power tools vs hand tools. recomended hand tools)

[Russell S.]

Its Christmas morning about 6am.  the family will be asleep for several hours, and i have 1/2 a bow in the box (Limb at once)  so i decide to pull it out and see what i can do.  The glue lines are good not too much squeeze out that doesn't break off by hand.  so i decided to clean it up with my good old handy 4 in 1 file/rasp. this was my fist time cleaning up a bow by hand.  about a hour later i was impressed by how little limb i lost and how clean the lines came out.  

Right off the bat a bought alot of power tools.  i recently invested in the rigid spindle/belt sander.  but every bow i make a do a little more shaping and profiling by hand.  I love my power tools, and they make shaping and squaring a riser quick, but the quality i produce seems to go up the more hand tools i use.  the last few bows i made i cut the site window with a draw saw and chisels.  

i was curious how you guys feel.  i don't think the hand tools are any more precise.  but i am a hell of a lot more precise using them.  with the chisels i line up each strike to match the cut grove,  with the 4 in 1 i look after every stroke.  

to those just getting started,  a band saw is wonderful for cutting riser blocks and re sawing lams.  but in my opinion that is about it and it certainly isn't required  (i would be at a lost making rounded inlays with out it but thats just flare) .  the spindle sander does a wonderful job getting the initial profile but, once your close break out the sanding blocks and rasps.  if you dont have all those fancy tools don't worry, the more i do the more i do by hand.  I the next bow i may try with nothing but the drum and spindle sander. i think the quality will be greatly improved.
so here is my recommended hand tools list:

Kataba (draw saw)  

dozuki (draw saw)  (I dont have one yet working on it  it would make shallow strait cuts easier)

4 in one file/rasp  i use the "hobby 4 in 1 from sears)  


A chain saw file (it comes in handy for more then the nocks.)

lots of smallish Nicholson files  ( have half round, flat, and triangle in several sizes)

thumb plane (a small block plane)

sureform (i have a love hate relationship with my sure form)

a set of chisels (mine are a cheep 3 pack from the navy exchange)  

Lots of random shapes of wood with 60-180 grit open cut sand paper glued to them.  (i have several square, several round different sizes, some 18" long bars for limb edges)

hack saw.  

good set of goat leather or kangaroo leather gloves.  (they are much softer then cow leather.)( i oil them with neatsfoot oil every couple of weeks)

[Morning Star]

I've really got the itch to start making some laminate bows and have been thinking about which tools I'll need.  Thanks for the insight.

[Apex Predator]

I have one that I need to replace, and I don't know how.  It's a 4 in 1 rasp, but made by St. Crispens.  It is much better than any Nicholson.  I have cut a lot of fiberglass with mine, but now it's pretty dull.  I use it to shape site windows, various riser shaping, and trapping limbs.