Tools are Not the Only Answer

After so many years of working with different brands of power tools and repairing this and that, you learn some things. Spending half a day figuring out how to tighten or change a belt on a planer is a waste of time but necessary.

I lost 3 and half hours to the Jet 20" planer today trying to figure out how to tighten the belts. 3 AND A HALF HOURS! I called technical support, and not because they are great but because I had a voice to talk to I figured out the problem and illustration from the operation manual.

I got sidetracked. Some woodworkers, including myself, have fallen for the "better tool, better product" ideology. To think that just having a decent jointer means your boards are going to come out square every time is a big mistake (you'll learn quickly). Even with Festool power tools, that pride themselves on precision and ease and are actually amazing tools, you always have to remember that every cut you make is a coordinated move between yourself, the tool and the board. Trial and error will teach you this (hopefully) but wouldn't it be great to have one source of carpentry knowledge at your fingertips? I spent half an hour today trying to find videos of people adjusting the belts on that Jet planer and had ZERO luck! Some of the best tools I've worked with might be faster and more powerful than hand tools but are equal in the way that they need the carpenter to guide it.