your low Roman bench is THE BEST saw-bench ever. Even if you do build a big bench (and I suggest you do) then keep the low roman for sawing, especially long rip cuts. Much better than cutting at the high bench. You can also use it for mortising. Google "mortising stool" to see what I mean.
Russell Gough
I can hear Chris Schwartz in the distance shouting, “Amen, brother!” I just finished reading “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest,” and you two are obviously kindred spirits. And I’m happy to report that the two of you have dramatically changed my relationship with and attitude toward my tools. And for that I’m very grateful!
Bob Templeton
We have become victims of our shallow commitments, in woodworking and in life. If I'm not happy with my job, I need to change jobs instead of working to improve the one I have. Even in marriage, if I'm not happy with my wife, I should dump her for someone else. Following your recommendation, I should improve my skill at being a better husband.
Sean McGown
Exactly. As in, "You don't need a new trumpet. Try practicing with the one you have now and see what you can do with that." Me: "But that trumpet sucks!" My teacher: "Well, something sucks here, for sure." Or, "If I only had a Sony A7RIV, my photos would be so much better."
Michael Bjarup
True. There are many, poor tool-addicts out there. That said, some (like me) likes the challenge of trying out a new (kind of) tool, not because it is needed, but because of the challenge, and for the extra skill learned by completing the challenge.
Jerry Kingzett
A couple of thoughts on what you can do with your low Roman workbench. I am planing on build a Dutch tool chest and putting it on dollies so I can access it sitting down. Since I have not yet built the low bench or the tool chest, I would take my suggestion with an unhealthy grain of salt. Next idea is cut the legs off and use it for your new work bench top which I assume is what you are talking about. Perhaps another use for bench is to cut it in half and make two saw benches, one for you and one for me :-)
Jim Williams
Well stated, Rex!
William Allen
I grew up with this philosophy. It’s a necessity on a farm. You have to do for yourself, and the things you buy must last and be maintainable and repairable by you. Rex is 100% correct, buying one good tool and learning to use it with facility will only serve you. If you have one plane, and know how to adjust it for any task you are miles ahead.
Ben Sanders
I first got into wood working by watching Norm Abrams, like Nicholas mentioned. Life happened, I got out of it, and now I'm getting back into it. Way back then when I was young and knew everything, I thought hand tools were outdated, slow, too labor intensive and just not as good as precision power tools. I didn't have any real knowledge of hand tools or how they worked either. Now that I'm older, I have learned great respect and appreciation for the craftsmen of those times long gone. I'm fascinated by the tools and amazed at the techniques. So with that frame of mind, I'm really enjoying the search for those old tools, refurbishing them if needed and enjoying the amazement of actually making them work and make something nice.
A. J. Giurato
Articles like this are always great to hear. Especially for novices who want to make sure they aren't doing things a bad or wrong way. Thanks for taking the time to ease some of the tool buying/collecting anxiety that many of us have. After watching your last video on bench building, I had an idea for a future video: leveling up the $30 low roman bench. I built one last summer, and it's what I'm still using. But after using it for 8+ months, I'm clearly seeing some of its shortcomings. Namely, the lack of mass and the frequent standing up and sitting down required. I'm sure there are inefficiencies I could improve to make my experience better. But it feels like I'd be better off graduating to a standing bench now that I'm sure this is a hobby I enjoy. Assuming this is the case, I know that I could simply start over and build a new bench from scratch. But I was wondering if there would be a good bench design that could repurpose the $30 bench. If there is a good way to repurpose the low bench into a part of a new standing bench, that could be the basis of a new video.
Ben Sanders
Hey Richard, I found that if you don't put a lot of downward pressure on your pull stroke and let the saw ride with gentle pressure, your cuts will go smoothly. I broke a few teeth off my first pull saw; as Rex mentioned, until I learned this myself. I hope you love the saw, I think they're awesome!
Bill Smithem
Gear addiction is a thing in every endeavor, fed by the marketplace. "Just buy this and all your problems will be solved!". Humans want to believe in the "silver bullet" that just doesn't exist. I don't blame them for wanting to make a living. I just don't buy into the idea that I can spend my way to success. Success takes time and effort. Do the work, reap the benefits.
Pete seddon
I have found that finding the vintage tools and restoring them is the most economical route. The tools are often superior to modern selections, the prices are reasonable, and the work of restoration makes you intimately familiar with the tool.
Jean-Raymond Raynal
Looking forward to seeing Rex making those weird japanese leg-workholding in a couple year ;). I hate going to most stores because of that. I tend to only ship in places with deliberate limited choices.
Nicholas Loy
Rex is correct about too many choices. I am from the Norm Abrams, New Yankee Workshop era and have spent my Covid year of semi-isolation learning new (to me) woodworking and also using more hand tools. It is not just too many choices in tools and wood but also too many choices in technique. You Tube provides you with 50 ways to do anything with wood. What I discovered is find some technique and tools that work for you and go with it. This goes for power tools as well. Getting back to which You Tubes I regularly watch ... Rex for common sense and not just figuring it out but also explaining it well. Paul Sellers for technique, Stump Knobs for power tools and good advice even it a bit too commercial. Yes, even for one off, power tools can let you get more done in a shorter amount to time ... they can also destroy wood (and hands) much faster than hand tools.
Bas Noblesse
This. I have realized this not so long ago. I must admit though that my tiny shed is filled to the roof with stuff. My weakness is 2nd hand stuff. "Look at that!, that is a great price! I'm sure that will come in handy!" On the other hand im struggling with space, too much choice in (mediocre) tools, and a lot of frustration. You can get good results with mediocre tools if you if you master them. I keep on swapping, expecting the other tool will be better. Well, was. Im trying the hardest now to actually make stuff, instead of blaming my tools and incompetence. Long way, but at least its a step in the right direction.
Richard Young
Thanks for the heads up on the fragility of the pull saw. I got one for Christmas and don't want to ruin it.
Marty Ford
The good and bad of having options and choices.. #thirdworldproblems. My first inclination is to always figure out how to make due with the tools I already own and know how to use or get creative. For example, I do not own any large clamps. I needed to glue up two large pieces of scrap 3/4” plywood because I ultimately needed to cut out a large circle. I could have easily gone out and bought $100 worth of clamps to get the job done. In the long run, I would use those clamps for many other projects. I could have went out and bought a new sheet of plywood and not had to glue up anything. Instead, I saved myself $150. I used scrap 2x4’s screwed onto my Joiner’s Bench (see Rex’s video) and some wedges made of out of scrap hardwood and created my own clamping jig. Got the job done, saved money and I still don’t own any long clamps 😂🤷🏻♂️
The Deaf Maker
Lovely article.
Jim "Mr. Measure Twice" Marchetti
I've been purging for a long while now and I am finally getting to the point where I'm not overwhelmed by just walking into my shop. For an ADHD afflicted woodworker like me, every time I have to make a choice/decision it's almost always what impedes me from actually DOING what I had in my mind to do.
William Crawford
I definitely fall prey to the unending choices, and try to buy tools that will fit my style better, instead of learning what I have. But that's because I am not a patient person. I don't do woodworking because I love working with wood. I do it because I have a goal in mind and just want to get to that goal. Woodworking is always a means to an end for me, not something that I'd rather do than some other things. This post has actually cleared my mind on a few things. Thanks!
Matthew Leigh
It's funny, I'm making a desk from meranti at the moment - because it's the cheapest generic hardwood available to me
