Today I'm restoring an old Disston tenon saw from about 1886-1895. Repairs involve fabricating a new medallion fastening, refinishing and replacing the horn of the handle, and cleaning and sharpening the blade.

Hand tool woodworking is often regarded as an eccentric hobby for masochists and history buffs, but I think there are some very practical and commonsense reasons to use them over modern power tools, especially for those of us with limited space and small projects. I list and discuss my top five practical reasons you may want to use hand tools instead of power tools.