Is the furniture made with hand tools different from power tools? Of course it is. There are many differences that are not noticeable from online photos.
The Wood
Hand tools prefer real wood, and real wood is amazing. We may have forgotten it’s value in the modern world. I have bookshelves made of solid, knotty Pine wood: I can lift up the shelf with one hand, yet it will hold a mountain of books with no sign of reaching it’s limit.
Each piece I make gets the comment: “this is lighter than I thought!” Why? Because we are used to everything made from plywood, and plywood is HEAVY. Plywood and other engineered woods are only as strong as the glue they use. As these glues get “better,” you can bet there are more nasty chemicals involved. Forever chemicals are often used in waterproofing chemistry. There’s a reason we don’t burn plywood in the fireplace.
Real wood has a string of fibers giving it directional strength that is stronger than plywood. It’s like the natural version of carbon fiber. If you want to find a piece of furniture that is made to last, start with real wood.
the finish
The surfaces of the wood made by hand tools are often hand planed, which leaves a hardened, burnished surface without sawdust filling the pores. Sometimes scrapers are used which also leave a very smooth surface, or a light touch of sandpaper, but not to the extend of power tool users. A hand tool finish feels more like glass, while a heavily-sanded finish feels more like a soft felt.
The finish will turn that surface into something different. The natrual oils used in Knotty Woodpecker furniture will leave a more natural feel of the wood. Manufactured furniture will often use a kind of poly or epoxy, which will create a plastic film over the top. A hand planed surface with an oil finish is definitely a unique feel.
joinery
Power tools love to use screws and loose tenons, often with heavy plywoods and fiber board. Hand tools love to use hand-cut joinery with solid woods. Hand tool users can build with screws, but what’s the point? Hand-cut joinery is where hand tools excel.
The downside of screws and loose tenons is strength. They can be used very quickly, and at low cost. Screws are very strong, but the wood around the screw becomes weak when the screw doesn’t allow movement of the wood. Screws can become loose and need to be tightened, but they hold better in plywoods.
The downside of hand-cut joinery is time. It takes time to learn and time to create each joint. Not all hand-tool processes are slower (some steps are faster!), but complicated joinery does take more time, which is why manufactured furniture typically doesn’t use this method. The benefit of this joinery is it has been proven through the test of time. Mortise & tenon joinery from the ancient Egypt days still exists in museums today. And, sometimes the exposed hand cut joinery just gives off the right vibes.
the "look"
Furniture made with power tools has very straight lines when they are supposed to be straight. Saw marks are usually sanded away, and wood pores are closed up. This is simply the look of furniture made with power tools. Sometimes the look is too sterile, so the craftsmen will intentionally add dents and beat up the edges to give it a rough look.
Hand tools are more likely to have saw marks and rough planing marks hidden inside and under the tables, a sign of the tools used. Scratches from marking knives might be noticeable. You may see chamfered edges are not quite perfect. Hand tool furniture sometimes has a different style or “feel” to it than power tool furniture, similar to the affect of a live edge table, but much more subtle.
strength
Can power tools also make strong furniture? Absolutely, but hand tool furniture has been put to the test. For example, weak and flawed pieces of wood are avoided when using hand tools, because they are more difficult to work with. Second, joinery like mortise & tenons are literally being pounded with a hammer. A weak piece of wood will break before the mortise is finished. It’s not that power tools can’t use strong wood, it’s more like hand tools must use strong wood.
Which do you prefer? Furniture made with hand tools or power tools?
