It's quite accessible if you don't look at too many woodworking magazines. You can do everything to a very high standard with chisels, planes and a few saws. Y

It's quite accessible if you don't look at too many woodworking magazines. You can do everything to a very high standard with chisels, planes and a few saws. You're not in it for speed or economy, so why not? In many cases, for one-of-a-kind items, hand tools are even faster than power tools. And the mess left behind is shavings that sweep up nicely, rather than dust that gets everywhere. I had a very nice shop in a spare apartment bedroom when I was single, and built a few celtic harps, a guitar, several bookcases, and some cabinets, doing most of the work after neighbours were asleep. No complaints about noise or dust.