How hard it is to build furniture without using power tools?

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Keri

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My brother wants to know. He's interested in trying this out as a hobby and now I'm curious. What types of tools would you need? How difficult would it be? Is it much different than building with power tools?
 
Hard is probably a relative word. Consider that just over 100 years ago, when there were no power tools or power sources to operate them, furniture making had been in existence for over 4000 years. Look at some fine examples of 400 year old furniture, crafted with no more than skill and hand tools.

It's more tedious, if anything, and takes a finer set of skills to create a finished product, but HARD might only be defined by the craftsman.

Certainly if you lived in a Mill, and had a water wheel attached, belts were run and "power" tools were used.

Your brother might research furniture making techniques, before electricity, and tools used. One great example of a TOOL before electricty, is the function of the pedal/pump type sewing machine. Similar methods were, and can be applied to some carpentry tools.

Obviously it was a Mallet/ chisels/ hand saws, and scrape/draw blades/ some manner of smoothing, before sand paper was produced, etc.

Just my two "sense"
 
Power tools do make work easier and faster also. I was reared on a farm in the 40s and we didn't have anything power. We used hammers, hand saws, axes, hand planes, spokeshaves, etc Work went slowly and we did it all by hand. Now I have a shop full of power tools and can do in a few minutes what it took hours to do years ago. Still, the memories are good.
 
it's not difficult at all. take your brother for instance -

get him to bend over ---- lovely footstool/table/whatever
 
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